has anyone heard of 80's GM's having a problem with the key not coming out of the ignition? i've got a Camaro that runs and has access to all switch positions on lock ... except for the full back position necessary to remove the key. happened to talk to locksmith and as soon as i said "late 80's Camaro" he asked me if i couldn't get the key out and told me it was a common problem. i've already replaced the ignition switch at the bottom of the steering column and everything worked fine. right up until i had the steering wheel re-assembled (yes, i'm now aware that i probably didn't need to dis-assemble the steering wheel to change that) and now the key is stuck in the lock again.
Between myself and group of friends we owned about a dozen of the 80s F-car. never had a key problem. Well, The key could be pulled out in all positions, but that was sorta handy in a weird way. o No: anyway, that sounds weird to me.
I never had that problem, or heard of someone who did. I think what Joe mentioned is more common - as the lock wears, you can pull the keys out in any position. I suppose it is possible if you had a key copied, and the copy isn't quite right, or if somehow the key became bent a little.
Sounds like when you had the lower switch off and replaced it you adjusted it incorrectly. You have to have the key in the locked position and have the electrical switch in the off position and then place the electrical switch on the column and tighten it right there. If you have it adjusted to far forward, the key switch can not turn back far enough to get to the place where it can come out,It doesn't take much. You will need to readjust your lower electrical switch and that should fix your problem. If you have a tilt wheel and that does not fix it, you will have to check the rack and pinion in the column, There is a little spring that makes the steering wheel lock work and sometimes it gets out of place or broken and it can get in the way of the gear and rack and keep you from turning the key all the way back. Check and see if the wheel will still lock. I have been a locksmith for 25 years and have seen about everything that can go wrong in a GM column. I have seen people tear a column COMPLETLY (think column in a bucket) apart just because they couldn't figure out how to remove the key switch. If it is a spring retainer switch and has never been removed, they can never figure it out. If the car is 1969 thru 1978 it will have a spring retainer. If it is 1980 or newer it will have a bolt retainer. If it is a 1979 and has an "J" keyway it will be a spring, if it has an "A" keyway it will be a bolt in retainer. Hope this helps. Travis
