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Hi

98 LS400 Drove it about a mile stopped for shopping on return to car neither of the 2 ignition keys wil turn on :msn-oh:

Tried locking & unlocking, taking it out of park then back in nothing!

Central locking/unlocking works fine. Bonnet boot, filler cap lock/unlock OK

Steering tilts when key removed or when put back into ignition.

Anyone any ideas what might be the cause please????????? Car now stranded 1 mile from home :megaangry:

Thanks in anticipation

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Hi Jon

Are you saying that when you turn the key in the ignition nothing happens ,ie the instrument cluster does not light up and there is no power to windows or audio?

If so it sounds like the ignition switch is suspect, there have been a few instances on the Mark 4 including myself were the whole lot goes off whilst driving but comes back on with a slight touch of the key.

I did some research and it seems the ignition switch on the mark3 and 4 is different to the earlier mark 1 & 2 in that it sits on the end of the ignition barrel and is not an integral part of it.

They are fitted to a multitude of different Toyota models as well as other manufacturers vehicles.

I have priced one up through Lexus and they are around £70 but half that price elsewhere.

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Does the key actually turn in the ignition or just feels locked, if it won't turn, or feels jammed then the steering lock may have gone on, give the steering wheel a little gentle wrestle about with the key in the ignition, it should unlock and then work normal.

The wheel will meet you as soon as the key goes into the ignition, the mirrors will also unfold if they are set to stow away when key removed.

If it isn't the steering lock and the key turns but no start or click, i can't say what it may be.

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Jon, I posted about this same problem a few months ago. This also happened to me on my 2000 LS. It is a known occasional fault with Toyota/Lexus key barrels. I found that by squirting some form of lubricant into the key hole it will free it up eventually. The sliders inside the barrel get stuck with gunge over time and jam up. Once a good dose of WD40 or carb or elecrical cleaner is in there you will find it will work again. You can even squirt some on the key as well and insert it. If you become desperate (as I was), you can also sharply tap the barrel on the front where you put the key in and it should free it off. I've not had any problems with it since then. Works fine now. Hope this helps.

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Thanks chaps

I'm such a plonker :innocent: as apparently when I got out of my Lexus I as usual used the steering wheel to brace myself and I must have engaged the steering lock. As the engine wasn't running (no power steering) it loaded the steering to the extent that the key alone would not release it.

After realizing my stupidity the wheel was waggled & hey presto! the key functioned as normal :whistling:

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i had a similar moment - years ago we used to have an automatic pajero and you could only take the key out once in park - took me half an hour to realise what i had done and was very close to calling someone out!

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As it's confession time:

I recently did a 500-mile round trip to Suffolk and noticed on the motorway that the steering was wobbling a bit. I thought maybe the front wheels needed balancing. On arrival, I discovered that instead of being 35 psi the front tyres were 23 and (cringe) 17. And the backs were 25. Needless to say, all was well after a pump-up. (And, despite going nowhere in traffic jams for an hour and a half, I still averaged 31 mpg).

This was the first long trip I've done in months. Is it normal for tyres to deflate after a long run, perhaps because of heat?

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No ............................ not like that anyway .... maybe the last place you checked them had a poor gauge ............... are they old and cracked tyres or maybe secondhand ?

Malc

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Scribe, alloy wheels lose air at a faster rate than the old pressed steel ones. As the alloy deteriorates with age the seal between the tyre beading and wheel rim becomes slightly weaker and you lose air. Steel rims don't do this to the same degree. I found that after my alloys were refurbed they held air pressure much longer.

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Interesting. One of my smart car tyres was also nearly flat the other day, and I swear I hadn't noticed it before. It was as if it and the Lexus one suddenly went down within about 24 hours.

Malc, they're not old or secondhand tyres, and after pumping up seem to be fine. (Touch wood veneer around the gear lever.)

I bought a Michelin double-barrelled footpump today, just to be on the safe side, but am having trouble connecting it any tyre valves (Lexus, Smart or Kia Picanto). The pressure doesn't register and air doesn't seem to go in when I pump. But I don't want to force the connector on to the valve. Anyone else had this problem?

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Sounds like you may have a neighbour you've upset ...... or some local low life tikes ............. who's playing silly buggers, letting the air out maybe !!

Malc

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Well, it was definitely a puncture on the smart - repaired today. The tyre fitter also couldn't get the Michelin foot pump to connect to the tyres via the screw fitting, so it's not just me and I can take it back and ask to change it without appearing a plonker.

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  • 8 months later...

Does the key actually turn in the ignition or just feels locked, if it won't turn, or feels jammed then the steering lock may have gone on, give the steering wheel a little gentle wrestle about with the key in the ignition, it should unlock and then work normal.

The wheel will meet you as soon as the key goes into the ignition, the mirrors will also unfold if they are set to stow away when key removed.

If it isn't the steering lock and the key turns but no start or click, i can't say what it may be.

The mirrors don't stow on the mk 4 ls400 do they? I dont think mine do

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Does the key actually turn in the ignition or just feels locked, if it won't turn, or feels jammed then the steering lock may have gone on, give the steering wheel a little gentle wrestle about with the key in the ignition, it should unlock and then work normal.

The wheel will meet you as soon as the key goes into the ignition, the mirrors will also unfold if they are set to stow away when key removed.

If it isn't the steering lock and the key turns but no start or click, i can't say what it may be.

The mirrors don't stow on the mk 4 ls400 do they? I dont think mine do

they did on a very few late 400s - year 2000 ones

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