Unexpected failure mode for a 328

Guess where the rest of it was?

And the spare was at the house, well over an hour away (one way) by Integra Type R. Made for a lovely day
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Ouch! Ignition or door?

 

That's the ignition key. Broke off in the auxillary-power-on-but-not-running position when I got to MSR today. Fortunately, I happened to have a very thin screwdriver and a set of needle-nose pliers and eventually worked the remains out.

 

I had that happen to me about a year ago when at an auto parts store. I called AAA for a locksmith, who removed the broken key from the lock, took me home (about 10 minutes away) so I could get the spare, and then drove me back to the store, all at no charge. As their slogan says, "It pays to belong".

 

wow that is incredible......I just bought a new set of blank keys for the door and ignition this last week..... I think I will get those cut and use those. That is scary.

 

I've seen a couple of failures like that. Theoretically, with the rest of the key in the ignition cylinder, the stub should still be able to turn the assembly (with the key part in the cylinder holding the tumblers correctly).

The only time I personally had that happen on a car I was driving was on my mom's '65 chrysler, many many years ago. (She had "saved" money by getting an aluminum key blank.) The ignition still worked, and I got the car home.

That's one advantage to an older car. That wouldn't work on a new machine, because they need the transponder in the heel of the key kept in position or the anti-theft electronics will kick in.

 

Get off the Juice, Barry Bonds!

 

In theory, yes. In actual fact, not so much.

I did note that all the key wiring is exposed under the dash. For future reference, does anyone know what to jumper to bypass the key?

 

Oh, I can see it now, rash of Ferrari thefts worldwide blamed on internet !!!

 

We used to do this on our old chevy's. As long as there is no chip in the key you should be able to still start and drive the car. We would snap the key off in the ignition and never worry about needing a key to drive the car. Only back then we didn't worry about the car being robbed. Not a big deal but today life has changed. Enjoy the ride.