DIY Upgraded Ignition Switch/Lock Installation for 996/Boxster

[dmcole]

DIY Upgraded Ignition Switch/Lock Installation for 996/Boxster

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This is a DIY for anyone who wants to replace their crappy ~’99-’03 ignition switch with the upgraded switch/steering lock combo Porsche came out with in about ’04. I’ve seen this problem in both 996 and Boxster posts, so I suspect owners of both models may undergo this repair. I was able to do 90% of this from the driver’s seat rather than having to work under the dash. It may be possible from underneath, but I was glad not to have to do it. I’m sorry I don’t have pictures. Cameras just aren’t

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• Author
  dmcole
• Category
  Carrera (996) - Common Fixes and Repairs
• Submitted
  09/23/2007 12:37 PM
• Updated
  03/17/2017 05:06 AM

 

[mariusl]

Just did this, follow your DIY - superb!

Had some trouble getting the key cylinder out, but was only because I didnt turn the key enough :lightbulb:

:thankyou:

[bryanc806]

Thank you for this guide!

The only addition I have is to make sure the paper clip is a thick one--I know that was said, but it needs to be thick. The larger the better as this keeps the lock's locking mechanism retained. I was using a piece of thin welding wire and it was too thin.

[dmcole]

Glad to see that someone finally benefitted from this article! I would check every couple of months, but no replies until a month ago.

I do need to give credit to Loren and several other articles for helping me through the repair. I could not have done it without them.

[siddharth]

Glad to see that someone finally benefitted from this article! I would check every couple of months, but no replies until a month ago.

I do need to give credit to Loren and several other articles for helping me through the repair. I could not have done it without them.

Hey ... what about part numbers and cost? I just had my switch die on me ad after reading all the posts, I'd like o decide if I should do the quick 'n easy method (just the switch) or the right" method (switch+wheel lock).

Thanks

Sid

[puako]

Thank you for a great diy. When trying to reinstall the 10 mm bolt be careful not to drop the bolt into the support channel (don't ask me how I know fishing inside the channel with a magnet)

I would suggest that you reinstall the 10 mm bolt. I don't feel that the aluminum pin is sufficient to hold the lock in place if there was someone pulling on the steering wheel while it is in the lock position. Try wrapping a piece of electrical tape on your finger inverted with the sticky side out. Place the nut on the tape and finger tighten from the top as much as possible. The nut has a serrated washer built in. Try pushing the nut against the steering column and tighten with a 1/4" drive ratchet. You will eventually be able to finally tighten only from the top with the ratchet. Good luck.

[siddharth]

Is there a TSB covering this ignition switch/lock replacement by the newer part?

[Loren]

Is there a TSB covering this ignition switch/lock replacement by the newer part?

Replacement is covered in the service manual - which is what dmcole used.

[siddharth]

Is there a TSB covering this ignition switch/lock replacement by the newer part?

Replacement is covered in the service manual - which is what dmcole used.

I have several pdfs of the service manual, but the closest thing I find is Group 2, page 28-1. That covers only the switch, not the lock+switch. Would you be kind to point be to the section in the service manual or PM me the directions? That's be helpful ... the switch looks doable, but I can't visualize the lock part very well ...

[Loren]

Is there a TSB covering this ignition switch/lock replacement by the newer part?

Replacement is covered in the service manual - which is what dmcole used.

I have several pdfs of the service manual, but the closest thing I find is Group 2, page 28-1. That covers only the switch, not the lock+switch. Would you be kind to point be to the section in the service manual or PM me the directions? That's be helpful ... the switch looks doable, but I can't visualize the lock part very well ...

Go figure....

It is in the steering section since the lock is part of the steering column.

Section - 48 08 55 Replacing steering lock.

[911Joel]

Thanks for the write up. Did it today using these instructions.

I took some pics that may help someone.

It took me a while to get the key cylinder out. You have to get your "paperclip" back about 2 inches. Also when you remove the cylinder keep the paper clip in and do not remove it or you have to redo it when you put it back in.

Picture with clip in out ring hole. I had a key witout the key head. You can probably do it with a normal key but the black head would get in the way a little.

Remove entire cylinder, just by pulling out when released.

Im not a big fan of leaving a bolt out as he does in step #10. It is really the only bolt in the housing. The pin does hold it as he describes but I still perfer to put everything back.

You can actually get to the nut area from underneath the dash. Its a little hard to do if you by yourself but I stuck a socket wrench on the top of the bolt while I threaded the nut on lightly from below.

Then you can the use the socket wrench from the top when the nut gets a little tight.

He mentions in #2 of installing that replacing the ignition housing back in is the hardest part, but I think his part must have been a hair oversized or something. Mine clicked right in, literally took 2 seconds not 20 minutes.

Its a pretty easy DIY (other than having to have quite a bit of patience working to get some of the bolts in and out in tight places) and these along with the vent removal instructions are really good.

Edited August 4, 2008 by 911Joel

[Halo]

Thanks dmcole for the write up, great job. I would like to incorporate my photos to your words. I hope I don't butcher it.

When putting things back together I did something a little different as my light switch did not have enough wire length.

First things first:

1) Completely disconnect the battery. I can’t prove that total disconnection was necessary, but I also didn’t have the alarm go off suddenly. Better safe than deaf or shot by the neighbors.

2) Remove the rubber gasket around the ignition key. I could pull mine off just using my fingers.

3) Remove the left hand vent. There’s a nice writeup on this already; so I won’t repeat all of that here. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...ost&id=6617

Here are the basic steps from the link:

Insert narrow screwdriver into hole under the switch.

Turn blade up, not flat.

Here is what it looks like from the backside.

Remove 3 screws from the above areas.

Give a gentle pull from the top. mine was a little stuck.

Disconnect plug connection, I had to pry with a screwdriver as my wires were not long enough to let my hands get behind the vent.

keep this in mind as we get to the end of this DYI.

4) Once the vent is removed, remove the screw straight in the back back that holds the vent tube in place.

5) Now reach or crawl under the dash and remove the center horizontal vent tube under the steering column and

the vertical one you just freed up in the step above.

6) Put on a long sleeve shirt. After working through the vent hole for a couple of hours, my forearm is pretty beat up today. I’ll save you the same realization…

You’re now ready to start working on the issue at hand.

1) Reach to the back and disconnect the wiring harness from the ignition switch. It just goes straight off the back; no special clips there and don’t twist it.

Looking through the vent hole

A little closer look.

2) Remove the immobilizer. It’s the black box on top of the steering lock housing. Unclip the little wiring harness on the front right. This one has a little catch on it so don’t just pull it out. There is a little plastic Phillips head near the key that you give a quarter-turn. Mine had ‘wings’ on the Phillips head that I could turn by hand. Once you’ve turned this, slide the immobilizer straight toward you along the top of the steering lock housing. That will free it up to remove.

Here is what it looks like removed.

3) Remove the key cylinder. Around the key hole is a silver beauty ring. Around the edge of that ring is a small hole. Make sure the hole is near the 7 o’clock position instead of near 1 o’clock. Mine had turned 180 degrees at some point and made this cylinder removal impossible until I figured that out. Insert your valet key (it’s just easier, but your regular remote key will work) and turn to position 1. Now stick a straightened paper clip (I used one of the larger, sturdier clips instead of a standard one) in as far as it will go. The cylinder should virtually fall out if you’ve done this right. If you’re having to tug on the key to pull it, try again. Carefully disconnect the electrical clip from the key cylinder. Leave both the key and clip in the cylinder and set the thing aside.

My switch was in the 1 o'clock position when I started but went back in at 7 o'clock position.???

4) Disconnect the steering lock housing mounting screw near the key. This requires the same Torx bit you used to remove the side vent cover. I didn’t have a stubby Tork driver; so I clamped the bit into a pair of needle-nose Vise-Grips to get it loose. Once loosened, I could unscrew it by hand. Once the screw is out, swing the vertical mounting strut up and out of the way.

5) Disconnect the mounting bolt next to the steering column. A small 10mm ratchet worked for me. I didn’t have to put a wrench on the nut, but I had to use a bit of hand work to finally get the nut off and the bolt out.

6) Remove the steering lock housing. The trick here is that there is a spring-button that locks the housing into the steering column. You can see what you’re up against by looking at your replacement part. You depress the spring through a small hole on the steering column. I used a 2mm allen wrench to depress the button so that I could wiggle the housing out.

Now you need to prep the new part.

1) Remove all of the clips from the old housing and attach them to the new one. There is a metal clip that secures the mounting screw near the key hole and two plastic wiring guide clips. I removed the plastic clips by punching out the center pins from the bottom (they are small and actually come completely out; don’t lose them) and then carefully squeezing the prongs until the clip came off. Attach them to the new part.

2) Put a little lubricant (just a light surface wiping, nothing more) on the housing surfaces that insert into the steering column.

Install the new steering lock housing:

1) If the shiny silver steering lock ‘spear’ is extended from the housing, use a large flat blade screwdriver in the center of where the key cylinder would go and simulate turning the car on. This will retract the spear.

2) Insert the end of the housing into the steering column. This was the hardest part for me. I don’t know if the new part was just thousandths of an inch bigger or what, but it was 20 minutes of wiggling and jiggling that thing to get it in. Don’t forget that you will have to depress the little spring pin once it gets to the flange. I wasn’t sure I heard the spring pin pop into place in that hole; so I crawled under the dash to inspect it to be sure I seated the thing completely.

3) Replace the mounting screw near the key hole. By the way, I never replaced the 10mm bolt at the steering column. I couldn’t figure out how to restart the nut on the bolt, plus with that spring pin engaged, I can’t see how the housing could ever come out under normal use.

4) Reconnect the wiring harness to the ignition switch in the back.

5) Reconnect the immobilizer and its wiring clip.

6) Push the key cylinder in firmly (aligning it in the little guide on the top left of the steering lock housing) and pull the paper clip. It should be secured. Remove the key. Reconnect the tiny wiring clip to the key cylinder.

7) Reconnect the battery.

8) Start the car at this point to ensure that you’ve done everything right. If the car won’t start, something didn’t get reconnected properly or you have a different issue. Note: it is not necessary to have the headlight switch reassembled to start the car.

If the car starts at this point, start replacing the rest of the stuff you pulled out. Start with the vent tubing. It was helpful to loosely attach the vertical tube with its screw before reconnecting the horizontal tube underneath. Once done underneath, tighten the vertical tube and replace everything else. Be very careful with the headlight switch reattachment as that lighted ring looks pretty fragile and the little bulbs have to fit exactly right into the plastic ring that covers it.

Start ‘er up and hope that the new part is a thousand times more reliable than the one you replaced.

Additions:

Below are a couple of steps that I went through to put back the vent and light switch back together.

I removed the switch from the vent and attached it back onto the plug.

Insert the switch through the vent assy and twist to lock into postion.

make sure that you connect the remaining ring plug and replace vent and screws.

reattach the ring and put the nut and knob back on.

now go get some Band-Aids to cover your banged up knuckels. :lol:

BTW the part cost me $135 but if you plan in advance you can get much cheaper at Sunset Imports.

I am not sure what I would have saved in labor.

It was a fun project that took me a bit longer due to photos and dinner. (4 hrs)

Enjoy,

Halo

[rwnelson]

Glad to see that someone finally benefitted from this article! I would check every couple of months, but no replies until a month ago.

I do need to give credit to Loren and several other articles for helping me through the repair. I could not have done it without them.

MANY MANY thanks to those that took the time to document this process!! I had a $400 quote from my dealer to replace the ignition electrical plug at the bottom of the ignition barrel on my '03 Boxster and I was able to order one online for $18.50 delivered. The entire job took me about 40 minutes due to the excellent information posted on this forum....I saved a considerable amout of money. I'll try to return the favor sometime.

Thanks again!

[Ubertune]

Everyone thanks for the great write up, heres a pointer for starting the nut.

I noticed several people were having problems with starting the 10MM bolt the connects the module to the sterring column. Here is something that has worked in the past for me:

Items needed: 1. cheap magnetic pick up tool.

2. Long reach slotted screwdriver.

Purchase a cheap magnetice pkup tool at any autoparts store. The magnetic part of the tool should be no larger than the diameter of the bolt. Take your 10mmsocket and wrench and rest it on top of the bolt, which will keep it from turning, take the nut and position it on the magnet diagonally so when anged under the dash the nut lines up flush with the bolt. Slowly turn the nut clockwise until the nut is threaded.

I would keep threading the nut on the bolt until the magnetic pkup tool becomes useless.

Take your slotted screw driver and place it through the gap between the ignition swith and the dash. (you can see the blue bolt and nut through this opening). Put slight force on the nut to prevent slipping and tighten the bolt with your socket wrench.

This should do it! B)

[Bill_SoCal]

Boxster 137,000 Miles

Great DIY information! I got stuck with the simplest of the process...the light knob. I should have looked at the picture better. In lieu of using the screwdriver as if to pry, it should be used the oppostie way that logic would tell you and pushed up to release the internal circlip. :angry:

Replacing the 10mm nut absorbed most of my time... that was tough. :o My early days as an aircraft assembler helped me greatly as I installed fasteners in areas I couldn't see for many years. All else was pretty straight forward.

Recommendation - Plan for at least four (4) hours and have patience. You'll need it. ;)

I purchased the new Steering Lock/Ignition assembly from Sunset Imports last week for $90.59. Awesome service and shipping. :renntech:

I was not able to salvage the (2) black plastic cable retainers. The broke in my efforts to use a center punch and remove them. :huh:

Car is running well! I'll start it first thing in the morning in hopes my ignition problem is now gone...

Great DIY post...helped a bunch. I printed the one with pictures added too! Really nice outline to get this done.

All the best,

Bill

[2Fast996]

A board member and now my new best friend :D helped me tackle this project. As I was under the dash I was able to get a 10mm box end wrench around the head of the bolt which is on top and I had Chuck hold pressure reaching through the vent hole so I could get the nut started and then tighten with a 1/4" drive from the bottom. Pelican has the steering lock mechanism for $138. I was able to negotiate $120 from a dealer. I needed the part "now" as I am out of town with the key stuck in the ignition and no garage.

The entire job took 3 hrs 45 min with some time for cussin and bitchin.

Thank you for a great diy. When trying to reinstall the 10 mm bolt be careful not to drop the bolt into the support channel (don't ask me how I know fishing inside the channel with a magnet)

I would suggest that you reinstall the 10 mm bolt. I don't feel that the aluminum pin is sufficient to hold the lock in place if there was someone pulling on the steering wheel while it is in the lock position. Try wrapping a piece of electrical tape on your finger inverted with the sticky side out. Place the nut on the tape and finger tighten from the top as much as possible. The nut has a serrated washer built in. Try pushing the nut against the steering column and tighten with a 1/4" drive ratchet. You will eventually be able to finally tighten only from the top with the ratchet. Good luck.

Edited December 24, 2008 by 2Fast996

[MH996TT]

Hello All,

I recently felt a snap in the ignition while starting the car. Now the key does not fully engage the zero position and the car thinks the key is in even when it is not. Is this fixed by replacing the key cylinder or does it require the whole assembly.

Thanks

**Please ignore this post I found the answer in one of the links.**

Edited May 28, 2009 by MH996TT

[DavidSF]

Hi,

Great instructions! I'm almost done but I'm having a tough time putting back the vent and light switch back in. I think removing the light switch from the vent will help as it says in the instructions but I can't figure out how to do that. I removed the nut but I can't pull the switch the vent. How do I remove the light switch from the vent?

Thanks!

David

p.s. I didn't put back the 10mm screw and nut like some others. Too hard. I hope it doesn't backfire on me later.

[tt996al]

Hi great instructions, and pictures make it even better....

Just curious as to if this is a VW/Audi part number or Porsche part number, and also if you have it handy what would be the part number?

I am having problems removing the key from the ignition and occasionally it would just spin freely without starting car, would replacing this part fix both problems.??

Thanks in advance.

[tt996al]

Thanks to all for the great instructions.... Just did mine and was very easy with the instructions... i got to go put some Hydrogen Peroxide on my wounds now.... thanks again....

[Stefan]

I just completed this job and I have a trick that makes the job a lot easier. If you remove the instrument cluster (~5 minutes) and unscrew the plastic piece just under the cluster, you have full access to the entire right side of the lock cylinder, including the bolt and nut that people are scraping their hands trying to get at.

Using this trick, you also have access from both sides so putting things back together is much easier since you can use both hands or whichever is easier.

[SideBand]

Haven't started this procedure except for removing vent assembly. Right now however I can't get the ignition key into the lock. Can I remove the lock assembly without having removed the lock cylinder? Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Stefan]

I would try removing the electrical portion on the back of the old lock and see if the key can then be inserted.

[wavid]

Great article and pictures, thank you. Your hard work helped me replace my lock assembly. There is something I would add: For easier access to the bolt holding the column lock assembly to the steering column, remove the instrument panel (no need to disconnect the wiring), then remove the trim surrounding the column. I did this and had very easy access to the bolt.

[Stefan]

There is something I would add: For easier access to the bolt holding the column lock assembly to the steering column, remove the instrument panel

Sounds just like what I said a few responses up. ;)

Edited September 1, 2009 by Stefan