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Car issues - electrical and key

J

JJ133169

New member
Alright, so first off I want to start by saying I hope this is the right place to post issues. Second of all I HAVE spent MANY hours on google searching for a solution and I cant seem to find if these are linked and a more "popular" solution. So please be kind and try and help me out.

I just bought a 02' grand prix GT at about 94'000 miles. Now I'm at 95,000 and My key sticks. Not only does my key stick 9/10 trips, but at the same time the key started sticking, I noticed that the HUD display also sometimes goes bezerk along with the radio display. My lights and dash and all that such have remained unaffected.

So many say "oh its the wires under the shifter" others say "its some solenoid" But I don't know if my issues are two independent issues or if they are related. Lately the display issues have been happening more frequent, also has trigged it when i turn on the AC. From what I have read I think that the wires controlling the key ejection and display are housed in or near the ignition? but I could be wrong. I am learning more about cars and have a neighbor that knows cars and a trusted mechanic I go to as well, So i just need to know whats wrong and wear to look to fix this problem instead of taking the whole car apart.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated! Thanks
 


u need to define "key sticks"...

u mean it will turn from "run" to "acc" but not turn back any further to "off" and eject the key?
 
Yes. I can start and turn off but cannot remove the key. weird thing is, today and yesterday I could with no problems.... So i'm thinking some sort of electrical problem that is intermittent but usually persistent.
 
next time ur key sticks, there a small hole on the underside of the plastic cover that surrounds ur steering column,(directly below where ur key goes in)... stick something thin in it like a toothpick or a small screwdriver and then turn ur key back. there's a button in there that controls ur ignition cylinder lock.
 
X2 re: key release. A golf tee works well...

The HUD/radio MIGHT be an indication that the ignition switch is bad. Usually, the A/C control, DIC and DRL are the victims of a bad ignition switch.

Here's a great write-up on diagnosis:
Sparky's Answers: 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix Blower Inoperative, Erratic
It is written for a blower motor problem, so you will need to find the appropriate fuse to check for your specific problem.

And here are the ignition switch replacement instructions:
Sparky's Answers: 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix, Changing The Ignition Switch

If you search for heads up display, you should also be able to find the repair for broken solder joints on the light sensor; that could also cause erratic HUD functions.
 
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