Heavy ignition

[Heskey18]

New owner of a T6 DSG & the ignition feels heavy to turn . Works fine . my last van was a caddy maxi manual which felt a lot lighter) . Can anybody shed some light on this . Cheers

 

[Dellmassive]

You mean its hard to turn the key?

Or the starter is laboured?

@Dav-Tec have you noticed a difference?

 

[Dav-Tec]

Not really bud, can't say I ever paid attention to it but I'm sure if it felt funny I'd of noticed

 

[Heskey18]

Not so much hard to turn the key but more resistance than I’ve felt before

 

[Dellmassive]

try some wd40 in the keyway, and give it all a good jiggle.

 

[Phil_j89]

try some wd40 in the keyway, and give it all a good jiggle.

Was always recommended not to use wd40 in an ignition barrel, and to use a graphite lock grease as wd40 can do more bad than good.

 

[Dellmassive]

Was always recommended not to use wd40 in an ignition barrel, and to use a graphite lock grease as wd40 can do more bad than good.

interesting . . . . and after a quick Google it seems that some locksmiths would agree.

but the idea of using WD40 (solvent based) to un-gum the lock - still holds.

but as you say there are other better suited lubricants for locks, that may or maynot make an absolute mess of your coat pocket ;]

silicone and graphite get mentioned.

 

[Heskey18]

I heard pencil lead filings from a graphite pencil . But i think I’ll let someone else try that

 

[roadtripper]

Beware of graphite in a keyway that is attached to a switch (graphite is conductive - it's what they make carbon film resistors from)

But definitely leave the WD40 alone, most likely it will flush out the dry lube from the lock (and wear the lock much faster) and flush the dialectic grease from any switch contacts (allowing the air to corrode them much faster)

A little silicon or GT85 on to the key blade and gently jiggle generally works. Specifically in a barrel lock a very tiny amount of the same on to the edge of the barrel (so it's drawn in by capillary action not forced on by spray).

 

[Droneshadow]

I know what you mean, when I bought my 2019 T6 I thought the ignition key needed a firm turn to operate it. It’s not sticking or stiff, just a strong spring mechanism in it. Don’t know if yours is the same but mine works like a push button start, ie you don’t need to hold the key in the start position until the van fires up, one quick turn, then let it go. The starter then spins over until the engine starts. If it doesn’t start I’m sure there is time limit before it stops spinning over.

 

[roadtripper]

I think if you have stop start then the ignition is just triggering a start cycle.

At least in my MY21 T6.1 it's just a flick of the switch and then leave it to it.

 

[Phil_j89]

Beware of graphite in a keyway that is attached to a switch (graphite is conductive - it's what they make carbon film resistors from)

But definitely leave the WD40 alone, most likely it will flush out the dry lube from the lock (and wear the lock much faster) and flush the dialectic grease from any switch contacts (allowing the air to corrode them much faster)

A little silicon or GT85 on to the key blade and gently jiggle generally works. Specifically in a barrel lock a very tiny amount of the same on to the edge of the barrel (so it's drawn in by capillary action not forced on by spray).

The electrical switch is external to the ignition barrel, so I’d expect a small amount to be fine.

 

[Graham Jones]

I believe INOX is the safe one to use on things like locks....

 

[Ayjay]

I have no idea how it works where there is a switch involved but I've always found that PTFE spray works wonders on locks - it has the advantage of being dry and doesn't allow dust and other crud to collect on it.