The car is a 99 996. My key is spinning in the cylinder. I have disassembled it and have learned that the cylinder is to moving the tail piece behind the rod that connects the cylinder to the actual lock mech. I can find the door handles on line easily enough but for the life of me I cannot figure out how to get my lock cylinder out of the existing chassey in order to put it into a new one. I talked to my local stealership and they said they could order me a new one from the fatherland for a paultry $400. He said that I would need to provide my VIN so that they could make it for my car! I've looked and looked for any previous talk on removing the cylinder with no success. Is it perhaps not removable? If not then what are others doing when they buy the ones for sale off of ebay? Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

My 04 is still in the body shop because of this. The rep told me it had to be made to the VIN back in Stuttgart since the lock and base plate are one assy. I'm supposed to be getting my car back on Monday, but it's taken about 10 weeks to get the lockset! I hope he wasn't peeing on my leg and telling me it's raining. After 3 months, I'm not sure I really want to know...I just want my car back.

 

Before you disassembled the lock, was the remote opener working? If so, I would have left it alone until I had the new parts in stock and ready to install.

 

Same thing happened to me.

Basically you push down that shaft part and there will be groove to allow you slide off the washer part off.

Once you take it all apart, most likely the rotating sleeve will have broken pins/fingers.

I bought a door handle from ebay for 50$ bucks and scavenged the part from it. You keep your original key barrel.

Pretty simple fix...

 

I just went through this as well. The lock assembly is $179 from Suncoast. Another $225 labor to install it and I was good to go.

 

All of you guys are awesome for taking time to give me your input! It became clear that the washer was not removable on my particular assembly because the internal cam that had busted had moved itself around in a way that it prohibited the compression of the unit. I put it in a vice and with about 30 pounds of force, it gave in. I was able to find a complete assembly locally for $40. I only needed the cam inside which was probably about 50 cents worth of pot metal but what the heck. I will say this, it appears that the lock cylinder cannot be removed from the assembly without the original key. So in other words, if you find an assembly, you will need your original assembly to piece it all back together since you will not have the key to the replacement assembly. Also, I took the opportunity to clean all of the parts completely and grease them with lithium grease. Alan

 

My wife's '99 is doing the same thing. The problem is made worse by the fact that her keyless entry doesn't work. Did any of you guys do a pictoral on this repair? My key doesn't spin all the way around, it stops in the "normal" locations, but the linkage from the handle to the unit at the door striker is not turning.

 

I did not photograph the surgical procedure. I can tell you this, if your key stops in the appropriate spot, then the issue is most likely different than what I experienced. For the better. There is a small connecting rod that has a clip that connects the lock to the the lock cylinder. I suspect in your instance the clip came off so there is nothing connecting the lock(in the door jamb) to the lock (key thing) cylinder. If I am correct, this is a much, much easier fix. One possible way to determine if this is the case is to shake the door hard and rapidly to determine if you can hear anything rattling around. If so then the rod has come loose. NOT hearing something does not mean that this is not the problem. The fix would be to remove the door panel by carefully using the correct tools and nothing but the correct tools. Good news is that they can be bought at Harbor Freight $17. Search "door panel removal". Also, it's important to go slow. The plastic clips that hold on the door panel are 16 years old. Also, there a various screws that hold the panel on such as in the door pocket and behind the latch for opening the door from the inside (if memory serves me). There is a plastic membrane attached to the metal of the door. You can cut this with a razor if it will not pull loose nicely. Mine did not. Be sure to tape it back up with a good quality box tape or duct tape when you are done. With the window up, feel around in the bottom of the door and see if you can find the clip. DO NOT use the same clip. It failed once, it will fail again. I can get a replacement clip at ACE hardware so you should be able to as well. It's pretty straight forward from there on in but if not post some pictures and I'll see what you are up against. A stereo or car alarm guy would be a good choice to go to if you think that you are not up to this task. WAY cheaper than a dealership or even an indy shop. Lastly. ANYONE who has any older "what ever requires a key" should make a small investment in some dry graphite spray. It's amazing stuff. it is a dry lubricant. It's like the lead in leaded gasoline from days gone by. A can of it can be had from HD or Lowes for $6 Spray it regularly into your key way for turning on the car. This is big one because our 996 model is notorious for having the key way getting stuck in the "engine start" position. When it gets stuck like that you car will start but your AC and your headlights wont turn on! That means that you have to manually turn the key back a tiny bit. Turn it back a touch to much and the car stalls. The graphite spray irrigates all of the "junk" that accumulates in the key way over the years without leaving a residual goo like WD-40. BTW, WD_40 is a bad product. If you are trying to get a frozen bolt to break loose perhaps use it but truth be told there are better products even for that! It is NOT a lubricant at all and should not be used as such. It attracts dirt and hold is to the item supposedly being lubricated. WD stands for Water Dissipation, recipe number 40. Again, it is not a lubricant, it's bad news for your cars door hinges, locks etc. Enough preaching though. Good luck with your project.

 

I forgot to mention that you will probably be in the same boat if you bought a new keyless remote.