Mine has now gone completely. Is this easy to change? Lock although a bit worn is fine, it's just the electrical contacts - pushing the key hard to start and then often cuts out! It's a mk2 Golf 16v Cheers!
There's the hard proper way and then the awkward but quick way! The hard way is to remove steering wheel, next remove steering column cowling, then remove screws holding wiper/indicators stalks and remove wiring harnesses to these, next up you need to remove the splined boss the steering wheel is attached to. This has a powerful spring behind it, if you tap it off with a mallet it'll probably take out your rear window! So really need to use a puller to slowly pull it off steering column. With that removed you should see the ignition barrel housing around the steering column, insert ignition key and turn to disengage steering lock. You will see the ignition barrell housing is clamped to the steering column by an anti tamper sheer bolt, this needs to be drilled out the remove the housing (or cheat if you have a set of Irwin bolt grip removers) once you have drilled through this remove the wiring to the ignition switch and pull the ignition housing off the steering column. The ignition switch is held in by a small screw remove this and change switch. Refitting is the reversal of removal as they say, make sure you get a replacement sheer bolt to rebolt up the housing. Or the way most people do it: remove steering column plastics, remove wiring from ignition switch, remove drivers seat, take a small phillips screwdriver and bend it slightly at the end, crawl into a rediculously uncomfortable position with your head jammed against the throttle pedal and attempt to undo the tiny screw which holds the ignition switch in place. It is do able but takes awhile as your trying to undo something you can't really see but is a lot less hassle. HTH
There is another option... a bit longer than option 2 but if you struggle with getting at the screw you can remove wiper/indicator stalks as per above and the ignition switch wiring. Then just undo the universal joint at the bottom of the steering column by the pedals and remove the steering column this makes getting to the screw a piece of cake
if you dont have a spline adaptor, its easy peasy. if you do, see posts above the spring isnt under THAT much force it certainly wont fly off anywhere if you tap the column thru it with the hammer method
this is the way I have done it in the past, remove the entire column. Not necessary but quite straight forward. can be fiddly to reconnect the splined UJ connector by the pedals but by no means difficult best of british
Thanks everyone for your advice. Took the plunge tonight and job's a good'un! Had no chance of getting to the screw, completely covered and hidden by the column! I took the top half of the column out in the end and still had to bend a screwdriver to get to the sodding screw. Took the under dash off too to help, made a massive difference. Didn't even have to resort to front seat removal! Users combination of all three of sum1's methods and start to finish took an hour and 20 and that included tidying up some of the wiring too. Thanks again everyone, looking forward to driving Golfy again!
Mine's totally inaccessible from behind, how do I get the ignition barrel housing off? I've got this far:
if you bend a thin screwdriver you can just about get to the screw, but for an easy life if you undo the allen bolt holdign the lock housing on and remove the bolt holdign the UJ to the column you can pull the column out with the lock housign attached then attack it on the bench. dont loose the spring between column bearign and uj! the column will only fit back on the UJ 1 way as it has a missing tooth in the spline
undid, hard pull to the top and slid straight out, made changing the switch a 20 second job, didn't even have to bend the screwdriver. Hasn't solved problem :'( Car will start with switch just plugged in, but when in column will not start with the key, seems to just click the relay. any ideas? Short video [video]4YzAX9P-V_s[/video]
Have tried 2 new switches now and not made a difference, i think maybe the key is not quite turning far enough to fully turn the switch, like it's going 80% of the way or something. Does that sound like ignition barrel shagged? It's doing my head in, all I want to do is drive my Golf :'( :'(
yes I'm thinking its the lock barrel, I'd try to get a complete pre-90 mk2 or mk1 ignition lock assembly to test before you start messing any further, you can just plug it in and try it same way you've been trying the switches to change the lock you need a 3mm drill and make a hole, then poke something inside to release the barrel clip:
