For a while now I've been able to remove my key while the car is running. It just pulls straight out. That one really didn't bother me very much, so it was on the back burner. Last night, however, I realized I couldn't completely turn off the truck. The engine stopped, but the radio didn't shut off, even when I opened the door. I also couldn't lock the doors, they kept unlocking themselves, as if the truck thought the key was still in the ignition. Naturally, it wouldn't start this morning due to the all-night battery drain.

So, replacing the ignition switch seems like a fairly cheap and easy job. However, my symptoms aren't the usual bad ignition switch symptoms I've seen on here. I've never, to my knowledge, had an issue with the passlock system. As I understand it, most of those repairs involve just using the electrical switch part of the new part, but does my issue sound like it might be in the mechanical part of the assembly? Am I going to have mismatched keys, unless I rekey the whole thing?

 

Call a GM dealer, I think they are the only ones that can order the switch matching the existing key based upon your Vin.

 

OK, I will check with them. Thanks.

 

Well I went ahead and ordered the part of the ignition switch that most people order for the passlock problem, thinking it would be easier and cheaper than getting one with my specific key, but it doesn't come with the key part anyway...it's a metal cylinder that's hollow at the key end. I suppose that's something else that I would order if I need to. I'm just not sure exactly what mechanism is at fault here.

Anyway, something else is up. The battery is still plenty good to turn on lights, etc. I decided I needed to start it and get it charged in case I change out the passlock switch and need to learn the new one, but I can't get it started. It won't crank at all, even after using a jump box, even after putting it on a trickle charger all night and then using the jump box. Voltage at the battery is over 12V, although I know that can dip while cranking. And I've seen a battery so low that it won't even crank, but this doesn't seem to be that. I'm thinking this is also an ignition switch problem? Maybe? But...why now? It just seems odd.

Note: I'm not getting any codes, and I'm not getting the passlock icon. It's just...not cranking. All the lights come on and everything.

Note: I verified the original condition was the ignition switch by testing that the delayed power-down stuff is still working normally based on door switch, etc. Basically everything is working as it should except (a) Turning the key off and removing the key doesn't shut down the radio, power windows, etc (still get the little orange light over the D for Drive) and (b) Now I can't get the car to crank at all.

I keep missing all these opportunities to drive this thing into a lake...so frustrating.

 

Replace the battery! +Doc Olds posted something else to do a few times on this site.

 

The battery is brand new.

 

Since when? What is the resting voltage?While normal sulfation is reversible, excessively draining a battery, or leaving it in a state of discharge, will allow the soft lead sulfate to crystallize. At that point, charging the battery will still cause some of the sulfation to reverse, but any crystallized lead sulfate will remain on the plates. This sulfate cannot, under normal circumstances, return to a solution in the electrolyte, which permanently reduces the available output of the battery.

 

The battery is maybe a month old, and this is the first time it's been drained down. Resting voltage is somewhere north of 12V, I don't recall the exact value.

 

So I was just searching around, and encountered a thread where someone actually had their key stuck in the cylinder and couldn't remove it, and it turned out to be a shifter problem that was not activating the "lockout solenoid" that prevents you from removing the key in gear. So, that's not exactly my problem, in fact something is wrong with that on my truck because I can remove the key while driving and throw it out the window if I want (I don't want, lol). But it made me think. What are the conditions the car won't allow itself to be started? I actually can't remember, it's all second nature. Does it have to be in Park? Maybe I have a variant of this problem? I may be remembering this all wrong...it just doesn't feel like it's actually trying to start.

 

OK, I am the world's dumbest person. I think I just figured out my entire problem. So, my truck was in Drive. Since I can pull the key out whenever, apparently I did, and didn't notice (thank God it was parked somewhere flat). Long story short, it has been in Drive the whole time, hence no proper shut-off, no start, etc etc.

Feeling pretty stupid right now, but also I can drive, so yay.

Maybe I should fix that key issue now though....