Alero Ignition

I have a 99 Alero, 3.4L V6. Recently I discovered that my key would not turn, and as a result, the ignition cylender had to be replaced. After the stealership told me that it was going to cost over 800$ CAD to replace, I went hunting for the part myself. Found one, and gave it to them to install, however in returning my vehicle to me, I discovered that there was a lack of audio in the car as somehow they have disconnected the stereo. The dealership attempted to tell me that it was not their fault, so my question is, how does one get at the ingition cylender to change it? Is it possible that they went through the dash that way? They said that they took the bezel off of the steering colum, but im not sure If I beleive that.

To replace the ignition you have to remove the radio, there is a bolt behind it that holds the ingnition switch bracket. That is the sum of what you were asking, right? You do also need to remove the column cover, then the gauge cluster bezel, then the gauge cluster. The other 2 bolts are behind it. I wouldn't say that they can't change the cylinder without removing the radio but I have done it 3 times and removing the radio seems required. The manual also states this. The REAL manual written for GM.

Yep he's right. Even when I do remote starters I have to remove the radio although I don't usually unplug them due to the theftloc feature. My guess is that one of the plugs aren't in all the way.

i have a 2003 alero and its ignition cylinder needs to be replaced for a bargain price of $650!! what the %*&# does anybody know if this can be done without scanners. i.e. can i replace the switch on my own? thanks for help.

I have a 99. I replaced mine on my own, I don't know about the 03. The cylinder itself cost me around $230, this included keying it to my original key. I would not think there would be much difference in replacement.

Have you tried resetting (relearning) the cylinder you have? This may buy you some time.

I have a 99 Alero V6 as well and last year I experienced that my key would not turn when I put it in the ignition. After panicing and $$ amounts went through my head I played around with it a bit more and got it working again! Now all I do when I start my car is press the top of the plastic thing around the key hole in with my thumb and voila! it turns perfect and my car starts!

I hope my ingenious trick can help someone else out there!

Welcome to AF ra$erchik.

This would be a temp fix, after a while the cylinder will have to be replaced.

My GA GT does this sometimes and I just flip the key over(which usually works) or jiggle it around and it'll usually work.

Thanks for the advice guys, I forgot to mention that I do have an aftermarket Deck in my car, which I thought may have been the problem, so I pulled that out and tested it - no problems. I looked over all of my wiring and I couldnt come to any conclusion there as everything tested ok. The ignition Cylendar I had them put in was one from a 99 Grand AM. I didnt think that there would be a problem, as GM states them as the same part #. On the back of the Ignition Switch, what sort of connections is there? is there 1 plug to jack into, or is there bunch of them that possibly someone didnt connect so that the accessory part isnt enabled? Is it possible that the switch that was installed was faulty as well?

Well, you should have one or 2 main ignition plugs. ( I can't exactly remember becuase it's been a little while since I've torn one apart. I could let you know after tomorrow because I have a remote start to do in one.) These are your main feeds for 12v. and such. Then there will be a very small plug with 3 wires in it. Ususally these are yellow, white, black or orange/black. The yellow and black or orange/black wires are the PK wires in question. Find those to see if they are plugged in.

Now, you stated that you swapped out the ignition lock. Did you swap the whole thing or just the tumbler? You have to be real carefull when doing this swap because the magnet that's inside for the decoder part of the PK2 system is very delicate. It's delicate by design which also makes them fail a lot.

I replaced the entire lock assembly however it was from an auto wrecker and for a 99 grand am. Also, I didnt do the work myself, I did have the GM dealership put it in for me. To take a look at the back of the system to check to see if all the wires are plugged in, do I have to remove the bezeling, stereo and all such things? If they are that delicate, is it wise to be messing around with the cylender or should I just bite the bullet and have GM replace the whole works with a new one?

Thanks again!!

Wait!!!! You had a Gm dealer install it for you and they left it like this???? Their scanner will tell you EXACTLY what the issue is. Ask for a print out of the codes. I thought you were doing this on your own. If you already had them work on it, have them fix it.

Wait!!!! You had a Gm dealer install it for you and they left it like this???? Their scanner will tell you EXACTLY what the issue is. Ask for a print out of the codes. I thought you were doing this on your own. If you already had them work on it, have them fix it.


:iagree:
If you are not happy with thier work,
definitely complain and make them fix it right.

HAHAHA, Thats what I thought!!! So get this, I got in my car after they had finished the work, and drove away. I returned about 5 minutes after to tell them that my stereo was not working, and that it had worked prior to getting them to work on it, and they turned around and said that it was somehow my fault and that they would have to charge me to get the stereo going again. I got so upset with them, so I called the GM customer care line, and they wouldnt even do anything, the woman on the phone said... and I quote " what do you want me to do about it" I tell ya, it has really made me think about what my next vehicle is going to be!!

When I confronted the dealership up here again, they said that they would have to charge me to diagnose the vehicle again, and then they could decide if it was my fault or theirs. But what would stop them from just saying that its my problem and I have to deal with it. I should mention that I live in a small town and there is only the 1 dealership here, so I have absolutly no choice as to go to another shop

When I had originally picked up the car, they charged me to reset the codes on the vehicle, do I need to get them to hook it up again and get the codes for the stereo not working? and if I do get the error codes, and post them, can you fine folks help me to diagnose the problem?

Thanks Again!!

I'd contact the BBB. https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetStarted.aspx

also,
I"ve never tried this with an alero, just older cars, but I used to shoot wd40 inside the lock mechanism and giggle the key around until it turned easy. Maybe this would help?

Most stereo codes are shown on the display and need no scann tool.
Most likly they didnt disable the theft lock on the stereo before removing it and now its locked :disappoin
So if it worked before they worked on it then they are liable for the damage(s).

And I would advise NOT to spray WD40 or any liquide into the cyclinder.
You can short them out and then you could get the security light w/ no start :yikes:

OK, I see you live in Canada, laws for consumers may be different up there. :dunno:
I wouldnt give in to thier system of denial, and continue to get things straightend out.
And do contact the BBB on this matter immediately!
Good Luck

I 2nd on the radio's Theftlock feature (if it's the original radio) because more than likely they unhooked the battery to do the repairs. Well, when you do that, it locks out the radio. All they have to do is retrieve the code, input that into the radio and the way you go.

Is the radio now show "loc" on the display?