Two years seems like a short time for an ignition switch to die. You might want to check the basics first before removing the switch (put direct current to starter, see if it cranks, etc.). And then before removing the switch, remove the harness to the ignition switch and test the voltages a la Bentley.
I replaced my switch trying to track down a poor voltage-at-starting problem (turns out it was a crapped-out ground strap..), and it was sort of a pain. Especially because the 89s and up have an extra collar on the steering column for "fine adjustment" of the steering wheel position. Most garages say that you have to distroy this collar to get it off, I used a transmission gear puller as well as some carefully applied heat, and it came right off. Getting it back on is a little tricky, I used the main bolt on the steering column to recompress the spring behind this collar. The Bentley manual does a pretty good job explaining how to get to the ignition switch, I think it's in the "removing steering columns switches" section. Just make sure you take careful note of the order that you take things off of the column, so you can get it back together. And DON'T try to put the collar back on by banging it on- you will make the steering column push out the lower bearing, and become two inches too short. Pulling the bearing back in place once you've pushed it out of place can be a pain. Let me know if you have any more questions, it's still pretty fresh in my mind. Just test anything you can before taking it out. One symptom of a bad switch is that the car starts when you let go of the key, as opposed to when you push (crank) the key. a Andrew White, M.A. Research Associate/Clinical Case Advocate Center for Mental Health Services Research, UMass Medical Center Dept. of Psychiatry Phone: (508) 856-8737 Fax: (508) 856-8700 26+6=1 _____________ List Sponsor: http://www.netsville.com To remove yourself from this list, send mail to [email protected] with 'unsubscribe a2_16v' in the body of your message See us on the web at http://www.a2-16v.com Visit the 16V Homepage at http://www.gti16v.org
