So today I changed the ignition switch, all by myself.
After input from another thread by members saying it could be a switch issue, I took it upon myself to try and correct the problem. Said problem was that when turning the key I had to lift it up slightly to get the engine to start. I had taken the ignition switch from my old valver when that was being broken so I used this as a replacement.
Here is the U-Joint, known for being a complete b!tch to get the nut and bolt to part from the main joint. This is what took up most of my time and it wasn't comfortable lying on my back trying to do so either:
Once this bolt was out, there is a allen bolt holding the column in place that's directly to the left of the ignition barrel location (other side of the steering wheel). I undid this and thankfully the steering rack just came straight out without much problem. DIYs I've read have suggested it might not always be that easy, sometimes involved having to chisel or knock the U-Joint with a flat-headed screwdriver, but this wasn't necessary in my case. Also note before pulling out the rack you need to disconnect all wires leading to the steering wheel.
I'm not 100% sure what this bit if but it was around my ignition barrel:
Steering rack out with everything still attached:
Old switch to the left, valver's one to the right. You can tell the different and why I had an issue:
The infamous small screw that holds the switch in, quite fiddly to get to but I found a cheap small Halfrauds screwdriver did the trick, other suggest a jeweler's screwdriver as they are very thin:
All I had to do was put it back together. The tricky part was the U-Joint and putting the steering rack back in, I found the part that connects to the U-Joint (in the spring area) was a pain to locate the right position, but I got there in the end, put the bolt back through and made sure everything was back the way it was meant to be. Took me about an hour.
So my problem regarding the switch is fine, but my barrel needs replacing at some point as the engine will still run if the key is taken out.
