Broken key, bottom half still in the ignition.

Twempie

Joined
Aug 6, 2009
Messages
72
Location
N/A
This is a strange one. This evening, running various errands after work, I parked the bike, turned her off and removed the key. Except I removed only half of the key. The bottom half of the key-blade (the notched skinny part of the key) was nowhere to be seen. It had broken off and was apparently buried in the ignition assembly.

So, fingers crossed, I inserted the half-key, but the ignition wouldn't turn. So I tried the spare key, fingers crossed again, (I always keep a spare in my jacket for just such an occasion), and the "whole" key worked. I'm thinking the bottom half of the key, after breaking off, must've fallen through the lock.

This particular key was always a little awkward to deal with in all of the locks, but I never, ever forced it. I would lube the locks with TriFlow or WD40 from time to time.

Even though the bike is functional (I was able to get home), my main concern is if this somehow becomes a problem when I'm miles away from home. And now I have to buy another key (or two).

Has this happened to anyone else on the forum?
 
+1 on ditching the factory key.

Using a steel replacement key ensures you can use a magnet to fish it out when it drops into the depths of the tupperware, into the oil pan when you have just finished draining the oil or in the sand under the bike as you get off on the side of the road.

Keep the factory key safe at home somewhere, and when (not if) you lose a key, the factory key will enable a key cutter to produce a working copy first time up. Copies of copies are not recommended.
 
BlueyM said:
Keep the factory key safe at home somewhere, and when (not if) you lose a key, the factory key will enable a key cutter to produce a working copy first time up. Copies of copies are not recommended.
Click to expand...

Amen to that. I've been putting this off for a while now, it's getting fixed today. I looked at the lock, there's nowhere for the tip to go. There was no sound or feeling that key broke, so unless I missed something, the missing piece has to be in there.

I have to wonder why this happened now... I did just get the bike back from the dealer, for a warranty hose-clamp fix. Maybe one of their low-paid lot attendants was just a little too rough with the key. But that's just conjecture.
 
If the full key is working I think the broken bit must have fallen off unnoticed somewhere outside of the lock after you extracted the key. I had a broken key as well (fished out with a thin wire and skilled machinist at my work). There was no way I could insert a whole new key in there with the broken end still present.

Years later you'll probably find that broken end down in the "V" of the engine somewhere under the throttle bodies!

Where are you guys finding steel replacement blanks?? I've only ever seen plain or chrome plated brass and aluminum. All the blanks I cut when I worked at a hardware store in my youth were brass or aluminum as well. The key copying machine we had I don't think would have been capable of cutting a steel blank.
 
Yes, I thought of that - and hope it's the case.:please1:

wjbertrand said:
If the full key is working I think the broken bit must have fallen off unnoticed somewhere outside of the lock after you extracted the key. I had a broken key as well (fished out with a thin wire and skilled machinist at my work). There was no way I could insert a whole new key in there with the broken end still present.
Click to expand...
 
[/QUOTE] Where are you guys finding steel replacement blanks?? I've only ever seen plain or chrome plated brass and aluminum. All the blanks I cut when I worked at a hardware store in my youth were brass or aluminum as well. The key copying machine we had I don't think would have been capable of cutting a steel blank.[/QUOTE]

for a sturdy key blank, see keyblanksales.com; the key blank (among some others out there) is "Ilco HD109 x265"
 
After breaking off my key in the gas cap (I was working on the cap, so I didn't have it closed when the key broke off), I had some extra keys made. Also, I had to replace the gascap and the new key that came with it is much stronger then the keys that come with the bike.

Also, I bought a couple of blanks off ebay and had them made up for my ignition and they have held up well. Neither the gascap replacement, nor the ebay blanks are showing any signs of cracking! :D
 
Just went down to ACE Hardware.......He ordered ten blanks.....Im gonna have two made, because of this thread. Thanks for the post !

Any local Bay Area riders interested in spares...........They will be in stock in three days.
 
FWIW, hooking a broken key out with a tiny dental hook & a pick or wire is sometimes possible. The trick is to use the pick or wire to keep the broken piece from tipping to the side too much and binding. An old lock can be an interesting test mule for this kind of fiddling around although perhaps there are better ways to spend a winter's evening? :grin:


I have also used some epoxy on the tip of the key to bond to the broken section with good success on several occasions although one needs take care not to blob on the epoxy. It won't usually stick to the inside of the lock because of lock lube (you do keep it well lubed?) but can form a bulge which can interfere with withdrawing the key. (Don't ask!)

I have tinned the end of the key with solder, rubbed some paste onto the end of the broken piece and poked the heated key into the lock. One only needs a cold solder joint if the key is pulled straight out but it is important not to try this with some of the newer locks having 'nylon' in the lock or tumbler carrier.

When I was younger with steady hands and could still see (if you're not over 60 don't even ask!), I also wedged the broken piece and drilled the end of the broken piece. A small sheet metal screw was driven into the hole enough to bike and pull the stuck key from the lock. #$%^& thing was really stuck! :D

The broken end must have pulled out and fallen aside as I don't recall any bike ignition lock which is open at the bottom enough to accomodate the end of a key. The lock drum typically sits tight against the switch disk.

HIH

Norm
 
Yes, I must've pulled out the bottom half of the key. I thought the lock assembly was in some sort of housing but the collective wisdom of this forum shines through again. I now have one master key and four spares.
 
Ahhhh, This is no doubt a dumb question, being I'm not the sharpest knife in the draw........ but is there a way of heating and cooling a key to make it harder? I saw a How Is It Made show on TV, and it showed them heating pliers, and dipping them in oil or something to make them harder. I have no idea, but thought I would ask,,,, lots of brains on this site.
 
I've been there to see this happen before at CheapSTOC a few years back, on a Sunday morning... luckily the Ace Hardware owner opened up his store for the locksmith to make a key out of a Nissan blank after pulling the broken key.
 
Brass and copper (keys are usually made from brass) will work harden (get brittle) when flexed several times or pounded on with a hammer, as in reshaping. If you heat it and quench it in water it will become ductile (soft) again. Steel on the other hand will get hard if heated and quenched in a cooling medium such as air, oil or water (depending on the steel alloy it's made of).
 
Saw another "bent" key at the El Reno, OK RTE last weekend.

Recommendation for all youse 1300 riders: make a couple of the "short" keys, epoxied into a radio knob or whatever, for the panniers and gas cap. Use the full key only in the ignition. The problem with this key, as noted above, is the narrow-cut "waist" which doesn't go all the way into the shallower pannier and gas cap key holes, leaving that narrow waist to twist in the breeze. In the ignition switch, that narrow part is fully inserted (more pins in there or some such, but definitely a deeper slot.)

Jus' sayin', ah, maybe yet another reason to KEEP YUR 1100!!! :duck: :chrfl1:

I was also at the CheapSTOC event Sherob mentioned. Old guy in town had the old Datsun blanks but no ability to cut a double sided key. The hardware store had the cutter but not the blanks. Among all of us, we eventually got the bike back on the road.

I was also at the Kofa Cafe last year when a key broke in the ignition, couldn't get the broken piece out. Resulted in a 2-up ride back to Phoenix, and another round trip with a truck 'n trailer to get that one home. Tuff to get professional help on a Sunday afternoon in the desert south-west. Phoenix to the Kofa, one way: 107 miles. That seems enuff hassle to take preventive action.
 
I got three steel blanks from a local locksmith. I assume they are all steel as a magnet reacts with them. From memory they were about $2 each.

I couldn't find steel blanks at any hardware stores or those "multitask" shopping mall kiosks.

Good advice from George about making a "short" key for the gas cap and panniers. Sounds like a nice little project for Saturday afternoon, possibly accompanied by a cool beer. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom