Previa ignition lock cylinder key broken off and removal/replacement

[flicker]

Hi,

My key broke off in my Previa ignition. Can't reach it with pliers. The key slot is still pointed towards the lock position. So, I don't think the part of the key still in the ignition lock cylinder has turned. The key is not metallic, so I cannot use a magnet to get it out either. Anynone know how ro get the broken piece of key out? The key part is probably about 3/4 of an inch long in the ignition lock cylinder.

Furthermore, whether or not I get the piece of the key out of the ignition lock cylinder, does anyone know how to remove and replace the ignition lock cylinder in a 93 AWD toyota previa? I looked in auto repair manuals but saw nothing. Specific instrucrions and details would be very helpful.

Thanks for your help.

[timsrv]

Hi Flicker,

If it isn't stuck too bad or too deep a dental pick can work wonders. I'm not talking about a cheap one from Harbor Freight (although one of those might work), I'm talking about a quality one a professional dentist would use. In some cases 2 picks (one on top & one on the bottom) used together will work nicely. If that doesn't work you may consider calling a lock-smith. Most will do service calls and might be cheaper than buying a new ignition switch (assuming he's only removing part of a key & not parts of dental picks too ). For whatever reason I haven't been lucky enough to replace an ignition tumbler on a Previa yet (knock on wood) & my service manuals are still packed away after moving. Perhaps somebody else here has done the job before. Tim