Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman
Originally Posted By: Duffman77
I turned the key off once while driving down the road due to a noise comming from the engine that was abnormal. My steering column then locked on me while doing 30 mph, not every solution is without pitfalls.
How do you manage to do that when cars with steering locks have had mechanisms to keep you from doing that for a while? Automatic transmission shifters keep you from doing that unless you shift to park, and manual transmissions usually have some button, lever, or push-to-turn mechanism to prevent that. Even my low-tech MG requires you to push a tiny button below the key to turn it to the lock position.
NO! One click back on the key turns the ignition off, but as long as the gear selector is in anything other than "park" (on an automatic) or the driver doesn't consciously push the key removal lock button (manual) the steering wheel doesn't lock, because the key doesn't go to the "lock" position. Fully locking is TWO clicks back from "ignition run"!
This is a perfect example of how we can USE something every day and not fully realize how it ACTUALLY works! I'm not being critical of you, I'm sure I do the same thing with other devices I regularly use.
This is a perfect example of jumping to conclusions on your part and assuming that others do not fully realize how it ACTUALLY works
. My question was how he got past the interlock, not why he didn't stop at the first click. Try not to assume that others have no idea that it takes two clicks to get back to lock and that the ignition turns off at the first click. If he locked it in his haste to turn the key off, obviously he turned it through TWO clicks and locked his steering, which bids the question of how he got past the interlock that's supposed to prevent locking the steering, WHICH IS WHY I ASKED.
If there wasn't much of a detent at the first click, I'd probably turn the key back as far as it goes if I was trying trying to shut the engine off in a hurry. Peace!
Sorry if I misread your post, the attribution is starting to get a little complicated.
Getting past the interlock is not possible in an automatic if the car is still moving
and the interlock mechanism is functioning correctly. Its not a question of a detent being weak, its a solid wall you hit if the shifter is in anything but "park." A manual- maybe the "muscle memory" mentioned could let you push the button and get to the "off/lock" position... but on most stick cars I've driven its a bit of a hassle to push the button that lets you get past the "off" detent and to the "off/lock", and get the key out even when you are THINKING about doing it right.
Of course if the mechanism breaks... anything can happen. I'm personally not a huge fan of steering wheel locks- I think its a pretty weak deterrent to theft and always has been. Now that we have SKIM/SKIS and other similar systems I think they could do away with steering wheel locking. Heck, in my 60s cars *nothing* is interlocked, except you can only operate the starter in "P" or "N". You can shift it to neutral and turn the wheel all you want even without a key, and hot-wiring them takes about 15 seconds. Which is why I put in secret ignition disablers that are hard to find, let alone bypass in the normal way ;-)
