This video has saved me twice in the past 6 years and I've shared it with several friends. Gotta love BMW's lol, but for real thanks for sharing this. I can't imagine how many people this has saved from being stranded and/or saved a potentially big diagnosis and repair bill.
Clark, I also have a 1998 323 IS so I was glad when I found your video. Today I installed a new tumbler in my car. The same tumbler that the dealer quoted me 585.00 to install (labor only). Thanks for your response about having the switches off for reassembly. I was stuck there. It's all good now.
Literally I need to personally thank you!!! I had to drill out one of the ignition coil screws but the second I turned the metal going into coil to the off position and it clicked inwards. I turned the coil to the off position too and everything is now working great!! Thank you so much!! One more BMW on the road
Thank you for posting this, work great and solved all my problems. Saved me a ton of cash. The ignition electrical switch was stuck in the on position keeping the tumbler from resetting.
Your a genius !!! I had to get a tow back home yesterday - not looking forward to getting BMW replacements for this lock as I saw a BIG bill coming. After this video and ten minutes it working fine again. Oiled it up and now expecting another 20 years before it happens again. Thankyou
Thank you very much for your video. I watch and tried to follow a whole bunch of other videos, including trying to remove the tumbler. You saved me tons of time. It works great now for my 96 M3. Thanks again man!!!
The "white switch" is the actual ignition switch (in the red housing). The "metal switch" protrudes from the tumbler/ignition housing and is what turns the white switch. Make sure they are both in the off position (and that the key is in the off position) before reassembling. Hope that helps!
I have a 94 bmw 318i . I losy my key and have been crap out of luck . well this got my car running again ., Thank you so much man for real . You saved my life .
live saver today! my switch has been acting up for years with the key just spinning. today i started it and it wouldnt shut off. followed your video and got it working for now. I just ordered a new switch anyway because im sure this problem will pop up again if not addressed now.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I watched your video. Went home and fixed my BMW. Saved a tow job and dealer wanted 6 to 8 hundred dollars. The only thing I did different, only removed the bottom cover on steering column. Great Video !!!!!
Fantastic...saved me a tidy sum by not having a Mechanic call out to fix it and it only took me 5 minutes.This is also the same fix for British released right hand drive E36 BMW. HAPPY :)
Hey man thanks so much! My brother and I just had this problem from a an e36 we bought today, and were in Germany.... So you are a life saver thank you so much. Also the screws are recessed on our car, and you may have trouble finding them. Bit they're there and its just a flat head.
Dude, I swear you are the MAN, I had exact same problem this fixed my problem perfectly and now car is cranking and working correctly.!!! You save me a major amount of money!!! Post more helpful videos as you figure out things!!!! Thanks a million!!
Bro? I found this today and got cranking. Was phreaking cz got to gap down the line for a birthday I organized and it would have cost under 6hundy to get it looked at and fixed. Thnxz a lot bro. Appreciate the vid posted. Churr bro
Thanks Clark I live in México and with your videa I was able to solve a similar problem with my 328i (1998), you saved me a lot of money and time, you are amazing.
As everyone said,thank for the video man...got stuck at the gas station at 1.30 in the night,with almost no tools i managed to get it started and get home,for the 2 little screws that holds the red plug had to make a tiny screw driver out of a key ring 😅
Clark - You are super awesome! I’m going to buy you a beer! I followed your detailed instructions including locating the screws with “red wax”, aligned the off position.... and volla, car no longer in “on” position and am able to start the car. Thank you kind sir for posting.... Cal
Thank you very much for uploading the video and for the explanation! had this exact problem, I followed your steps and fix it, like Jeffrey Cannon comment i removed only the button steering column cover
Awesome video man, helped me a bunch! Typically this happened the day i needed to move from Denmark to the Faroe Islands! Stress to the max. Thanks again :)
Thanks AGAIN ! the first time lasted many months , but with more free play and spin: I tried my emergency plastic key which worked perfectly first time.Conclusion ??? the real problem is that the keys wear , and become too thin which results in spin and jamming of the mechanical aspect. Answer ? New metal key into which you must slot / glue/ tape the transponder chip which is inside the old key; see RUclips on this.PS doorlocks all now work perfectly too. Thanks for guiding me to the end solution, and saving heaps of cash.
This video helped med last summer, when I was stuck outside a store, and the key would only spin in the ignition.. Found this video, and could drive home after starting my car with a screwdriver.. hehe, thanks :-)
Thanks so much; you should have a medal for service to humanity; you saved a garage bill which would be / nay will be the cost of a romantic week end, in 15 minutes work.I owe you.
dude, u just saved me some $$ and time, I was already watching videos on how to remove and replace tumbler and such, but had hard time doing it, then saw ur video and thought maybe this guy's nows the trick, sure did!! good job champ
My 1995 318si had the spinning key/tumbler problem, so i tried bypassing it with the ignition switch, then started it with a screwdriver by turning the ignition switch every-time, and it worked fine for a few months,then one day the ignition switch bypass, it quit starting it, so i then just assumed it must be the ignition switch cause i got nothing, when turning it with screwdriver,so i then bought a new switch, and hooked it all up, and it now it at least cranks but wont start, It's turning over but sounds like it's not getting no gas or not firing not sure! all's i do know is it won't start :cry: any help? Then on my 94 I love it, its a BMW 325is V6 manual, and check this out one day it just all of a sudden quit cranking, like a bad starter or something, but it never gave me any indication it was going out!!! I will say this something i think about that i did, right before it quit working, I was doing some work on my trunk lid and had the trunk key switch messing it with it, and the automatic opening or something, then right after that is when it wouldn't even crank, when i say crank, it wont turn the motor over at all!! Was it something i did working on the trunkkey area??? just after that i turn the key and nothing??? luckily its a manual i just try to always park on a incline of some sort, to roll start it, but lord that can be trouble, and i drive a BMW and roll starting it is kinda embarrassing :tsk: Could that be the ignition switch as well??? Please if theirs anyone that can help!!! I would be ohso thankful!!! Thanks Kyle
Holy shit man you are the best hahah this was the solution to my problem definitely and was super easy. Also I found you dont have to take the top part of the steering wheel cover off
Great work! Also worked for me on a '98 M Roadster E36/7. Same occurred when running some errands, turned the key to off and it kept spinning, engine stayed on. Went home, backed into the garage, put it in 5th gear and killed the engine. Disconnected the battery and went in search of an answer. Here it was. A couple comments. I did not have to remove the top steering column cover, just the bottom. In the video, it notes to be sure both the white plastic and metal male/female switch are in the zero or off position (red terminal). Note to dyslexics, turn the metal male clockwise (right) gently until it stops. The white female part counterclockwise (left) very gently (with flathead screwdriver), seemed two clicks lined them up. Question: is this a short term fix needing a tumbler replacement?
wow! finally i get to drive again. thanks to this video. thank you man. got me up and running again. question doe, what part do u think made that happen. i wouldnt want this to happen again thats why
Awesome video Clark - sorted my problem out and the key works fine now - BUT....for some reason, the key won't start the car?? It goes to position 2, the dash all lights up but then, turn for start - nothing?? Before looking on the net for assistance with the problem, I had assumed the ignition barrel to have collapsed - I had a spare barrel from a 1990 E36 which I had dismantled a while back. Installed this barrel into the wiring loom and that had the same problem - ignition lights but no 'start'. I have tried turning the key to 'igniton on' and then bridging the terminals on the starter - that makes it turn over but engine still won't fire??!! I have now removed the vehicles battery and will leave it overnight to see if I have perhaps confused the car's anti-theft mechanism by swapping ignition barrel/ wiring?? Hopefully, all will be fixed in the morning. Just thought I'd e-mail you to see if you had any other thoughts?? Cheers...'j.
Clark, your video was very helpful. Thank you so much! Can you tell me which "white and metal" switches the video is referring to when the graphic on the screen reads to make sure they are switched off? Thanks again, you saved me some serious cash
Wish I'd seen your vid sooner my key was actually stuck and managed to get it out but it was stuck as yours was but I smashed mine to bits instead and need a whole new ignition 😫
I have a 1989 535i..The key turns 3/4 but not enough to engage starter...All dash lights come on, but again i can't turn the key the last 1/4 inch to engage starter....Do you know if my older model has that red switch where I can start the car in the same way.Nice video,,,,,Thanks. Philip
Really thanks for everything... everything worked but when i wanted to use the car, the gear stuck!! did it happen with you?, do you know whats the solution?
Hmm 10 years later and still this video helps people. Thanks man completely solved my problem. Another M3 back on the road!
This video has saved me twice in the past 6 years and I've shared it with several friends. Gotta love BMW's lol, but for real thanks for sharing this. I can't imagine how many people this has saved from being stranded and/or saved a potentially big diagnosis and repair bill.
so is it a long-term fixed?
this is the weirdest episode of Bob's Burgers I've ever seen
💀💀
Fixed in 20 minutes with basic tools, then washed it and promptly took it for a 100 mile road trip. Thanks for the concise info.
Thanks, I was unable to turn off my BMW due to a stuck ignition switch on a 96- 328IS just like your problem. It works now.
I just had the same exact thing happen in my 96 328is lol ironic
Clark, I also have a 1998 323 IS so I was glad when I found your video. Today I installed a new tumbler in my car. The same tumbler that the dealer quoted me 585.00 to install (labor only). Thanks for your response about having the switches off for reassembly. I was stuck there. It's all good now.
Literally I need to personally thank you!!! I had to drill out one of the ignition coil screws but the second I turned the metal going into coil to the off position and it clicked inwards. I turned the coil to the off position too and everything is now working great!! Thank you so much!! One more BMW on the road
Thank you for posting this, work great and solved all my problems. Saved me a ton of cash. The ignition electrical switch was stuck in the on position keeping the tumbler from resetting.
Your a genius !!! I had to get a tow back home yesterday - not looking forward to getting BMW replacements for this lock as I saw a BIG bill coming. After this video and ten minutes it working fine again. Oiled it up and now expecting another 20 years before it happens again. Thankyou
Did it happen again? Or is it still working greAt now?
Thank you very much for your video. I watch and tried to follow a whole bunch of other videos, including trying to remove the tumbler. You saved me tons of time. It works great now for my 96 M3. Thanks again man!!!
you solved my problem with the spinning key, i couldnt turn my BMW off after i got back home from work.
Thank you took about 10 min to fix
Thanks, this worked perfectly. Never thought I would find the exact same problem online. The spinning ignition really threw me off. Great vid.
The "white switch" is the actual ignition switch (in the red housing). The "metal switch" protrudes from the tumbler/ignition housing and is what turns the white switch. Make sure they are both in the off position (and that the key is in the off position) before reassembling. Hope that helps!
I have a 94 bmw 318i . I losy my key and have been crap out of luck . well this got my car running again ., Thank you so much man for real . You saved my life .
Just so you know this video really helped me I was literally screaming in the car trying to figure out what the heck . u saved the day 💯
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
live saver today! my switch has been acting up for years with the key just spinning. today i started it and it wouldnt shut off. followed your video and got it working for now. I just ordered a new switch anyway because im sure this problem will pop up again if not addressed now.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I watched your video. Went home and fixed my BMW. Saved a tow job and dealer wanted 6 to 8 hundred dollars. The only thing I did different, only removed the bottom cover on steering column. Great Video !!!!!
Fantastic...saved me a tidy sum by not having a Mechanic call out to fix it and it only took me 5 minutes.This is also the same fix for British released right hand drive E36 BMW. HAPPY :)
You re a master. Thank you... My Problem is solved. But You did 99% of the work.
I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM...WAS GOING TO SCRAP MY CAR...BUT YOUR VIDEO SAVED MY CAR. THANK YOU..OMG...THANK YOU
Hey man thanks so much!
My brother and I just had this problem from a an e36 we bought today, and were in Germany.... So you are a life saver thank you so much.
Also the screws are recessed on our car, and you may have trouble finding them. Bit they're there and its just a flat head.
Dude, I swear you are the MAN, I had exact same problem this fixed my problem perfectly and now car is cranking and working correctly.!!! You save me a major amount of money!!! Post more helpful videos as you figure out things!!!! Thanks a million!!
I hope your life is filled with joy and you have a long happy life, thanking you bloody!
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
Same thing happens to me this morning. After watching your video the problem was rectified and fixed in ten minutes. Nice one fella!
Bro? I found this today and got cranking. Was phreaking cz got to gap down the line for a birthday I organized and it would have cost under 6hundy to get it looked at and fixed. Thnxz a lot bro. Appreciate the vid posted. Churr bro
Thanks Clark I live in México and with your videa I was able to solve a similar problem with my 328i (1998), you saved me a lot of money and time, you are amazing.
Mate you are a life saver and a money save easy steps to follow I was able to do it on the side of the road absolute champion
As everyone said,thank for the video man...got stuck at the gas station at 1.30 in the night,with almost no tools i managed to get it started and get home,for the 2 little screws that holds the red plug had to make a tiny screw driver out of a key ring 😅
OMG you are a champ!!! saved myself 600 bux thanks to your video, thank you!!!!
Clark - You are super awesome! I’m going to buy you a beer! I followed your detailed instructions including locating the screws with “red wax”, aligned the off position.... and volla, car no longer in “on” position and am able to start the car. Thank you kind sir for posting.... Cal
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
Thank you very much for uploading the video and for the explanation! had this exact problem, I followed your steps and fix it, like Jeffrey Cannon comment i removed only the button steering column cover
Thanks man this saved my evening. It locked up on me and I couldn't turn my car off even if I took the key out and. This was a great help man!
Absolutely brilliant video mate. Should have watched it sooner, would of saved myself £40. Just fixed my E36 ignition after seeing this!
Thank you brother you saved me alot of money with my ignition switch I followed your video and it worked had the same problem with the switch
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
Awesome video man, helped me a bunch! Typically this happened the day i needed to move from Denmark to the Faroe Islands! Stress to the max. Thanks again :)
Excellent information and I've done mine myself and saved hundreds of £££££££'s thanx mate
i had to play around a little to get the position slightly right on metal ignition rod that goes into the orange barrel . Good video !
Thanks AGAIN ! the first time lasted many months , but with more free play and spin: I tried my emergency plastic key which worked perfectly first time.Conclusion ??? the real problem is that the keys wear , and become too thin which results in spin and jamming of the mechanical aspect. Answer ? New metal key into which you must slot / glue/ tape the transponder chip which is inside the old key; see RUclips on this.PS doorlocks all now work perfectly too. Thanks for guiding me to the end solution, and saving heaps of cash.
I had two keys-one new than the other-and it happened with both. I imagine that having a locksmith make you a new key could help though.
Thanks man! My friend's car was just stuck on. This worked for me.
Hey Clark great video saved me some money i didn't have. Thanks
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
Thanks heaps for filming this Clark! Literally saved us $300
You absolute legend! Saved me a fortune!!!!
thanks for the vid it solved the problem of not being able to turn of my 98 M3
You just saved my automatic 1998 328i, thank you!
Thank jou so much for this video man 🙏 jou save my day and money i have the same problem whit my bmw e 36 and now the problem is fixed💪
Dude! You save me $500.00 + i checked my lock like you say on the video and BINGO! That was my problem, thank you so much.
This video helped med last summer, when I was stuck outside a store, and the key would only spin in the ignition.. Found this video, and could drive home after starting my car with a screwdriver.. hehe, thanks :-)
THANKS this shiz happened when i was at work delivering pizzas so i had to go home and fix it so i could work tomorrow and this fixed mine very easy
Thanks so much; you should have a medal for service to humanity; you saved a garage bill which would be / nay will be the cost of a romantic week end, in 15 minutes work.I owe you.
dude, u just saved me some $$ and time, I was already watching videos on how to remove and replace tumbler and such, but had hard time doing it, then saw ur video and thought maybe this guy's nows the trick, sure did!! good job champ
Thank you very much Clark, works perfectly now :-)
Good to hear! I'm glad this has helped a few people.
A bro thanks your video was the only one that help me out soon as I did what u did my BMW was back dipping....... ole u☝🏿 one
man you just saved me over USD400. Thank you a million .
Duuuude! Totally fixed it! Champion!
Bro, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!
My 1995 318si had the spinning key/tumbler problem, so i tried bypassing it with the ignition switch, then started it with a screwdriver by turning the ignition switch every-time, and it worked fine for a few months,then one day the ignition switch bypass, it quit starting it, so i then just assumed it must be the ignition switch cause i got nothing, when turning it with screwdriver,so i then bought a new switch, and hooked it all up, and it now it at least cranks but wont start, It's turning over but sounds like it's not getting no gas or not firing not sure! all's i do know is it won't start :cry: any help?
Then on my 94 I love it, its a BMW 325is V6 manual, and check this out one day it just all of a sudden quit cranking, like a bad starter or something, but it never gave me any indication it was going out!!! I will say this something i think about that i did, right before it quit working, I was doing some work on my trunk lid and had the trunk key switch messing it with it, and the automatic opening or something, then right after that is when it wouldn't even crank, when i say crank, it wont turn the motor over at all!! Was it something i did working on the trunkkey area??? just after that i turn the key and nothing??? luckily its a manual i just try to always park on a incline of some sort, to roll start it, but lord that can be trouble, and i drive a BMW and roll starting it is kinda embarrassing :tsk: Could that be the ignition switch as well??? Please if theirs anyone that can help!!! I would be ohso thankful!!! Thanks Kyle
John Kyle lol, bmw has never made a v6 engine, i think you meant straight 6
Thank you!!! You saved me alot of time and money. *super liked*
Thanks for the video-fixed my problem exactly
You saved my old bimmer thanks
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
Holy shit man you are the best hahah this was the solution to my problem definitely and was super easy. Also I found you dont have to take the top part of the steering wheel cover off
Thank you soooooo mutch I was about to spend 500 on a whole stearing column with ignition wow thanks you so much for the help
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
@@menaceemceefiend9716 yes
Cheers man. Helped me out a bunch.
Great work! Also worked for me on a '98 M Roadster E36/7. Same occurred when running some errands, turned the key to off and it kept spinning, engine stayed on. Went home, backed into the garage, put it in 5th gear and killed the engine. Disconnected the battery and went in search of an answer. Here it was. A couple comments. I did not have to remove the top steering column cover, just the bottom. In the video, it notes to be sure both the white plastic and metal male/female switch are in the zero or off position (red terminal). Note to dyslexics, turn the metal male clockwise (right) gently until it stops. The white female part counterclockwise (left) very gently (with flathead screwdriver), seemed two clicks lined them up. Question: is this a short term fix needing a tumbler replacement?
I've had it happen once more in the last year, so it isn't necessarily a complete fix, but it's gotten me by. Thanks for your clarifying comments!
thanks for the video its done my car is driveble again thanks again your the best
It worked on my 1998 E36 M3!!! I did exactly what you described and I got take off again :). What would I've done without you guys? Thanks a lot!!!!
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
@@menaceemceefiend9716 Yes I did
wow! finally i get to drive again. thanks to this video. thank you man. got me up and running again. question doe, what part do u think made that happen. i wouldnt want this to happen again thats why
hey I've been searching for a fix and the common part in this whole matrix seems to be the: ignition tumbler. That may be the answer to your question.
You saved a life today.
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
thanks man ! i had the same problem and i did it like in your video .
You just saved my life brotha
Bless you my friend! God fortune to you!
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
Awesome video Clark - sorted my problem out and the key works fine now - BUT....for some reason, the key won't start the car?? It goes to position 2, the dash all lights up but then, turn for start - nothing??
Before looking on the net for assistance with the problem, I had assumed the ignition barrel to have collapsed - I had a spare barrel from a 1990 E36 which I had dismantled a while back. Installed this barrel into the wiring loom and that had the same problem - ignition lights but no 'start'.
I have tried turning the key to 'igniton on' and then bridging the terminals on the starter - that makes it turn over but engine still won't fire??!!
I have now removed the vehicles battery and will leave it overnight to see if I have perhaps confused the car's anti-theft mechanism by swapping ignition barrel/ wiring??
Hopefully, all will be fixed in the morning. Just thought I'd e-mail you to see if you had any other thoughts?? Cheers...'j.
It worked thanks mate! Big thanks! Bob the belgian🇧🇪😎👊
Thanks for the vid man, it really came in handy!
Thank You! Worked perfectly!!
Honestly, thank you so much bro!
Appreciate you so much!
Clark, your video was very helpful. Thank you so much! Can you tell me which "white and metal" switches the video is referring to when the graphic on the screen reads to make sure they are switched off? Thanks again, you saved me some serious cash
Thank you ! solved my problem
I fixed it but keeps on happening, what is the problem, the red housing or the metal cylinder?
Thanks a lot man! Took me two seconds :D
Great video. Came in handy
Thanks for the video bro, helped me out so much! You're the fucking G.O.A.T
Do you think this would work for the opposite problem. Key not turning it over?
thank you works for me
Did you have to unplug the the battery?
So my ignition switch isn’t cranking the engine, could it be the actual switch or something else?
Thank you great video :)
I stared mine, but the steering lock won't disable. 😢 Any advice?
Thank you for the tip!
When I turn the key I have to hold it in the start position for it to continuing running, is this my problem? Any suggestions 🙏🙏😞 lmk thx
Thank you so much :)
Wish I'd seen your vid sooner my key was actually stuck and managed to get it out but it was stuck as yours was but I smashed mine to bits instead and need a whole new ignition 😫
THANK YOU
thanks for the video. .. you just saved my ass...
I have a 1989 535i..The key turns 3/4 but not enough to engage starter...All dash lights come on, but again i can't turn the key the last 1/4 inch to engage starter....Do you know if my older model has that red switch where I can start the car in the same way.Nice video,,,,,Thanks. Philip
Really thanks for everything...
everything worked but when i wanted to use the car, the gear stuck!!
did it happen with you?, do you know whats the solution?
What size is Allen key for the 2 screws?
Thank you!!
What do you mean by "the gear stuck"? Is it an automatic? If so, I have a manual, so I'm not sure.
hello, i have the same problem, thia is temporary solution or not? why is this happening?
God damn this shit worked.. for my 98 323is.. good looks