Ignition switch not working

peanut

XS650 enthusiast & inveterate tinkerer
Top Contributor
Messages
4,054
Reaction score
2,832
Points
263
Location
England
How difficult is it to remove the ignition switch on a 79 Special ?
I cannot get the switch to turn clockwise to on ,although it will turn anti clockwise to lock the steering .
I seem to remember it did this last summer and after lots of WD40 and fiddling it started to work again.

Is it possible to strip the lock itself ? I don't particularly want to install a new lock and have a different key for the ignition and seat /tank cap .

Does anyone know what the key blank description is ?? my key has ERRERI stamp but it looks like an aftermarket key to me.
 
Sounds like it's time to take the switch apart and lube it up. There's several big moving and rotating plastic and metal parts in there. Sounds like yours are all dried out and binding up. You kinda got to do this every 30 years or so, lol.

Your key blank should be one of these styles, most likely an X117 or X118 .....

 
excellent 5twins thank you.
Where did you find the key blank diagram ? I looked everywhere .
My key is the X117 as you rightly said. I'll see if I can track down a blank as I only have the one key at the moment.
many thanks
 
that matches my key perfectly,,thanks for the link. I'll try Europe first but if no luck I'll order from the US.
Thanks for your help
johnny
 
Hi peanut,
please note that WD40 is NOT a lubricant or a penetrating oil.
It's 10% secret jollop that displaces water and 90% kerosene.
Before you remove and dismantle the ignition lock, try freeing it up with a genuine penetrating oil
(or the cheapskate's secret formula, equal parts Acetone & ATF)
You might just get lucky.
 
Hi peanut,
please note that WD40 is NOT a lubricant or a penetrating oil.
It's 10% secret jollop that displaces water and 90% kerosene.
Before you remove and dismantle the ignition lock, try freeing it up with a genuine penetrating oil
(or the cheapskate's secret formula, equal parts Acetone & ATF)
You might just get lucky.

Just an FYI that acetone is not always friendly to all plastics... I wouldn't use it unless you're sure of the compatibilty of the plastics inside the switch with acetone...
 
Hi peanut,
please note that WD40 is NOT a lubricant or a penetrating oil.
It's 10% secret jollop that displaces water and 90% kerosene.
Before you remove and dismantle the ignition lock, try freeing it up with a genuine penetrating oil
(or the cheapskate's secret formula, equal parts Acetone & ATF)
You might just get lucky.


thanks for the Education Fred .....can't think how I've managed to get through the past 65 years without knowing that lol..(sarcasm)
As Oddjob says you wouldn't want to put Acetone anywhere near plastics but then I guess you knew that already huh
I'm going to see what some gun oil has done overnight before stripping it out.
Have a good day my friend...
 
thanks for the Education Fred .....can't think how I've managed to get through the past 65 years without knowing that lol..(sarcasm)
As Oddjob says you wouldn't want to put Acetone anywhere near plastics but then I guess you knew that already huh
I'm going to see what some gun oil has done overnight before stripping it out.
Have a good day my friend...

Hi peanut,
thing is, my dad had a black belt in sarcasm so do your worst, eh?
However, some of the folks who read these posts still believe that WD40 is the universal solvent.
But as you and I know better how come you still used it in an attempt to free up your lock?
And yes, a 50% acetone mix and plastics are best kept separate.
I've only used the acetone/ATF cocktail to free up metal parts so Mr. Stupid didn't
think about the acetone component's ability to dissolve plastics.
And hopefully the gun oil works for you.
 
But as you and I know better how come you still used it in an attempt to free up your lock?
.

because I had nothing else to hand yesterday and the nearest retailer is a 40 mile drive away and were closed anyways .:p

'The truth is out there you just have to let it in' as suitcase would say:D
 
Some time back, I found a trivia item on "What is WD-40?"

What Is The Main Ingredient of WD-40?
Before you read to the end, does anybody know what the main ingredient of WD-40?
No Cheating.....


I had a neighbor who bought a new pickup.
I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of this beige truck (for some unknown reason).
I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news.
He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do ... probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open.
Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off.
It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I was impressed!

WD-40 who knew?
"Water Displacement #40".
The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts.
WD-40 was created in 1953, by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company.
Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'Water Displacement' Compound.
They were finally successful for a formulation, with their fortieth attempt, thus WD-40.
The 'Convair Company' bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.
Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.


When you read the 'shower door' part, try it.
It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door.
If yours is plastic, it works just as well as on glass.
It's a miracle!
Then try it on your stove-top.
It's now shinier than it's ever been.
You'll be amazed.

WD-40 Uses:
1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floor that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps the flies off of Cows, Horses, and other Farm Critters, as well. (Ya gotta love this one!!!)
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains.
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewelry chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic/terracotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on both home and vehicles doors.
18. It removes that nasty tar and scuff marks from the kitchen flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19. Remove those nasty bug guts that will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly!
20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gearshift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
22. Rids kids rocking chair and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes grease splatters from stove-tops.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape. (Ya hear that, fellow Canuks?)
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida 's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'
38. The favorite use in the state of New York, it protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. It is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray it on the marks and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you spray it inside a wet distributor cap, it will displace the moisture, allowing the engine to start.

P.S.
As for that Basic, Main Ingredient.......


Well.... it's FISH OIL....


P.P.S: I've found that the machining forums recommend it as a cutting oil for maching and tapping aluminum. I've used it for that, and it works great. Gunsmithing forums recommend it as a cutting lubricant when power sanding any type of recoil pad. Works great there, too...
 
Last edited:
because I had nothing else to hand yesterday and the nearest retailer is a 40 mile drive away and were closed anyways .:p
The truth is out there you just have to let it in' as suitcase would say:D
Hi peanut,
I used to spend my summer holidays with my aunts in Martock so I remember the area, surely it ain't 40 miles from Crewkerne to the nearest Halfords?
Which indeed may be closed when you need stuff, it's in England, eh?
And I prefer the Terry Pratchett version:- "The truth is out there but the lies are in your head."
 
My first guess on the main ingredient would have been silicone. My first tax paying job was in a body shop, use of WD-40 was forbidden, caused fish eyes in paint and was thought to stay in the air to cause never ending havoc in later paint jobs. Ha, fish oil, fish eyes.

Peanut, you may have a bad copy of a bad copy of a bad copy and so on of a key. You may be better off taking the ignition code to a locksmith or a Yamaha dealer to get a key that is not an exact copy of your copy. Seems to be the going rate for a key cut to that code is about $20 here in the USA, America is a continent, not a country, some of us rightly consider Canadians to be Americans too.

Scott
 
Say what mrtwowheel? splain that again, the country continent thang ima little slow on the uptake.
I always thought I lived in the USA, one of 23 countries in North America.
 
Last edited:
Say what mrtwowheel? splain that again, the country continent thang ima little slow on the uptake.
I always thought I lived in the USA, one of 3 countries in North America.

Hi WER,
depends on where you are. In the UK "Canadian" and "Mexican" are both used correctly but "America" and "the USA" seem to occupy the same slot in a Brit's vocabulary. The USA's regional terms also get misused. I remember back in WW2 when my uncle had asked two US army personnel to supper. When my uncle referred to them as "Yankees" they were incredibly polite in explaining that the term did not apply to persons of color from Alabama.
 
Say what mrtwowheel? splain that again, the country continent thang ima little slow on the uptake.
I always thought I lived in the USA, one of 23 countries in North America.
The terms USA, US, United States and United States of America are seldom used lately. The word America is now wrongly used to describe only the United States. Also we are no longer US citizens, that has been wrongly changed to Americans.

Edit, these terms have been changed in our own media and are also used by our own elected officials lately. Just saying, my third grade teacher taught us different.

Scott
 
Hi Scott,
amazing how this string has drifted from peanut's original ignition switch question to the uses and formulation of WD40 which may or may not be snake oil but is actually fish oil and is now about the difference between an American and a US Citizen.
What's next, I wonder?
 
Fred I see you caught my typo. I thought we had solved peanuts problem and learned how to care for cracked hands.
I guess I'm not keeping up with world Scott. So will Hillary Trump or Donald Clinton be the Queen of Belize?
 
Back
Top