davekillen
Member
I've been experimenting with a couple of e3 ignition switches that I've ended up with. Both had the same problem, which I understand is common, of not being able to turn the electronic portion of the switch far enough to engage the "start" position.
I took apart the steering lock assemblies and determined that the problem with both was wear on the ends of the intermediate shaft that connects the ignition barrel to the electronic switch. I also noticed similar wear in the end of the ignition barrels. Altogether, this created enough slop that the electronic switch wouldn't move completely through its range to "start" when the key was turned all the way.
I know new steering lock assemblies are available, but I also know there are a few different types and I wasn't confident that I'd end up with the correct one. So, I decided to try to copy the intermediate shaft in Fusion 360.
After a few iterations, I have a design that works! It's a pretty faithful copy of the original metal piece with the exception of extending the ignition barrel end by 1mm to help it reach past any wear on the end of the tumbler socket.
It needs to be printed out of a stiff material... even once I had the design down, the test prints I made with PLA would twist too much axially and not engage the start position on the electronic switch. When printed in carbon-fiber reinforced nylon, though, it works great.
The only issue with that is that with the nozzle I have the carbon fiber filament is kind of a low-resolution version of the part, and needed some cleanup with a file. But, maybe another stiff filament would work, or a print using a finer nozzle (I'm pretty limited in the nozzles and filament I have on hand right now).
Anyway, I thought maybe this could help someone else. I don't know durable this will be in the long run, but I'm going to try using it for now and see how it goes (this photo is of one of the PLA test prints). If anyone wants the file just let me know, I don't think I can post it here.
I took apart the steering lock assemblies and determined that the problem with both was wear on the ends of the intermediate shaft that connects the ignition barrel to the electronic switch. I also noticed similar wear in the end of the ignition barrels. Altogether, this created enough slop that the electronic switch wouldn't move completely through its range to "start" when the key was turned all the way.
I know new steering lock assemblies are available, but I also know there are a few different types and I wasn't confident that I'd end up with the correct one. So, I decided to try to copy the intermediate shaft in Fusion 360.
After a few iterations, I have a design that works! It's a pretty faithful copy of the original metal piece with the exception of extending the ignition barrel end by 1mm to help it reach past any wear on the end of the tumbler socket.
It needs to be printed out of a stiff material... even once I had the design down, the test prints I made with PLA would twist too much axially and not engage the start position on the electronic switch. When printed in carbon-fiber reinforced nylon, though, it works great.
The only issue with that is that with the nozzle I have the carbon fiber filament is kind of a low-resolution version of the part, and needed some cleanup with a file. But, maybe another stiff filament would work, or a print using a finer nozzle (I'm pretty limited in the nozzles and filament I have on hand right now).
Anyway, I thought maybe this could help someone else. I don't know durable this will be in the long run, but I'm going to try using it for now and see how it goes (this photo is of one of the PLA test prints). If anyone wants the file just let me know, I don't think I can post it here.
Last edited:
