Keyswitch Buzzer / Contact Piece

[Justin Fleming]

So I have a understanding of how this works. What appears is supposed to happen is when the key is out or in the ignition, the black tab is supposed to push in on the contact square to keep the buzzer from coming on. The problem I see is that the black tab on the lock cylinder seems to just be there. Nothing holding it in the down position. you can see in the picture with the square hole the little black tab. If I reach in with a small screw driver it just pushes up. I know nothing about lock cylinders. Can anyone provide helpful info.

thanks

 

[Justin Fleming]

Anyone anyone.....

 

[Fordum]

Unfortunately Justin, my main expertise is with Fords. But I got to figure they are about the same.
With a Ford, the key touches a "copper" contact that sticks into the keyway. Its mounted on a piece of white plastic with one wire going to it.

When the key touches it, it grounds it and tells the system the key is in the slot.

On most of my older cars, all that does is turn on the buzzer or dinger when the driver side door opens to let you know the key is in the ignition.
You pull the key out with the door open, and the noise stops.

The driver side door switch has two contacts while the rest have one. The second is for the key/headlight alarm.
Nothing happens when you open the other doors except the lights inside coming on.

 

[Fordum]

Actually, I mistyped slightly. With Fords, there is a white piece with a contact sticking into the keyway clipped onto the key cylinder. The contact is attached to the white piece with a copper rivet, whose head sticks up.

There is another plastic piece mounted on the column with a copper piece that sticks down and touches that rivet when you put the cylinder in the column. That way, there is no wire hooked to the cylinder its self, so its easy to take in and out.

You picture looks like there might be a piece broken off. Either way, I would suspect that there is a single wire in there that is grounded when the key is in.

After that, it can get complicated. I used to be the go-to guy to kill door dingers when friends got new trucks.
I never fooled with the ignition switch or door switches. I went straight for the buzzer or dinger and unplugged it. Usually just a small can.

Then things got complicated. The small can morphed to a large module that did lots of other things.
I would sometimes have to surgery on the module to kill the key buzzer without killing other stuff.

 

[Justin Fleming]

I thought I understood how this works but, now I second guess. I went and looked at a new lock cylinder and it appears to be just as the one I have. The little black tang moves and is not out solid to push in as I expected it to on the little plastic square to break the contact.

If some one understands how this works and can explain it I would greatly appreciate it.

Why does the contact have the two long copper tangs?

I notice that it makes contact with a wire on the back of the turn signal switch. Are the two supposed to be gapped a certain about?