Updating 1988 ROW 90 ignition with locking one help needed.

Ozzie

Well-known member
Hi there everyone. I bought that kit that comes with the Ignition Barrel and key lock tumblers for the entire car.
I swapped out the tumblers on the 3 doors and now it's the Ignition's turn.. I noticed that the one I bought is for a locking steering column and I don't believe my 1988 has a locking steering wheel. what parts do I need to replace so that I can put in this part that I bought and have a steering wheel lock.
I have attached a few photos of what my steering looks like now in the dash.
Thank you in advance.
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Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
You have a locking column , there were however two diameters of lock cylinders. It's apparent if it is not the correct size.

Well I've never actually replaced just the lock cylinder I believe you insert the key turn it to the on position and then depress a pin through a hole in the ignition lock body You should then be able to withdraw the key and the barrel together. Your mileage may vary so I would suggest sticking in the key and seeing if you get depressed the pin first before trying to turn it
 

Ozzie

Well-known member
Thank you. I'll take a look.
The part that came from Rovers North is the complete barrel with key cylinder, key, the lower half round attachment bracket and the 2 breakaway security bolts for putting it all together. I'll post pics of those new parts in a bit when i get home.
Thanks again.

Ozzie
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
Oh that's the whole assembly. what will need to be matched up then is the wiring. You sure also do a quick search for people modifying the switch that physically pugs into the back. I think people have used some small like eyeglass size screws to hold it together prior to final assembly because it is prone to breaking in half from use.

You're going to need a cutoff tool or the hammer on style bolt removers to take out the one-way screws that are already there
 

Ozzie

Well-known member
If the key is not in my Ignition I can turn my steering wheel 2 or 3 turns in either direction and steering never locks.
So I am not sure I actually have a column that has an indent for the locking part that is shown in this new assembly. But I hope it does cause then it will be a snap to install.
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John Z

Well-known member
Funny I just worked on this yesterday. I swapped out the door handles and the back door latch. I actually had to do a bit of grinding with the dremel for the stuff to fit. Next is the ignition lock.

This upgrade came at the perfect time as my door locks were starting to not work and the back door wouldn't even stay locked. The latch would just fall shut.
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
I've just never seen a defender without a steering lock? But I could definitely be wrong! I just took look the parts catalog though and there's no difference between the actual column so whichever one you get it should fit.
 

Ozzie

Well-known member
That's awesome to hear .I hope so. Maybe the plunger in the Ignition assembly currently in the truck just doesn't protrude anymore after 32+years.
I bought the 2 front Puma doors and a Rear Puma backdoor and replaced the key tumblers in them all, all that's left is installing the Ignition assembly. I assume if I take a picture of the wires on the switch it should be a direct swap. I'll take a dremel/drill to the security shear bolts holding it on the column.
It's my daily driver so its the kind of job that has to be started early in the morning on a weekday so that if something goes wrong the fix can be had shortly.
The 3 doors aren't on the 90 yet. So slowly but surely updating everything.
Tomorrow the Masai4x4 rear ladder goes on......
 

John Z

Well-known member
When you do the ignition switch lmk if you have to remove the cluster- I can't seem to get my speedo cable off. I already cracked the cable end in 2, I just don't wanna make it so it doesn't work or need a new cable. I'm kinda hoping I can work around it.
 

Ozzie

Well-known member
When you do the ignition switch lmk if you have to remove the cluster- I can't seem to get my speedo cable off. I already cracked the cable end in 2, I just don't wanna make it so it doesn't work or need a new cable. I'm kinda hoping I can work around it.
Will do. I will probably attempt it Thursday evening since i don't work Friday. Will update..
 

John Z

Well-known member
Just a heads up I did install mine. I used a center punch and drilled out the old bolts holding the old ignition. I did have to remove the cluster to get access to the wiring. Other than that it was pretty straight forward. My clock is a mess again. 🙄
 

Ozzie

Well-known member
Awesome to read. Straight forward is always a good thing. I will try it when i get back from working in Orlando next week. What's going on with your clock? Is it stock?
Mine is and is dimmer than the other gauges. It's from a td5 cluster that was put on by PO.

Ozzie
 

John Z

Well-known member
When you do it, it's pretty straight forward, I took the new one, placed it on top the old and swapped the wires 1 by 1 to make sure I didn't screw anything up.

Stock 300tdi clock. When messing with the cluster the power wire came off so the time stopped. When I plugged it back in I can only set the minutes, the hours don't change for some reason. It keeps good time when operating so the internals are good. I just have to get it to a specific time, unplug it and wait for that time to come up and plug it in. That's the best I can think of.
 

Ozzie

Well-known member
Just a heads up I did install mine. I used a center punch and drilled out the old bolts holding the old ignition. I did have to remove the cluster to get access to the wiring. Other than that it was pretty straight forward. My clock is a mess again. 🙄
Did you also do the door locks?
So now you have 1 key for the doors and the ignition?
If so.. Hallelujah that's what I want to get done.!
 

John Z

Well-known member
Yeah all the locks were swapped. The back door I had to Dremel the lock opening little and the front doors I had to Dremel the door handle openings alittle on the forward edge of where the push button part is. Now I have 1 key for everything (except gas cap which idk if they ever setup to use the larger lock cylinders) I also noticed my old ignition lock was aftermarket and the contact cluster in the back was a bit loose so I might have caught that before it broke and left me stranded?
 

Ozzie

Well-known member
Finally the stars aligned and I was able to schedule the ignition assembly to be swapped out by Matt at Safari HP. I was working nearby for a few weeks so it timed out perfectly. Drove in early AM, drove away early afternoon. Now 1 key for the Ign and all doors.
Now if I could only find a locksmith who would modify the lock on my Optimill Diesel Cap to work with the same key......hmmmmmm....
 
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