This 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix had already been diagnosed with a faulty ignition switch. The faulty switch was not allowing the blower motor to operate properly.
Now on to changing the ignition switch. Disconnect the battery.
The first step is to remove the lower trim panel under the steering column. There may be some screws at the bottom of this panel that have to be removed. This car did not have any. With the bottom edge loose the panel can be slid towards the driver’s seat to disengage the retaining clips.
Now that the trim panel is out of the way. There are several 7 mm headed screws that have to be removed.
There are four 10 mm headed bolts that have to be removed that are further up in the dash and an extension will be needed.
The panel removed. Notice how far up in the dash the interior mounting edge is.
Pull the tilt lever from the steering column. For more detailed pictures of how this comes out please click here.
There are a couple of torx screws that have to be removed from the bottom cover and then it can be pulled down.
With the bottom cover removed the upper cover retaining screws can be removed. A torx socket will be needed.
The one on the outside is a two step process. First remove the screw.
Then remove the extension with a pair of pliers.
Next disconnect the gang connector near the bottom of the steering column. There is a 7 mm headed bolt in the center of the connector.
After separating the connector halves you will notice that the connector is made up of three pieces.
Using a small screwdriver spread the outer connectors away from the main body. Sorry about the blurred picture.
Slide the connector out of the main body. Repeat this step for the other side of this connector.
Next lift the upper shroud and insert a curved and pointed device as shown in the next picture.
Look closely with a light and locate the small hole in the aluminum housing above the lock cylinder.
Rotate the lock cylinder to the full crank position and then depress the retaining pin in the hole that you located earlier. Pull the lock cylinder from the housing.
This is a view of the above mentioned hole and tool with the cover removed so that you can get a better idea of its location.
This vehicle has a factory anti theft system that uses a transponder in the key. The black part that I am pointing to is the receiver antenna. Release the clips and slide it off of the housing.
Remove the screws that hold the ignition switch in place. The cream colored piece to the right with two wires attached is the key buzzer switch. To remove it use a small screwdriver to depress the locking tab, rotate it and lift off of the housing.
When removing the forward screw you will also be removing the lock cylinder shift interlock solenoid.
Finish removing the switch by cutting the wires ties that hold it to the other harnesses and install the new switch in reverse order. Make sure you secure the harnesses back together with new wire ties.
Update July 11, 2011: Well it was bound to happen, a bull in a china shop had difficulty reinstalling the lock cylinder and has now messed up his steering column. Wants to blame poor information from this site. I cannot stress enough that all of the work performed by me, on this site requires an extreme eye towards detail and a gentle touch. No part of this repair in particular should require any force or coercion of any kind!
Some extra things to keep in mind:
The new ignition switch needs to be indexed into the exact position, as the old switch was in, when it was removed. The ON position
The key tumbler assembly needs to be checked, to make sure the locking bar drops flat and evenly towards the center of the tumbler assembly when the key is installed. If it does not, DO NOT INSTALL IT!
There is a retaining bar/panel that holds the springs in place for the individual tumblers. If it is not fully installed and flat, no protrusions past the outside edge of the tumbler housing, DO NOT INSTALL IT!
These two tumbler pictures are for a similar design and not specifically for this vehicle.
This last tidbit of info requires some thought before performing. If the ignition tumbler was giving any signs of sticking or hanging up, I perform one extra step. In the slot that the locking bar rests in, take a small file and bevel the leading edge of the slot, so that a worn tumbler assembly will work without sticking. A very small amount of grease helps as well.
your instruction were great with the ignition switch it solved my problems of the heater working only on 5 and the daytime running lights not working and the rear defrosts and the dash display, i just have one problem now, my accessories stay on even when the car is shut off, what do you think is wrong? didn’t do t before. also i can take my key out at every setting, this was my problem to before i put the switch in, i thought the switch would fix it. i have a 2001 gtp
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
we been fighting with this car for a year now, first it was the heater wouldnt blow on anything but high, so of course we changed the resistor. that didnt fix it, and the resistor even got hot and melted somewhat. as time went on we kept getting more problems. turn the rear defrost on and the headlights would go off. heater would only blow on high, the ac would not work and then the engine would stall randomly. after checking and cleaning all sorts of electrical connections, replaced the blower motor, we replaced the ignition switch. it was such a great feeling when we started the car and everything worked as it should. yes, i said everything. all the wierd little electrical problems were gone! thank you so much for taking the time to lay out the instructions and illustrations the way you did! awesome job! when i called the part store and let em know that all the problems were fixed they were blown away. Thanks Again! 2001 Grand Prix GT
If there is a wire loop, more than likely someone has modified the system to have the transponder key at a remote location under the dash or have tied it into an aftermarket alarm system that may be able to replicate the transponder signal. Follow the wires to where they end and you should find out what has been done.
Sparky my 2002 GT does not have the transponder in the key. When taking the ignition lock apart the wire loop fell out of where it was. I am really not sure where that loop goes. I Think it goes over the antenna as pictured here, but not sure what side it goes over? I started my car without problems but the security light started blinking while the car remained running. Usually if there is a problem with security system it won’t allow the car to start at all. It looked like it went into relearn mode but the was running fine?? Thoughts?
I am happy you found the problem. If you have any doubt about the integrity of the retainer staying in place, you should get a new one. Most dealership part departments keep them in stock in a small parts tray.