[shadow247]

So I was having a great day yesterday. Changed the oil in my 01 Limited, marveled at just how clean it is underneath, and went to the car wash to get it even cleaner! As I'm going to leave, I can't turn the key. I'm thinking I just accidentally locked the steering wheel, but NOPE. After fiddling with it I finally got it going. Well, I was determined to fix this without replacing any parts. I had read several threads, and compared my worn key to the key that was barely used. Both looked almost the same, so no issue there. So now to cleaning it.

I used the following

WD-40
Compressed Air with Blow Gun with Basketball Inflation Needle
Gun Oil

Spray a bit of WD40
Insert the Key and Turn the Ignition to Run
Turn Key off and Remove
Use needle to blow air into keyhole
WD40
Insert Key - On/Off
Blow with needle
Now Insert the Key and use the needle to blow air all around. This is forcing the WD-40 out of the tumblers and removing any junk in there.

Now comes the Lube. You can use Graphite lube, but I have had great luck using Lucas Gun Oil for keyed locks on several vehicles, and for the locks on my trailer that sit for weeks at a time in the elements.

I put a drop on the key, let it run into the grooves, and then put the key in and turn on/off. 1 more drop, key on/off, and you are good to go. No more notchy ignition, and you just saved yourself some dough. I'll update this thread if I have any issues, but I've tried the key about a dozen times since doing this and it's been good to go. It locked up on my 3 times in 1 day, so I'm fairly confident this fixed it.

[pluton]

Thanks for sharing your results. Advance knowledge is always good.

[96RedRunner]

WD works, something else to use thats good.
DeoxIT D5 and 3in1 Lock Dry Lube, used it 3 yr ago on new to me Runner.