So last night i went to start my car(1985 1.1 RX7) and the key was stuck in the starter mode and i had to turn it make manually to be in run mode. Now this morning the key will not turn at all. I can get the key in but it won't turn. So i live in oregon and am looking for somewhere i can get a new ignition and/or help in installing this. Thanks guys, Shaun

 

had the same thing go wrong with mine, the key was just not turning at all. You'll need to remove the lock cylander from the car, and take it to a locksmith, and maybe they can fix it. I had mine fixed by a lock smith, and it has been good ever since. could even just need some oil internally, i would start off by spraying some kinda lube in there, & work it around ( dont break your key off though) and see if you can get it back working. if not, you'll have to remove it, which is pretty easy. Remove steering collum plastic surround, and the steering wheel, to make it easier to get in there. Then there are, i think 2, may be 4, bolts that hold the steering collum itself to the chassis. they are on the underside of the collum, 10 or 12mm bolts. Right about where the bottom of the dash is. Ok, remove those, and you can pull the steering collum down a little bit. from here, you have access to the lock cylander. There are 2 bolts that hold them in, problem is, there called "break off" bolts, where the head breaks off once they are tightened. basically, keeps theives from taking off the lock cylander with ease. I removed mine with pliers, slowly turning them untill i could pull them out by hand. dont forget to remove the ignition switch itself, 1 phillups head screw driver screw and then pull it out of the lock cylander. back to the lock cylander screws. One they are out, the lock cylander will drop off. My suggestion to you is to take these 2 screws and take a grinder & cut a slot in them, that way you can use a flat head screw driver to put them back in. Or you can go to a hardware store, match them, and get hex head screws and put those in. your choice, i just grinded screw slots in mine. Any way, now you can take the lock cylander to a lock smith and hopefully they can get it to work again. If not, you may need to buy a new one, wether it be new from where ever, or used from the junkyard, and use that new key, or have it re-keyed to your current key. good luck!

 

I live in Oregon as well, and I have had pretty decent luck finding parts at NAPA (you just need to make sure you get a guy at the counter that isnt a complete idiot to find your parts, I was told once told that rotary engines were only fuel injected and turbocharged or they wouldnt run WTF? lol), you could also check U-pull-it.
Search! I am positive that theres something on this forum about ignition switches, I think this forum has more information than my Haynes and shop manual combined.

Good luck!

 

Make sure the steering lock is not your problem. Sometimes, if the wheels are really cranked to one side, then the key will be very difficult to turn. Try turning the steering wheel back and forth while turning the key to eliminate this possibility...

 

The locksmith is coming tomorrow. I went to the mazda dealer and they said that i would need to buy an entire new ignition and that it would cost over $500, So i called the locksmith and he said he should be able to fix it. It wasn't worth it to me to do anything myself, but we'll see tomorrow how things go

 

Dealers are so much fun, NOT. Have you tried cleaning and lubing the switch? Squirt some brake cleaner in the keyway, blow it out with compressed air, then squirt some powdered graphite in and work the key both ways.

 

So the locksmith replaced the interior cylinder and everything is all better....$100 later