Changed battery and now the key won't turn in the ignition

[Waggy13]

Happy New Year folks.

I have a 2006 Nissan Micra K12 automatic.

I have put a new battery into my car (I had an accident with the old battery when I took it out to charge it as I don't drive my car nearly as much as I should hence this being a brand new battery). When I tried to start the car the key wouldn't turn in the ignition at all. I do have keyless entry which works fine and keyless ignition but I thought it better to use the key blade. After much wiggling and jiggling of the key and opening and closing of doors and pressing central locking buttons I somehow got it to start which allowed me to put some air in the tyres and move the car to a different parking spot on my car park.

Next day I went to the car to go out in it and the key won't turn in the ignition again. After doing numerous searches on this site and anywhere else I could think of I have tried several things to try and resolve the issue.

Things I have tried so far which haven't worked
1 - Put new battery in the key fob
2 - Compressed air into the ignition key hole
3 - Graphite powder into the ignition key hole in case it needed lubricating
4 -Took i-key fuse out and put it back in again (did this with both the battery connected and disconnected)
5.- Took negative off battery and then reconnected 30 seconds later, tried the same thing but left it for 5 mins
6 - Took negative off battery and pressed the brake pedal (someone else had done this and it had worked for them!) and reconnected.
7 - Took both connections off the battery and held them together for at least 5 mins (tip given to me by a neighbour)
8 - Lots of wiggling and jiggling of the key in the ignition and the steering wheel along with pressing of buttons and opening and closing doors
9 - Put the car into N and D and tried to start it in case this was the issue
10 - Put new battery on charge in case it wasn't fully charged when I received it.
11 - Unlocked car using the passenger side door with the key and then unlocked the drivers side using the central unlocking.

The only light on the dash is the flashing immobiliser signal as I can't turn the key out of the lock position to activate any further lights.

Can anyone else think of anything I could possibly try before I have to call out a mechanic?

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can give.

 

[Micra Paul]

You appear to have listed nearly all of the pragmatic DIY options & may I suggest using a liquid spray on penetrating lubricant into the lock & trying the spare key, that is a less worn key blade if you can get the troublesome key blade out of the mechanical ignition switch steering lock?

Good luck!

 

[Waggy13]

You appear to have listed nearly all of the pragmatic DIY options & may I suggest using a liquid spray on penetrating lubricant into the lock & trying the spare key, that is a less worn key blade if you can get the troublesome key blade out of the mechanical ignition switch steering lock?

Good luck!

Thank you for your response. I was really hoping that there was some kind of trick I had missed here but sadly not. I only have one key for the car and it comes out of the ignition with ease. I called a mechanic and he said that he would probably just spray WD40 into the ignition although I have seen numerous things online saying not to use WD40 as that could cause the ignition to gunk up further down the line. I will take a trip to the shops tomorrow to see if I can get a different liquid lubricant.

 

[Micra Paul]

WD40 will do too help get over the immediate issue & I have used it for many years without graphite powder but graphite powder & WD40 may clog up into a mess as has been stated by others.

Some master locksmiths can identify the key number from the worn key blade profile & then cut a new key from reference key number record software programmes & read /copy & replicate the Nissan security code;- a lot cheaper than Nissan main stealers?

Maybe the steering lock & locking pin need spray lubricating as well?

K12 Start/Ignition barrel problem...

Hi! After a bit of advice. Our 1.2 Keyless entry K12 had developed a bit of a problem. When you try to start the beasty, You press the brake pedal, push the ignition barrel in as usual, the beeping starts and green 'KEY' comes up on the display, but the barrel will not turn. Eventually...

micra.org.uk

Good luck

 

[Waggy13]

Update - Still no progress. I called a mechanic who didn't seem very knowledgeable and said he would just squirt WD40 into it. I called another mechanic who instantly said that I needed a new ignition barrel. He contacted Nissan to find out they no longer sell this part and as he won't deal in second hand parts he won't even look at it. I watched a video on you tube that goes through all of the steps for this exact problem and so far I have tried all of the things he has suggested. The next step is to replace the part and he explains that once you have removed the cowling etc and got to the position where you can remove the part in question you unplug the electrics take out the old part and put the new part on and then reconnect the electrics put it all back together and it should be good to go. Is that basically all that needs to happen or is there more to it than that does anyone know? Thanks in advance

 

[Micra Paul]

The auto gbox is interlocked with the ECU/ignition/steering lock & it will not start if not in the right position or setting & that signal has to get to & be recognised by ECU/ign/steer lock system. Haynes manual may have more info.

A new steering lock will come with its matching key that will need to be coded to match your ECU immobiliser code.

I have never worked on a K12 or auto but believe the above control sequence is common to auto gbox vehicles with some generic options as follows.

How to Fix an Ignition Key That Doesn't Turn: 11 Easy Fixes (wikihow.com)

K12: Changed battery key won't turn in the ignition at DuckDuckGo

As always do your own research & good luck.