Alright, haven't found anything on this, but my key gets hot when I drive the car any longer than 5 minutes. Just the metal gets hot, the rubber head of the key (yes I just said rubber head) stays cool and I don't notice it unless I touch the metal. It's done this since I got the car, and I haven't been to concerned with it because it hasn't melted the car down yet, but it's something to bitch about so here I am. Anyone else experience this?

Does the ignition cylinder get hot too? Maybe there is some kind of short and it's drawing current heating it up. :shrug

You know, the funny thing about it is that I haven't noticed any problems associated with it, if it is drawing a current it has yet to cause any sort of power drain, and I have yet to notice that all too familiar burnt plastic smell, and I've had the car for 2 years now, and been on several long trips (3-6 hour drives) without any problems. Now having said this I'm sure that when I get off work today I'm going to go down to my car, try to start it and have some sort of ignition cylindar related F-up :P

Just fishing here...

Is the courtesy light surrounding the switch turning off after a few seconds?

I never really noticed, but I don't think so, is it supposed to turn off?

Originally posted by Keith2172
I never really noticed, but I don't think so, is it supposed to turn off?

Bingo :cheers

I'll check that tonight, if it does stay on, I wonder why it would, nothing else seems to stay on. Hmmm... devil car }(

Mine does the same thing.

my courtesy light goes off just like everything else, so scratch that. Dracas, did you ever figure yours out, I gotta assume there's more than just me and you with this. I can't figure that there's electricity running through the key, that just seems stupid, would a bad cylindar do this, it hasn't had any other problems aside from the very occasional refusal to dispense the key. Hmmm...

I don't know how well the key or the cylinder conducts electricity, but a simple way to test if your cylinder is seeing a positive voltage is to use a multimeter with one lead to ground, and see if you have continuity.

whenever I get ahold of a gas can and some gas I'll run my car and find out if I do that.

And... my light ring turns off after a few seconds (that I know)... but unfortunately, the one by the lighter does not work... hasn't for years, but once in a rare blue moon it works for 5 minutes.

Take the plastic off the bottom of the steering column. Go for a drive(as long as it usually takes for the key to get hot). Then stick your hand up in there and feel around for whatever/wherever the heat is coming from. :shrug: I think mine did that also on the 2GNT but I never really thought much of it.

Nah, I never worried about it enough to try to figure out what it was. I only noticed it doing it in the summer, so I just figured it was all really hot, and the key got hot from being in there. It could have been happening in the winter too, I just never noticed if it was.

Same thing is happening to me. I just figured since its hot out and my car does nothing but turn into a waffle maker in the sun it was just the heat.