How to take apart a Toyota Split Wafer Ignition to Repair or Rekey | Video
Toyota Split Wafer Ignitions are known to fail. Follow this step by step technique if you need to take them apart to repair or rekey. You will find it handy whether you are using a brand new OEM ignition, an aftermarket ignition or even one that is used inside the vehicle.
There are two main applications you will need to do this to: on the one hand, if the split wafers are failing (which is a common problem) or, on the other hand, if you get aftermarket ignition. In the first case, you will need to take this ignition apart and rebuild it with a wafer kit such as the ASP A-30-108; in the second one, you will have to take it apart to rekey it because Toyota does not sell an uncoded version of it.
Whichever reason, you need to take out your Toyota Split Wafer ignition, if you follow the steps below you will do it quickly and without damaging it.
Take out the ignition.
Look for a pin and pry it out. In order to pry that pin out you will have to drill an 1/8” hole on the little crease right above on the lock. What you are trying to do here is to drill just underneath a small piece within the lock. Then, you stick an ice pick and push up the roll pin. The metal is really very easy to drill in so you shouldn’t have any major issues with that. Make sure that you don’t drill too low that you hit the cylinder.
Once that you have drilled the 1/8th hole and pushed the roll pin up, the next thing you want to do is punch out the rivets that are holding the face cap on. The way you are going to do this is by holding the ignition and placing a small screwdriver on each rivet with one hand and beating the screwdriver a couple of times with a hammer. You’ll soon notice that the cap comes off and you’ll be able to grab it and pop it off.
Remove the black clip and turn the key to the accessory position. The whole plug will come out so that you can rekey it.
When you put it back together you are going to do the same thing: you’re going to start by putting the cap back on by finding a carpeted surface, hold it upright and then just back in and hold it. The two rivets will pop through and get fairly secure. Then you push the pin down and it will be ready to go back into the vehicle.
Article by PJ Slauson
In 2004, PJ Slauson (then only 19 years old) was working as a locksmith for his dad’s locksmith company and going to college. His dad had a little DBA side business selling locksmith supplies to locals. He had a few shelves in the back of his key shop with some keychains and padlocks which PJ started selling online to make a little extra money.He quickly sold out, eventually PJ decided to setup his own website, and clksupplies.com took off immediately.
