Ok could some of you guys set my mind at ease??

I have ~30 keys on 4 rings that I keep on my belt, one of these is my truck key, so when I'm in the truck, the other 29 or so keys are pulling down on the ignition switch.

Buddy of mine swears up & down that one day my truck won't start because the keys hanging from the switch will screw it up.

The bad part is this makes sense, but I've never heard of it before.
Has anyone out there in intraweb land heard of this or have any experience with a similar scenario?

I am trying to get a new key made, but Lowe's is always out of blanks, but is it worth working out a new system to deal with my keys or just not worry about it?

Thanls for any help!

 

I had something similar, but not quite the same happen. I had a Ford key on my ring, from my old ranger. It was a long key. From time to time, the key would get stuck in one of the screw holes in the back of the steering wheel. Always happened when I'd make right turns. When I'd straighten the wheel, it would pull the key between the wheel and the column, partially locking the steering wheel and killing the truck. Sucks when you're turning onto a secondary highway, and it starts heading for the ditch. Didn't realize what was happening until I noticed a good bend in that key. So I'd be more worried of this than the weight of the keys ruining the lock cylinder.

 

What I've seen happen is, the weight of the other keys will wobble out the hole, and make it to where a key is not needed to start the truck/any similar size key can start the truck. It's stupid, I know, but I just keep a spare in my truck in the console, and have the fob's on me. That way, there's only one key in the ignition switch.

 

I have seen such a scenario as you speak of , granted it was not in one of these trucks , it was in a car. Owned by a lady that i swear must have been a janitor , i have never seen so many keys.

What happened was the keys , as she was driving , would swing back and forth, and they moved the switch a little each time. Over the years , things got sloppy enough from the swinging motion , that the switch would lose contact , and the car would shut off going down the road. This one took us a long time to find, ended up finding it by accident , as they keys don't swing while the car is sitting in the shop.

 

I do the same thing except a little stupider!

I actually leave one key in the ignition at all times. I've got a little Cummins keychain and the truck key and locking fuel cap key are all that are on it. I do this so that any of my DTR compadres who want to borrow my truck can just swing by and take it! No, I only leave the keys in at home and at the office.

 

That's all I need, to come outside and the truck be gone. If they want it bad enough, they'll take it weather or not the key is in there.

 

I kept a key in my ignition in the 99, it was a black head, and it was the only thing, you couldn't really even see it without really looking, since the windows were blacked out. And I ALWYAS locked it. I had kept a key in my ignition since about 2000, and I came home from church one Sunday this February, and my baby was gone

Needless to say I no longer keep a key in the ignition.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking about doing, just lock it all the time & keep the keyless entry & another key on me at all times.


really, that wouldn't bother me so much, just as long as it cranks, we've had several trucks on the farm that we kept a flat head screwdriver on the dash