Thread: Puma Ignition Barrel Lock Dodgy

This happened to me this year with a 4 year old MY09 defender 110. Key got worse and worse over a year until one very hot day I had to give up and call roadside assistance. Eventually we got the key to turn and the engine (and aircon) started. The roadside assist mechanic recommended taking it to a locksmith rather than a mechanic ...so thats what I did and I picked up a Puma ignition barrel from the wreckers beforehand. The locksmith told me he could fix a new barrel to work with the old key.
Ended up not needing the barrel but a new switch(white plastic thingy shown in above post) instead. As I was selling the car to a friend and the locksmith couldn't guarantee how long his repair would last ...in the end I preferred to get a new switch from the dealer and got the locksmith to install that as the major cost was in his labor in dismantling the dash and ignition barrel and then reassembling it all.
After all that, the ignition worked fine but the aircon controls didn't because a cable had been kinked...so I ended up taking out most of the front dash myself to fix that. Could've saved myself $300 by doing it myself in the first place!!!

My concern now is that in the last week with the new MY13 (at only 6000K) the key has briefly jammed twice when going to start the car. The old Puma lasted nearly 3 years before the key started sticking. It is well and truly within warranty this time but it looks like this seems to be a definite issue with the Puma Defender (or am I just unlucky)?

Mark

Unlucky?? I'm getting really good at fitting Puma lock barrels and switches now...

I even have a tame locksmith that will code the original keys for me to the new barrel assemblies.

JC

Originally Posted by justinc

Unlucky?? I'm getting really good at fitting Puma lock barrels and switches now...

I even have a tame locksmith that will code the original keys for me to the new barrel assemblies.

JC

Maybe you could write up your techniques and short cuts..... I'm being serious....

Originally Posted by 29dinosaur

Maybe you could write up your techniques and short cuts..... I'm being serious....

There are no short cuts.....Its familiarity with what to remove and what shaped tools to use that helps me get through this task without stress. It is something that shouldn't happen to so many. I find myself shaking my head each time I get one to do. County and Defender tdi / td5 ones were the same switch basically, Never replaced many of these at all. My County one is original and 27 years old. It would bolt straight into a Puma


JC

JC,

Would it be worth getting, say a 300Tdi barrel and keys in stead of bothering with a Puma one?

Mine is currently fine, but it would really be worth knowing should it happen in the future.

Cheers,

Lou

Originally Posted by justinc

There are no short cuts.....Its familiarity with what to remove and what shaped tools to use that helps me get through this task without stress. It is something that shouldn't happen to so many. I find myself shaking my head each time I get one to do. County and Defender tdi / td5 ones were the same switch basically, Never replaced many of these at all. My County one is original and 27 years old. It would bolt straight into a Puma


JC

Hi JC

I'm not sure which way to turn?
1. Just change the ignition switch which sits at the base of the barrel assembly




or
2. Change whole barrel and switch together.




Do I need to reprogram anything if just doing switch or barrel switch?

I came across a description of how to do the ignition-key assembly in a disco on another forum. See Here. My guess it would be similar on a deefa..??

29dinosaur; The switch is a pain to get at on its own, and the barrel will soon fail anyway so replace the whole shooting match. You DO NOT have to reprogram anything etc as long as you don't forget to attach the coil around the barrel at the key end all will be fine
That tutorial on removing the old lock and switch assembly is basically correct, it is just that in the Puma access is about twice as difficult as the whole assembly is inverted compared to a Disco

Lou;

The Puma Barrel, switch and keys are the same as early Defender etc. The superceded part number covers all those models.

JC

29dinosaur,

This chaps postage is a bit ropy, but if this is typical of the price it doesn't seem that painful?

Land Rover Defender Ignition Barrel + 3 Door Locks Genuine on eBay!

I quite like the older keys though, the Puma ones are quite large in your pocket...

Cheers,

Lou