I have a 1992 K75 and went to start it a couple of months ago and the key would not turn far enough to go to the start position.  I pulled out and separated the mechanical part from the actual switch.  With the key in I took pliers and turned the cam on the bottom and without a lot of effort it finally gave and turned.  Put some graphite in it and it was smooth as new.  Well a month or so later it did the same thing.  I tried the same thing and this time it won't budge.  I read a post on here that told how to clean the switch but that doesn't seem to be my problem.  It appears to be the mechanical part.  I can't figure out if I can pull the metal cylinder out of the plastic housing or if there is something else I can do.

Another solution I am considering is can I buy an after market ignition that can be wired to mine?  I can handle simple electrical issues but I'm not sure what would be involved with retro-fitting another type of switch.

Any suggestions please?

I've not had any experience with pulling the switches apart, but I can tell you that there is NO aftermarket switch that works the same way as the OEM one. As you are in the US and the legal requirement is for permanent lights on, get any aftermarket ignition switch that only has an Off and On position.

- When the switch is On, connect the two On wires to the red and green in the BMW loom.
- In the BMW loom, connect slate/blue to slate (grey).

You just end up with no parking light-only position but that's no loss.

1) Make sure that you have the key inserted all of the way into the lock.

2) Insert a toothpick into the key slot to get the little springy "door" open and spray some aerosol silicone into the lock.

3) If that doesn't work then spray some penetrating oil (my favorite is Gibbs) into the lock and let it sit overnight.

You can pop the metal cap off of the ignition switch to pull the lock core but getting it back together correctly with the little spring door working properly is a PITA so I would only do that as a last resort.

You could also swap in a used ignition switch from another K75/K100 but don't get one from an 85 or earlier K100 as those have a different connector than the 86+ Ks.

Thanks, I will try this.  I looked on Beemer Boneyard for a used switch but they are out of stick.  If anyone that reads this has one to sell please let me know.

Beemer Boneyard...LOL!!!

All they have are photos of parts they will never have in stock.  I think all they do is collect email addresses of BMW owners.  That place is a joke.

If you can't get a later switch replacement, get an early one and change the connector i.e. cut the early one off and solder your existing round connector to the early switch. They operate the same way. Dunno why BMW chose to change the connector.