Steering Column Locked?

[M3This]

Hi guys,

 

took my steering column completely apart and had it media blasted and powder coated and then rebuilt everything with a new bearing. 
 

With that said it seems like it’s locked 🔒 I still haven’t reinstalled the ignition switch back in the main housing so is it locked by default and the once the ignition switch is back in and I turn the key it will unlock? 
 

[tzei]

The switch has nothing to do with locking. The key is literally key here. Turn it to unlock. W/out key it will lock when shaft is turned enough to engage lever to a slot.

[Mike Self]

And be careful when you're turning the key to unlock, especially if you're doing this without the steering wheel installed.  The spring that pops the pawl (the locking lever) is quite strong, and it's easy to break the key if you try forcing it when the pawl is hard up against the side of its slot.  You might want to slide the steering wheel onto its splines so you can move the shaft so the pawl isn't jammed against the side of its slot.

 

mike