87 Ranger starts without key


07banshee

10+ Year Member

Joined
May 10, 2012
Messages
5
Points
1,501
Vehicle Year
1987
Transmission
Automatic
I am new to the forums and my son just purchased a 1987 ford ranger last week with a 302 V8 swap with an automatic transmission. When we got it they had to jump the starting solenoid to get it to start. Owner said he lost the keys so it would start without them. When we got it home we found the keys in the visor. The key will not go into the ignition all the way. We took out the lock cylinder and the key goes in and works as it should. How do I get this fixed so we can start it only with a key? Thanks for your help.
 
Let me get this straight and make sure I understand correctly.

Previous owner rigged up a method to start it without the key, got that.
Did he rig a pushbutton? Did he mod the lock cylidner at all to make it turn without the key?

The key won't go in correctly with the lock cylinder installed but it goes in and turns fine when the cylinder is out, right?

If that is correct I'd just go to the parts store and get a new lock.
 
He said he modified the lock cylinder. I am not that mechanically inclined so how would the best way to fix it? I removed the lock cylinder and the key works without it inside...so I would guess he modified the ignition cylinder... Thanks
 
So just get a new lock cylinder. They go for about $15 and just pop right in once you know how to remove the old one.
 
So we installed a new lock cylinder today and the key will not remove with the cylinder installed...any help on fixing this issue?
 
You may have already figured this out but on the older rangers there's usually a button on the steering column that releases the key.
 
Yeah, is there a little white stalk coming out of the bottom of the steering column?

You have to push up on it to get the lock to turn back the whole way.
 
On my '85 ranger and my Thunderbird, I took the two halves of plastic that cover my steering column apart and bent the cylinder lock button to where it couldn't fit down in the hole.


I haven't modified the one in my '94 because it's right above the key and is second nature to depress whilst turning the key off.
 
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