2.3L ('83-'97) Ignition lock cylinder won't accept key, electrical issue related?

[turner]

I couldn't tell which help sub-forum the lock assembly belongs to, trying here.

1987 4x4 2.3L Ranger, trouble-free for the two years since my last emissions test, where I went through the entire emissions train (by the manual), and tuned her up. My next emissions test is Tuesday, so the truck has chosen this exact moment to surface a few critical faults all at once.

Fault 1 - one week ago
All dash functions died while driving. No fuel gauge, radio, etc. Unplugged/inspected all fuses on the side of the road and fault disappeared, nothing replaced. Figured it was a fuse blade short.

Fault 2 - today
Try to start truck, no response from starter when the key is turned. Battery light is ON, so I remove the key to go inside and fetch the trickle charger. Battery tests above 12V+, no symptoms prior.

Fault 3 - immediately after
Try to insert key again to check the idiot lights, and key won't insert. Stops 3/4 of the way in. Wiggling doesn't work. Turning steering wheel doesn't work, wheel gets locked. Remove shroud, lube cylinder inside with aerosol graphite, tap cylinder in various places with a brass hammer while jostling the key. No dice.

Other Details

• The ignition switch is <1 yr old, OEM part
• The lock cylinder and keys are original, also tried less worn copies
• I assume the cylinder is locked in the OFF position, since I was able to remove my key before it locked
• There is nothing wedged inside the lock cylinder, it worked once, then 30 seconds later it didn't. The key I was using is intact.
• Zero symptoms on the lock cylinder beforehand, no stickiness, never needed any pressure to use it.
• I use a battery shutoff blade switch, mounted on the negative terminal, to avoid parasitic drain between uses. Closing that switch today activates some relay-type noises, which I've never noticed before. Don't know why they'd be energized before the key makes it to ON position.

So, I'm planning to replace the cylinder lock at a minimum, although the Ford manual gives no procedure for this when the cylinder is locked in OFF. It's my experience that concurrent faults are usually related, but I don't see how in this case.

 

[franklin2]

The mechanical part of the ignition switch does tend to fall apart when they get old. It did that on my f250 and left a guy I let borrow it stranded. He called me and asked me what to do, and the factory procedure on those is to get behind the chrome part of the lock cylinder with a large punch or screwdriver, hit it with a hammer and break the chrome piece off. Then you can get a slender tool up in there and hit the little release button to pull the assembly out.

Not sure if the rangers are the same, but it worked on the larger truck and he was able to use a screwdriver to turn it and get home.

 

[RonD]

+1 ^^^

Welcome to TRS

I would say 1 or 2 of the key cylinder pins have fallen out so key can no longer go in all the way
Cylinder is done so don't worry about breaking it

Do as describe above

You can also drill out the cylinder, a few videos on that just look


On the back side of the cylinder holder is a gear and a toothed shaft
Simple example here: https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-5a776f7c8328d0bc25745c2e866c747a.webp

When you rotate the cylinder it moves the gear which pulls back the steering wheel lock pin and ALSO pulls on the actuator rod which runs down to the Ignition switch, to slide it into its 4 positions, ACC, OFF/LOCK, RUN, START

If the cylinder was wearing out then it may not have been sliding ignition switch into the EXACT position
Or gear on the back is wearing out, or....................

 

[turner]

Copy that, makes sense, and I suppose explains the electrical issues too? Perhaps the actuator rod was sliding back from the ON position at the switch. Although the truck was running so the ignition system was still powered...

I have a new cylinder coming tomorrow so will report back, doesn't sound too difficult.

Except: if I don't know which position the ignition switch is in, how do I make sure the teeth engage correctly? Or is there only one position it fits? I'm imagining a one-tooth-off scenario.

 

[RonD]

Once the old cylinder is out you can use a screwdriver to turn "the gear" to slide ignition switch into it's 4 positions so you can make sure they all work
Then turn it to RUN and insert the new cylinder

 

[turner]

Update: easy as described. The chrome trim hammers off from behind, breaks away fairly easily, soft metal. The lock cylinder terminates in a flat paddle, with a matching receptacle inside the column bore. The cylinder itself is keyed, so theres only one way to insert it, not possible to screw up the alignment on reassembly.

The little cupped brass piece in the photo was blocking my original cylinder, once that was removed the original lock worked just fine. This made it easy to remove the old cylinder, thankfully.

So there was something jammed in there, I assume a stray part from the original cylinder. Just didn't see it until the chrome trim was gone.

My other electric symptoms shouldn't be related, there was no play in the original lock cylinder or the paddle-to-switch linkage. Will come back if that resurfaces.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Josh B]

Mine's needing one and I started checking around and the only Motorcraft I found was made in China :/

There are Locksmart and Dorman at most stores

How do you pick em?

 

[turner]

I bought this, also made in China. But it was in the higher tier on RockAuto so I figured it's about it as good as I could find quickly. Can't give you a duty cycle review of course, but it didn't feel any lower quality than what I pulled out.

Amazon Link

 

[Josh B]

I;ve been looking at AutoZone and there's 2 Dorman , $20 difference, because one has the plastic handle key $45, and one has an all metal key $25