Gears in back of Ignition Lock Cylinder

[Froghunter]

What a day! The end story is that the gears behind the iginition lock cylinder will not keep the truck on. You go to start it and it will start and once the key is returned to the run position it will die. The gears are worn and will not keep the switch on the run position. The truck is an 1988 Ranger XLT extented-cab, 2 wheel drive with 2.9L/manual trans. The question I have is what must be done to repair or replace so the truck will stay running and power on. My Haynes manual doesn't cover this. I know the problem, just need to know how to fit it. If you need picture, I can get them tomorrow.

Thanks!

Froghunter

 

[adsm08]

Are you sure that is a gear? I've had a number of columns apart and they have all been spring loaded in some way. My truck is one of the few that I've never had apart, I've had the column shrouds off, i've just never taken notice of the exact mechanism. I'll look this up for you in a few minutes and see what I can find in the 87 shop manual.

 

[AllanD]

The little brass "Sector gear" that the end tab of the ignition cylinder
goes into is bullet proof the Die-cast Zinc "rack gear" that the sector
gear drives is the eventual failure item of all Gen1 steering columns.

I've replaced one...
sitting in the cab of my truck on a very cold christmas
eve 100 miles from home in a friend's driveway after
robbing the necissary pieces from his second truck
(dead engine), Normally I would have simply swapped
out the column but my truck had tilt and was of course
wired differently.

Rather than fix your column get yourself to a U-pull-it junkyard
and grab another one, any column with a key you can get the
lock cylinder out of in just a minute or two...

On a Gen4 I can do it in less than ten seconds, but on a Gen1 you must unscrew the two halves of the plastic column shroud to access the cylinder release button.

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[Froghunter]

As always.......... Alan, you are on it.

Rather than fix your column get yourself to a U-pull-it junkyard
and grab another one, any column with a key you can get the
lock cylinder out of in just a minute or two...

I'm sure I can do it, but need to know what to do to get it apart and what I need to get to repalce it. It has Torx screws with a pin in the center, which I don't have a tool for. I can get the tools to do the replacement. Which torx screws do I need to take out. I need a reference or parts diagram to help! The steering column has alot of stuff on it and it's also has tilt steering. I take a picture of it this morning and post.

Thanks!

Bill

 

[laclabb]

What a day! The end story is that the gears behind the aim ignition lock assembly cylinder will not keep the truck on. You go to start it and it will start and once the key is returned to the run position it will die. The gears are worn and will not keep the switch on the run position. The truck is an 1988 Ranger XLT extented-cab, 2 wheel drive with 2.9L/manual trans. The question I have is what must be done to repair or replace so the truck will stay running and power on. My Haynes manual doesn't cover this. I know the problem, just need to know how to fit it. If you need picture, I can get them tomorrow.

Thanks!

Froghunter

I think I just saw a manual earlier, though I forgot from what exact site it was. Have you tried replacing any gear?

 

[OilPatch197]

The little brass "Sector gear" that the end tab of the ignition cylinder
goes into is bullet proof the Die-cast Zinc "rack gear" that the sector
gear drives is the eventual failure item of all Gen1 steering columns.

I've replaced one...

I have too! I would like to take it apart to see the failure, thank god I had a spare, bet these things are getting hard to find!

Unlike you mine "locked up" with the key in the ignition! So I had to replace that Die-cast gearbox and key cylinder. When it failed I was in the Burger King parking lot, wished my Haynes manual would have given me a clue as to how it came apart. Anyhow since that Die-cast gear box wraps around the steering column I had to remove everything and drive the truck carefully home with that thang floppin on my sterring colum(I wanted to rip it off!)

Starting a 1st gen is easy, a Phillips screwdriver and a pair of Vise Grips is all you need, but oh woe if the steering wheel is locked, then you got to disassemble the top steering shaft bearing/ loosen that die-cast gearbox, so it "flops" then you can turn the wheel.