Ignition Switch Question

[Tiggie]

Quick question on the ignition switch in the steering column. Not the one with the key but the actual switch that controls starting.

Should the two sides (metal and plastic) be loose from each other? If they are loose, should I replace the switch?

Wasn't there a recall on these? Mine has an F2-blah part number indicating it's been replaced once already.

[87gtVIC]

I think Scott posted a video and said that was bad. So I would say replace if possible.

[gadget73]

no, it should not be loose. If it is, replace it. They do wear out, and I have my doubts that the revised part is really any different than what it replaced. New ones are cheap enough.

[Tiggie]

I'll replace it then. I figured it shouldn't be loose. Rarely is loose good.

[1987cp]

Duralast replacement is a whole $9.99. I recently replaced both of mine on the cars currently in use, as the one was flaky (fell completely apart when I went to remove it) and the other smoked a bit if you hit the starter two or three times in succession.

My only question is why the switch on my '81 was held in place with funny bolts whose heads looked like deformed rivets! Tamper-resistant Torx I can almost (but not quite) see, but those were just weird.

[gadget73]

oh the kind where the head shears off when its installed. Yeah my 86 had those originally.

[1987cp]

Ah, so that's how they get them on at the factory. I assumed there must have been some sort of funky driver. Still really weird that someone thought an ignition switch was something likely to be "tampered" with.

[Merc3517]

Well if you have a set of tools you could theoretically remove the knee bolster, remove the metal plate behind it, and the remove the ignition switch. You could then start the car as if you had the key. If you stick a screw driver up into the hole that the ignition switch rod connects to the ignition switch you could theoretically break the rod at the pivot pin or round about area and then you could unlock the steering wheel and be able to shift it.

These cars actually seem easy to steel now that I think of it. That whole process would only take about ten minutes tops. The only reason I know all this is because when I first bought my car the rod inside the column was broke and I had to start it with the ignition switch dangling from under the dash. Since that rod was broke the steering wheel was unlocked and everything functioned. I just had to slide the ignition switch and go, no key required.

On topic, you might want to check the plug for any signs of melting or such and replace if necessary.

(PS now that I think of it you could probably just drill out the pin that holds the ignition lock cylinder in place and then just pull the cylinder out and start it with a screw driver like you had a key. Less to fix and you would only need another ignition lock cylinder with a matching key to replace it and boom.)

[gadget73]

you'd still have the steering lock in place unless you removed the cylinder. That pin is something of a pain in the ass to drill. Its hardened. I bet with a pin punch and a hammer you could just drive it through whatever it sits against inside the lock cylinder though.

[1987cp]

you'd still have the steering lock in place unless you removed the cylinder. That pin is something of a pain in the ass to drill. Its hardened. I bet with a pin punch and a hammer you could just drive it through whatever it sits against inside the lock cylinder though.

IIRC, I tried that when an ignition lock crapped out on me entirely, and I still wasn't able to extract the lock because the twist tab that engages the whatzit on the inside held it in place, as it only aligns properly for extraction in the Run position. I ended up drilling and chiselling for quite some time and basically destroying the entire lock in order to get it out.

[Merc3517]

all that is required to unlock the steering wheel is for the lower rod to be moved forward. That's why I said that it would need to be broke at or by the pin that joins the two rods. The lower rod is what controls the mechanism for the steering lock and the gear shift lock. Believe me I know this for sure I had the steering column completely disassembled to change these rods.

I agree that it would probably be easier to punch the pin through although I have tried neither method. But the point remains (at least for 92+) that all you need is the bottom rod to be be moved forward to unlock the steering wheel. As long as the two rods are separated the key need not move to unlock the wheel.

[gadget73]

oh I thought you meant the pin that held the lock cylinder itself in. I think the boxes may use a one piece rod between the cylinder and switch, but I won't swear to that. I'm also not really sure how the locking stuff works. I've just never looked that close at the mechanism.

[87gtVIC]

There is a funky metal mechanism that accepts gears from the cylinder and has a peg at the end of it to activate the ignition switch on my box. That part crumbled up on me last year and really drove me mad. The key had a mind of its own because sometimes the broken bits would allow the car to start and some times the car would stay running with no key. lol

[gadget73]

yeah i do seem to recall some sort of rack and pinion drive mechanism now that you mention it

[1987cp]

That must be what was getting sloppy on the wagon just before I parked it - the pin/rod thingy wasn't wanting to consistently let the gear selector into Park.