key stuck in ignition

[that one girl]

hi guys, i wasn't quite sure where to post this....

for the last week or so, after i put the car in park, the release mechanism that allows the key to come out of the ignition hasn't worked immediately every time. to get the key out, i just had to shift into reverse for a second, then back to park, and that seemed to unlock the key and all was ok.

however, last night, the key got stuck. i can turn the car on/off, shift gears, etc, but it won't trip the release that allows the key to rotate that last "notch" towards me and come out. my car is parked in my driveway with the key sitting in the ignition (locked, thanks to spare keys, heh). i didn't want to force anything, but i tried turning the wheel and jiggling the gear selector, hoping to hit the "sweet spot" that releases the key...but no luck.

anyone have any ideas on what i can do? sorry if this is a dumb question and i am just completely missing something obvious. i would greatly appreciate any advice that you guys have. you guys are the best. and sorry i haven't been around here for so long.

[interceptor1985]

It sounds to me like it might be time for a new ignition switch. I would check around and see how much a locksmith will charge to set a new one up for the keys you already have. And shop around for the switch some can be expencive while other are dirt cheap. (Like my capri, Its $45-50 for mine new and $25-35 used)

[gabegt90]

hi guys, i wasn't quite sure where to post this....

for the last week or so, after i put the car in park, the release mechanism that allows the key to come out of the ignition hasn't worked immediately every time. to get the key out, i just had to shift into reverse for a second, then back to park, and that seemed to unlock the key and all was ok.

however, last night, the key got stuck. i can turn the car on/off, shift gears, etc, but it won't trip the release that allows the key to rotate that last "notch" towards me and come out. my car is parked in my driveway with the key sitting in the ignition (locked, thanks to spare keys, heh). i didn't want to force anything, but i tried turning the wheel and jiggling the gear selector, hoping to hit the "sweet spot" that releases the key...but no luck.

anyone have any ideas on what i can do? sorry if this is a dumb question and i am just completely missing something obvious. i would greatly appreciate any advice that you guys have. you guys are the best. and sorry i haven't been around here for so long.

ask boxman jeremy had a similar problem

[Mercury93]

It could be that your ignition lock cylinder is broken? If the part that you turn with the key is not in line with the rest of the lock, it won't release your key. That was the first thing I had to replace on my Merc.

[gadget73]

Turn the wheel slighly, it might let go. I had mine do something similar, the steering wheel lock was putting pressure on the lock cyl somehow. Not sure what that was about but it fixed itself when I moved the wheel a bit. If that doesn't help, probably the lock cylinder is going to need to come out and the slide rods lubed. Could also be the shifter tube about to break, the 90+ models used a different shifter setup that would occasionaly snap and cause problems. Usually they get stuck in gear or something though.

[boXman]

Those switches suck, in the '90+. I didn't even need a key to start my '90 half the time.

[86VickyLX]

hi guys, i wasn't quite sure where to post this....

for the last week or so, after i put the car in park, the release mechanism that allows the key to come out of the ignition hasn't worked immediately every time. to get the key out, i just had to shift into reverse for a second, then back to park, and that seemed to unlock the key and all was ok.

however, last night, the key got stuck. i can turn the car on/off, shift gears, etc, but it won't trip the release that allows the key to rotate that last "notch" towards me and come out. my car is parked in my driveway with the key sitting in the ignition (locked, thanks to spare keys, heh). i didn't want to force anything, but i tried turning the wheel and jiggling the gear selector, hoping to hit the "sweet spot" that releases the key...but no luck.

anyone have any ideas on what i can do? sorry if this is a dumb question and i am just completely missing something obvious. i would greatly appreciate any advice that you guys have. you guys are the best. and sorry i haven't been around here for so long.

Oh that sucks. Try pushing up on the gear selector, like putting it higher in park. Does that make sense? Like if you were going to put the thing in park, just pull it up a little more and see if the key will come out.

[that one girl]

thanks for all of the suggestions, guys.

i tried everything. *sigh* i tried moving the gear selector in every direction possible, switching from park to reverse, back to park, etc.....i tried jiggling it various ways, moving it higher into park like you said, 86Vicky (tried that the other day, but tried it again, just for good measure, heh)...i tried moving the wheel a little/a lot to one side (and the other),jiggling the wheel. nothing.

I also called around to a bunch of lock smiths, and they all suck around here, apparently, and either don't do automotive stuff or won't give me any information without my paying someone to come out to look at it.

so, today i took my car baby over to the ford dealership on my lunch break. they promised a free estimate (and then later tried to charge me $50 bucks for it, but i called them on it and got the charge dropped). here is their conclusion:

the shifter tube and bushings need to be replaced.

they want me to pay $425. but then they are a dealership, so, you know, pricey. i am going to get a second opinion... i no longer trust them after they lied to my face about estimate charges.

any opinions?

...and then there's the fact that my water pump is leaking, oil pan is leaking at the bolt (which already has a double nut), and there is something wrong with the fuel injection, i think...but that's a whole other story. i'm a bit frustrated. sorry, rant.

thanks again for your thoughts....

[86VickyLX]

and then there's the fact that my water pump is leaking, oil pan is leaking at the bolt (which already has a double nut), and there is something wrong with the fuel injection, i think...but that's a whole other story. i'm a bit frustrated. sorry, rant.

thanks again for your thoughts....

the drain bolt? I would either have to say it was cross threaded, or it's missing the rubber washer behind the head of the bolt.

[Grand Marquis GT]

thanks for all of the suggestions, guys.

i tried everything. *sigh* i tried moving the gear selector in every direction possible, switching from park to reverse, back to park, etc.....i tried jiggling it various ways, moving it higher into park like you said, 86Vicky (tried that the other day, but tried it again, just for good measure, heh)...i tried moving the wheel a little/a lot to one side (and the other),jiggling the wheel. nothing.

I also called around to a bunch of lock smiths, and they all suck around here, apparently, and either don't do automotive stuff or won't give me any information without my paying someone to come out to look at it.

so, today i took my car baby over to the ford dealership on my lunch break. they promised a free estimate (and then later tried to charge me $50 bucks for it, but i called them on it and got the charge dropped). here is their conclusion:

the shifter tube and bushings need to be replaced.

they want me to pay $425. but then they are a dealership, so, you know, pricey. i am going to get a second opinion... i no longer trust them after they lied to my face about estimate charges.

any opinions?

...and then there's the fact that my water pump is leaking, oil pan is leaking at the bolt (which already has a double nut), and there is something wrong with the fuel injection, i think...but that's a whole other story. i'm a bit frustrated. sorry, rant.

thanks again for your thoughts....

It's a bit of a drive, but have you considered Scott's Automotive?

He's the world's best panther mechanic

[FastGallopingPonies]

I second the opinion above. Also the Dealership will rape you on anything. I just replaced the shift tube and bushings on a '92 Vic, got the tube and bushings from a Junkyard for $10. That was for my buddies dad he was quoted from 4 reputable shops in the area for $400+ by all. One trans shop said it may be a $600+ job once they actually got in there and found out everything that was messed up... yeah right...

[1987cp]

Those switches suck, in the '90+. I didn't even need a key to start my '90 half the time.

I've seen that too. My old boss's '93 F-350 would sometimes start without the key. Very weird.

[1987cp]

the drain bolt? I would either have to say it was cross threaded, or it's missing the rubber washer behind the head of the bolt.

Guess you've never had a drain plug strip out. :p I lived with a stripped-out front drain plug on the '87 for several years until the engine came out in '04. For a while I used some weird-shaped rubber plug a service station put in as a stopgap, then I added a small piece of that hollow threaded rod for lamps to keep some pressure on the rubber, and later I tried one of those universal molly-backed plug things from the parts store.

[86VickyLX]

Guess you've never had a drain plug strip out. :p I lived with a stripped-out front drain plug on the '87 for several years until the engine came out in '04. For a while I used some weird-shaped rubber plug a service station put in as a stopgap, then I added a small piece of that hollow threaded rod for lamps to keep some pressure on the rubber, and later I tried one of those universal molly-backed plug things from the parts store.

I have, which is why I was saying it might've been crossthreaded put in, or the rubber washer not being there.

[1987cp]

Ah, gotcha ... sorry. I guess if there were a way to do it without contaminating the crankcase, an option might be to cut out the stripped plug hole and weld or braze in a new piece with intact threads ........... come to think of it, though, it wouldn't be too hard to just braze some sort of plate to the outside with a threaded hole in it, provided you can get the outside of the pan clean enough. I guess solder could work too (I love soldering steel), though I'd worry a little about having the softer metal doing the job of holding oil in the engine.