I am working on a 97 Ford Ranger, and the ign. key will not turn out of the off position. I can not seem to figure out how to get the Ing. Cylinder lock (tumbler) out of the steering column. Remember, I can't turn the key.
I believe you need to unscrew the cover around the ignition key first, then you will probably be able to remove the cylinder.
Good Luck..
Fwed
call a locksmith....i,m pretty sure that unless you turn the key, you are gonna be taking a chance breaking something.
If you cannot turn the key/cylinder, the only way is by force which will break the gear retainer at the bottom of the lock. A slide hammer with a good screw to run down in it works well. Locksmiths have a setup just for this. You will need to buy a pinion or gear kit from the dealer to reinstall a new lock cylinder as the retainer will be broken. Last couple I bought seems to have been around $15 IIRC. The lock cylinder is also around $15 pus whatever the locksmith charges to re-key it to work with your old key so it is the same as the doors. If you cannot do this yourself, you are probably looking at the top side of $150 anyway to have a locksmith do it. I hate having multiple keys to drive a car.
Lugnut
The dealer wants $65 just for the tumbler, and that doesn't include the key. They say $90 for a key. The bottom of the tumbler retainer has a ball clip, does that have anything to do with it.
The end of the tumbler shaft goes thru a sort of slot in the retainer such that it cannot come out unless it is in the ON position. When it is forcefully extracted, the retainer will be broken which requires the additional kit. AFIK, the retainer and pinion is only available from the dealer. The tumbler should be available aftermarket and just have a locksmith do the job and rekey the new tumbler at the same time. Unfortunately, this job can be aggravating to do yourself if you can do it. It is expensive to have it done. I would call a couple of locksmiths before I caved in at the dealer. It is possible that your setup will be expensive if it is a security key.
Lugnut
I am a certified mech., and have all the tools ready for the job,........I just wanted to know if there was a less than brutal way at this point that I did not know...........
Thank you for your help.
One thing you might try before the slide hammer thing is just using a sledge hammer. Put the ignition key in and pound on the cylinder to see if you can make it turn. If one of the tumbler pins is broken, which might be the case, you will fracture the pin but it will turn then and can be removed normally.
Ted
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