How do u remove ign. cylinder lock from 97 Ford Ranger?

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Drewzella - 03 Nov 2005 00:14 GMT

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.

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fweddybear - 03 Nov 2005 02:33 GMT

>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

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plainoldmechanic - 03 Nov 2005 03:00 GMT

call a locksmith....i,m pretty sure that unless you turn the key, you
are gonna be taking a chance breaking something.

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lugnut - 03 Nov 2005 04:01 GMT

>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.

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

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Drewzella - 03 Nov 2005 14:00 GMT

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.

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lugnut - 04 Nov 2005 03:07 GMT

>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

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Drewzella - 04 Nov 2005 14:07 GMT

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.

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Ted Mittelstaedt - 05 Nov 2005 09:19 GMT

> 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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