Ford Ignition Cylinder Solution

As a locksmith technician with many years of experience in the field there were many times I ran into common issues with certain vehicle makes and models. The issues will mostly be related to the ignition system of the vehicle. Whether if its the switch, cylinder, key, or all 3, I found that there is a solution around for most issues. However, many times, these types of issues can throw the beginner locksmith technician off track chasing solutions that not only will add the cost to the service, but also most likely wont solve anything.

One time I remember getting a call from a customer who had some issues with getting the key to work the ignition switch of his 98 Ford F-150. According to him he recently had a hard time removing and inserting the key to the ignition switch. Back then, I did not have much experience working with vehicles' ignition switches, but for me it didn't seem such a big deal, I figured that the cylinder probably just needed cleaning inside it.

The first thing I did once I got to the customer's location was grabbing a bottle of WD-40 and a key blank to assist me with the cleaning process of the cylinder. After I finished the cleaning process, I noticed that there was no improvement in the function of the key with the ignition cylinders. Before making other conclusions, I decided to call a Spokane locksmith co-worker of mine to see if he had any insights regarding the issue at hand.

According to my co-worker, this type of issue was very common with Ford 10 cut ignitions. Apparently the ears on the switch tend to become loose from constant force being applied using the key when operating the ignition. He mentioned that there was no official fix for this type of problem, so the plug would need to be replaced with a new unit which meant I had to go to the dealer and see if they had one in stock. Unfortunately they didn't have the part I needed in stock and since the customer could not wait few days for the part to arrive, I went with an aftermarket cylinder plug which tuned out to be more rigid and according to the customer the issue did not came back.