[Stephonovich]

My beloved POS has been sitting defunct for the past year or so. We never got it registered here in NC when we moved, and I've been commuting with an '85 Ford Ranger (admittedly fun) which gets 18 MPG. $25 a week in gas. My Escort gets mid-high 30s in mixed driving. It can crack 40 with interstate only.

Anyway, parents finally decided to sink the money into it, and we went and got it all registered ($90 something, thankyouverymuch...), tagged, and got tune up parts. Decided to put some AMSOil in it, at the behest of my dad, who insists it had a dramatic effect on our '65 VW Beetle's fuel mileage and engine temperature. It was only about $5/qt., so eh, might as well. So, got all that changed, even the evil #1 Cyl. sparkplug (buried behind the alternator, in such a way that you end up banging knuckles repeatedly on the no-doubt deliberately sharp corners of the alternator mounting bracket). All ready to go, hook up the jumper cables, and... What? Key just spins. No resistance at all. No click, no lights, no radio. Just... nothing. Checked a bit more, and the hood release switch was also oddly broken. Still works, but it flops around. All we can figure is someone attempted to steal it, but discovered that the battery was dead, it was out of gas, and even if they had gotten it started, it barely ran. Why someone chose that over the relatively nice '97 Dodge Intrepid parked right next to it is beyond me.

I did some research, and I quote: "The cylinder lock on Escorts is different from the rest of Ford." Of course. Always that way. Apparently, there's torque sensitive screws that are used to attach it. Once they reach the spec, the heads break off, so you actually have to grind slots into them to take it out. We couldn't even find the bloody things, though.

As for hotwiring, EFI means even if we had managed to crank the starter, the ECU wouldn't fire up.

I found a brand new cylinder and keyset on eBay for $10 (current bid, anyway - I set up an AuctionSnipe on it), so we'll see if that comes through. If so, our neighbor runs a garage in, um, his garage. Hopefully he can remove and install it, 'cause we're stumped.

/hates the ****** who did this.
//with a passion.
///wants them drawn, quartered, burned, and then skull-screw**.

 

[Stephonovich]

:bump: if anyone had anything to say. And I'm bored.

 

[bozebuttons]

First you need to take the plastic cover down around the ignition lock cylinder,usually screws go up thru the cover from the bottom.May also have to take the panel down under the steering column to access screws.

Once you get to the screws there are a couple of ways to get them out,
1 is to grind a slot with a dremmel tool with a cutting wheel or equivelant tool & use a flat tip screw driver to remove them.
You can also use a sharp tipped punch & hammer ,at the top part of the screw put the punch and hit it with the hammer going in a counterclockwize direction.Third option is to use a drill bit & drill them out but I would recommend first 2 options.

 

[lmilhan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephonovich :bump: if anyone had anything to say. And I'm bored.

LOUD NOISES!

 

[Stephonovich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bozebuttons First you need to take the plastic cover down around the ignition lock cylinder,usually screws go up thru the cover from the bottom.May also have to take the panel down under the steering column to access screws. Once you get to the screws there are a couple of ways to get them out, 1 is to grind a slot with a dremmel tool with a cutting wheel or equivelant tool & use a flat tip screw driver to remove them. You can also use a sharp tipped punch & hammer ,at the top part of the screw put the punch and hit it with the hammer going in a counterclockwize direction.Third option is to use a drill bit & drill them out but I would recommend first 2 options.

I got the covers off fine. Still didn't find any screws. There were several holes, which someone had claimed would release the lock if pushed while the key was turned to ACC. No such luck.

Any case, the replacement lock I'm going for on eBay is still at $10 on eBay, with 12 hours left. Would be very nice if I could snag it for that. AutoZone wants $90 for a new one.

 

[bozebuttons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephonovich I got the covers off fine. Still didn't find any screws. There were several holes, which someone had claimed would release the lock if pushed while the key was turned to ACC. No such luck. Any case, the replacement lock I'm going for on eBay is still at $10 on eBay, with 12 hours left. Would be very nice if I could snag it for that. AutoZone wants $90 for a new one.

It should come as one piece with the grey housing that holds the key cylinder,cylinder itself is not replaceable.Screws are on oposite side of steering column of key tumbler closer to drivers door on steering column,you will probably need to see the replacement unit to see what I am talking about.Go to autozone & ask to see what replacement unit looks like.

 

[Mr.PD]

Ignition locks are a pain on newer cars.
When you twist the key, does the steering unlock?
Can you turn the switch without the key?
If someone was trying to steal it, they would have needed things to work somewhat. You sound like nothing works.
'92 Escorts don't use a chip in the key do they?
If they don't, just slide hammer that lock out and use a screwdriver to run it.

 

[Oink1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephonovich There were several holes, which someone had claimed would release the lock if pushed while the key was turned to ACC. No such luck.

This 'claim' is correct - it should be on top of the ign lock, flush with the body of the housing - with the key at position 1, use a small pick to push the button in and withdraw the key/barrel assembly in one piece (This will not work if the thieving scumbags have ****ed the lock - drilling out is your only option or a complete assembly if they have damaged the coloumn lock) Kits to build up a new barrel are available from Ford, they do not however come with instructions on how to do this - you need the TIBI key number (Or know someone who can read the keys (

- me) ) and someone to build it for you - pity i'm in the UK and you're in the states eh? - me being a Ford Senior tech and all

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.PD '92 Escorts don't use a chip in the key do they?

Yes - A '92 Escort 'should' be PATS equipped - the tranciever that circles the end of the ignition lock is expensive, so lets hope it isn't damaged!

 

[Stephonovich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bozebuttons It should come as one piece with the grey housing that holds the key cylinder,cylinder itself is not replaceable.

The item I bid on (and won! Yay!) is the whole shebang. Cylinder, housing, electronics, and keys. So I should be good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. PD When you twist the key, does the steering unlock?

Steering is unlocked no matter where the key is.

Quote:

Can you turn the switch without the key?

Good question. Don't think I tried. I imagine so, though. Absolutely no resistance, like I said.

Quote:

If someone was trying to steal it, they would have needed things to work somewhat. You sound like nothing works.

My theory is that the would-be thief was a dumbass. Not knowing how to open the hood (C'mon, people, I've seen tons of cars where you have to manually release the hood catch) is one sign.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oink1 Yes - A '92 Escort 'should' be PATS equipped - the tranciever that circles the end of the ignition lock is expensive, so lets hope it isn't damaged!

Maybe it's a U.K. thing. The OEM key could in theory be equipped, as it has a large black plastic cover with the Ford logo emblazoned on it. However, many moons ago, we got a copy made at Wal-Mart, as the original was wearing out. Plain jane chunk of steel, with no chip. It works just fine.

 

[Mr.PD]

Did you get it fixed yet?

 

[Stephonovich]

Part was shipped yesterday. I'm hoping to have it running by the end of the week.

 

[Stephonovich]

YES! IT LIVEESSS!

My, those ignitions are stuck on there good. Dremel cut slots in the heads beautifully, however. Like butter. I love Dremels. Also had to destroy some plastic something or other to fit the new bolts (with the non-snapped off heads) in there. Dremel'd some, then busted the rest off with pliers. It's covered up by the fascia anyway, so no worries. Oh, and we ended up busting off the emergency flasher switch... it juts up a good 2", which was preventing us from removing the dashboard fascia. I'll epoxy it back on tomorrow. Also, we didn't snap the heads off of the new bolts. For one, I was using a plain jane box wrench, and I probably wouldn't have had the leverage or strength to do so. For another, it's a major pain. I seriously don't know why those are there. Just to get at them requires a good 15-30 minutes, even if you know what you're doing. I suppose if you really didn't care, a Sawzall could have it done in a minute. Of course, you might cut wires doing that...

Also, a note: replace your PCV valve often. The car had been idling really horribly even after the tuneup, and so I figured I might as well replace it. A whopping $3.50. Wow. No idea those little buggers did so much. The car has never ran so smooth in it's life. I love it

Just have to swing by a salvage yard tomorrow to pick up a trailing arm. Busted it off last year, but it had managed to hang on until now. No more. The whole car pulls to the right when you hit the brakes now. $35 at the junkyard, although they had to ship it up another yard in Georgia. Then she'll be good to go.

 

[Mr.PD]

Hey COOL!
That sure sound more complicated than my old 70's era Dodges.
I am glad you got it done. Thanks for sharing.
So, do you have to have two keys now? One for the door and one for the ignition?
Playing with lock cylinder pins is always a fun way to spend an evening. You could pull out the door locks and make them match the ignition key some cold snowy night.

I just rememberd that I had a car that I took the trunk lock cylinder and removed all the pins but one. After that it didn't matter what key you stuck in it, it would turn. It just had to be a Plymouth key.

 

[Stephonovich]

Yeah, I've got two keys. I'm used to it, though, as the Ranger had two as well. Not sure why, though, as everything's stock on that.

I have a plain key for the doors, and a Ford emblazoned one for the ignition. Easier to tell now. On the truck, one's round, and one's square. Have to look at them, and even then, you mix it up sometimes.

Never thought about the old ignition... was going to just drop it off at the junkyard. I'll try to disassemble it. I still wasn't able to find the mythical holes to release it, though. Even the entire unit sitting out.

 

[taylor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephonovich Yeah, I've got two keys. I'm used to it, though, as the Ranger had two as well. Not sure why, though, as everything's stock on that. I have a plain key for the doors, and a Ford emblazoned one for the ignition. Easier to tell now. On the truck, one's round, and one's square. Have to look at them, and even then, you mix it up sometimes. Never thought about the old ignition... was going to just drop it off at the junkyard. I'll try to disassemble it. I still wasn't able to find the mythical holes to release it, though. Even the entire unit sitting out.

A lot of older cars had separate keys for the engine and the doors... Square is always engine, round is always door. I think they stopped doing it around 1990, as my 89 olds has it, as does my friend's 89 crown vic. No idea why, I was confused as hell too when I first bought it.