Depends on what your definition of "best" is. If best is cheapest, take the panel off from inside the truck, remove the keylock from the inside and take it to a locksmith for rekeying.
If best is easiest, let the locksmith come out and do it all.
I'll take 'easy'. I only asked because I assumed it was going to be a considerably larger PITA than removing door cylinders, but I guess not, which is good for me. I'm already paying a locksmith >$150 to rekey ignition.
It is actually pretty easy to do. I lost the keys to my Bronco once (with no spare at the time) I assume you just want to open the door so that you can get the lock out and change it. (cheaper than locksmith) Get a 12v battery and leads and get into the truck from the front obviously. unscrew the door access panel. locate the wiring harness for your window motor and unplug it. (It is at the bottom of the door and the connector is there for the harness too) use the wire leads connected to the battery and connect it to the + and - side of the window harness. (the part of the harness that goes to the window motor itself). It doesn't matter if you reverse it because you need to reverse it to make the window go up or down. (thats all the switch does) Up one way, reverse the wires and the motor will turn the other way to make the window go down. Now you can open your door and replace the lock.
Alright so the tailgate window was already up, I took off the safety switch box and got the clip off, i think all i have to do now is remove the brushed aluminum trim to allow it to slide outwards...
Alright so the tailgate window was already up, I took off the safety switch box and got the clip off, i think all i have to do now is remove the brushed aluminum trim to allow it to slide outwards...
Great! I guess you just worked from inside the truck. A little uncomfortable for me plus you need (someone) to turn the key in the lock to get the switch off. hard to do if you are in the truck.
Yes, unfortunately you have to take that trim off. I guess the Ford engineers weren't thinking at the time to make the hole in the trim just a little bit bigger!
I replaced all of my locks including the ignition and I think I spent around $100 in total to replace all of the locks and getting the one cylinder for the back door re-keyed. (It is hard to find a set of 3 door locks with matching keys)
I was able to get the switch off with no key (?) and took the clip off but there's nuts for the trim panel that I can't get to without dropping the tailgate. I'm going to need to drop the window to get the tailgate open and I'm wondering if it'll be safe to do so with the safety switch hanging...(?)
I was able to get the switch off with no key (?) and took the clip off but there's nuts for the trim panel that I can't get to without dropping the tailgate. I'm going to need to drop the window to get the tailgate open and I'm wondering if it'll be safe to do so with the safety switch hanging...(?)
Yeah, unfortunately you always run into something else when you get past one thing! 8-( That is why I said before to get the window down from inside and drop the tailgate. It is waaay easier to work on that way.
The switch should be out of the way from what I remember, but if you want to make sure just slide the spring clip back on it to mount it to the tailgate again. Go back to my old instructions and drop the window with a 12 volt batter in the inside of the truck with test leads. I think it took me around 45 minutes to do the whole job including dropping the tailgate from the inside, changing the lock and testing. Although I did not put the trim back on because I liked it better without it. The trim is easy to get off. I think 8 speed nuts and its off. You will have to use your battery to push the window back out of the tailgate shell to get to them though. Just be careful with the glass because it is just held in at the very bottom of it with 2 sets of holders.
If you have any issues, just let me know and I will help as much as I can. I have done this a couple of times (this is my 3rd bronco) and I have done a complete swap of everything into a brand new tailgate that I bought for this one.
Good Luck!
This forum is owned and operated by Internet Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation. It is not authorized or endorsed by the Ford Motor Company and is not affiliated with the Ford Motor Company or its related companies in any way. FordŽ is a registered trademark of the Ford Motor Company.
