BTW, I was able to grab the rod with pliers and push it the last portion of the movement it makes (pushing against the return spring in the crank position of the actual ignition switch) and it does crank. It is definitely the ignition switch actuator cam, as you said.

I got as far as removing the steering wheel, removed the turn signal switch assembly, removed the 3 screws which hold the upper column housing in place. At that point I think I should have been able to slide off the upper housing, but it was sorta hung up. It looked like there was a pin of some sort (maybe a press fit pin) near where the other pin that locks the steering is, but farther down (at the level where the 3 shroud srews go in).

I didn’t want to force it because I was getting tired of breaking parts while trying to disassemble the column to get at the actuator cam assembly. I already busted the plastic lugs the screws to the horn fascia go into by thinking it was all just pressed into place like many other interior panels.

It’s not often I am willing to concede defeat, but I have spent too much time out in the driveway freezing my fingers off and breaking parts.

I have a Haynes, Chilton and actual Ford shop manual. I’m pretty mechanically inclined (I used to build kit cars, and work as an engineer), and I did look in the manuals pretty thoroughly (for the last week or so I have been reading it and thumbing through trying to understand the whole mechanism). I found a small picture (illustration) of the actuator cam, and I did see where it shows removal of the two screws that hold the turn signal switch assembly in, and the three screws that hold the upper column housing in place. I seperated the plug down on the column and pulled the turn signal switch assy out, removed the three screws, and expected the housing to slide off, but it would only rattle a bit. Even the Ford manual doesn’t give more detail, and I didn’t want to pry it apart, so I put it all back together and gave up.

At this point, as much as I hate to pay high labor rates, I think it might still be worth paying to have it fixed. I might try to haggle a bit on the labor… there is a recall against the ignition switch, so maybe since they will be working around the column anyway they will give me a break on the labor. It may be worth the money to avoid further frustration.

I’ll be also getting a major tune up since my gas mileage has gone down from 10 mpg to about 7 mpg, so they will be getting plenty of money from me… hopefully they will give me a break on the work to fix the ignition switch actuator. Heck, I’ve already done the bulk of the diagnostic work for them.

The reason I like the Centurion is because I can caryy 8 people, and unlike a Suburban it is a 1-Ton. It is the same size as a Suburban, but has one foot longer wheelbase (the Bronco and Blazer have less rear overhang than the Suburban, and the Centurion is a Bronco in the rear half of the body). I thought about getting a Crew Cab and putting an extra row of seats in the bed and adding a shell, but when it’s just the family on a trip, the dog likes to sometimes come up to the kids to get petted, and sometimes he’ll go sleep in the back. Also, having heat and other comforts for the third row seating is helpful at times. A 1-Ton Excursion would be almost perfect (though I think it isn’t as wide as the full size pickups and Bronco from 1991). I definitely will get a diesel next time!

Anyway, I’ll let y’all know how bad I get gouged by the dealer.