I plan on buying my papa's '86 F-250 and all the gauges except the speedo are stuck! It sat a year or so before the new motor was dropped in. Could it be from sitting so long? They worked fine before. Also, is it pretty easy to install a new speedo cable? I think its broken becuase the needle moves up and down when at speed and when I let off the gas, I here it.

 

I would venture to guess you have the classic bad ignition switch problem. When you get the truck started, lightly wiggle the key back and forth and you might find your gauges will come to life.

 

would that include the solenoid sometimes " sticking"? I discovered once if I slighty jiggle the ignition switch that the door buzzer goes off! Will a new ignition switch fix this?

 

Welcome to FTE.

Nobody is going to know if a new part is going to fix your specific problem or not as nobody
here has seen your truck, the best anybody can do is try and figure out a likely cause of
your symptoms based on your descriptions.

Personally, instead of buying a new switch, I would just take it all apart, clean it, then lube
up the gears with white lithium grease and the switch with dielectric grease. You'll have to
remove the steering wheel to do this and drop the column but it's really not that hard. Two
screws for the horn button and one nut for the steering wheel (MAKE MARKS ON THE
WHEEL & COLUMN SO YOU INSTALL IT IN EXACTLY THE SAME ORIENTATION).

Remove the headlight & wiper *****, the cluster bezel, a piece of plastic trim under the
column, and the column shroud. There are then I think 4 bolts holding the column to the
dash, remove them and let the thing drop down, the switch is then easily accessible.

If you're interested, the ignition key lock comes out by inserting a drill bit or probe into a
hole into a hole on the underside of the lock on the column. I forget the exact procedure
but it's pretty easy, you can probably look in the archives here or maybe google. There is
then this little gear & rod assembly that can be removed for cleaning.

Clean all that stuff up, lube it all up with fresh grease and reassemble.

While you're in there, it's a great time to replace the speedo cable if you want; 4 screws
holding the cluster to the dash, the wiring & speedo connectors are on the back.

You might just pull it out and see if it's in bad shape (frayed, etc.) this might be another
thing that could be fixed with lube. I *think* Ford has a special lube they use for that
purpose but don't remember, should be in the archives (posted by 81-F-150-Explorer
within the last year or so).

 

I believe I would fiddle with the electrical part of the switch first. The mechanical part is behind the wheel, and it actuates a rod that runs down the column to the electrical part. To get to the electrical switch, you can take the u-bolt piece loose that holds the column to the dash, let the column drop and get to the switch. Just be careful if you have a automatic. Take the collar off around the column next to the dash cluster, and then take the small white tube loose with the string inside. This is what moves the PRND21 indicator in the dash, and is easily broken.