I've got a 91 F-150. The steering column lockup is
hyper-sensitive. When I start the truck it requires
a little fiddling with the steering wheel for the
lock to disengage, and while driving around I can hear
the thing making noise while I steer, as if its "just
on the edge" of locking up the steering column. In
fact, one day recently it DID lockup briefly.

Anyone know how to adjust this? This may be a dumb question
buy how to I remove the shroud around the steering
column? Do I need to remove the dash?

Regards, Cliff

 

Wow, lots of things here.

First, your steering wheel is locked by a large pin. If you pull the steering wheel you'll see it, kinda in the 2 o'clock position once the wheel is off. This pin is retracted when you turn the key forward to turn the ignition on. If this pin really is trying to return while you drive I can only guess something is broken inside.

Are you certain this is the problem, and there's not binding elsewhere in your steering system, like maybe the steering box? This could also make the wheel lock momentarily while driving I'd think.

The shroud around your '91 steering column is 3 pieces. The piece closest to the dash can be removed easily, but it won't get you to much exciting. The middle shroud is the most difficult and requires nearly complete teardown of the column. The shroud closest to the steering wheel (where the key switch lives) is only moderatly difficult to remove; you can remove this and eventually get to a point where you can remove/defeat the steering wheel lock pin.

You can see the steering wheel lock pin here, again approx at 2 o'clock:
http://www.superford.org/registry/users/33/139/Bronco_037.jpg

 

That might also occurr if the steering wheel is loose on the shaft or if the little white plastic bushing at the top of the shaft is worn out, allowing the wheel to wobble into the pin.

 

Thanks for the excellent reply!

Before I bought the truck the salesman replaced the
ignition module, it wasn't working well the first
day I looked at the truck. When I came back I could
tell that it had been replaced, but since this same
time the lock pin is "sticky" as I described.

I wonder if this can be adjusted by simply taking
off/out the ignition part, the lock pin looks like its
right near it? For what its worth, the salesman
mentioned "Oh yeah, you can just adjust that", refering
to the sticky lock pin. (I realize he was just selling.....)

 

If your key cylinder is sticky replace it immediately.