It's been a bad day. My '86 won't start. When I turn the key it feels a bit different, so my first thought was that it was something broken in the column. But when I take the plastic part of the column off, I can see the rod that extends into the dash and it seems to operate as I think it should, as I turn the key.

Then I think maybe it is the starter. Even though I get no clicks, nothing from the the engine bay. So I think I need to move the truck to a better spot, but I realize that the column shifter won't move at all. It's stuck in park, no matter what position the key is in. I can't even move the truck.

I try removing the steering wheel, but then I break off a bolt as I'm trying to use a puller. I might be able to get a Dremel in there to cut a slot in the broken bolt... But maybe this is a point to stop and ask some of you experts for advice.

 

Play with the rod in the column as you mess with the shifter. It's all interrelated, and you may have something broken in there. I know the automatics have a piece that breaks on all the tilt columns, but I am not sure a 3 speed column is setup the same. That piece on the automatics locks the shifter in park.

 

Yeah, right now my biggest issue is that I can't get the steering wheel off, because I broke that bolt off in there. I tried using a Dremel to cut a slot in it but it's really frozen. I can't get the wheel to budge even with a heavy mallet.

With a lot of effort I can get it to shift to a point about halfway between Park and Reverse, at which point it free wheels. The shift linkage on this goes all the way through the steering column and its visible in the engine bay. There are some videos with loose bolts on an under dash linkage... I wish that was my problem.

 

So you do have a automatic, I don't know why I thought differently. You probably have a tilt column and have the famous broken piece.

Get the rod showing again down near the cluster. While turning the keyswitch, pinch the rod with some pliers and push the rod toward the cluster. It should crank over and start.

Then in the same area take a small screwdriver and in the area above where the rod comes from you should see a square pot metal piece. Push this up and it should release the shifter.

 

Here is the piece you need.

Dorman - Help Ignition Actuator - With Tilt Wheel 83280: Advance Auto Parts

Here's some more info on it.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-easy-way.html

 

See that cut-out on the long square part of the actuator? That notch is what is locking your shifter, that notch needs to line up to release the shifter.

 

It's an automatic, but not a tilt-wheel. It has the C6 transmission and the 5.8L engine. I have seen the videos online with this very part, but I'm not sure if it applies because I don't have a tilt wheel, as far as I can tell.

I've come to the conclusion that I've got to get that steering wheel off, even if I destroy it in the process. It is a bear. Of course, breaking that bolt didn't help.

 

I didn't know I had tilt wheel either, till a guy I know reached in and pushed on my turnsignal lever. I thought he was going to break it off, but it didn't break. What happened is all of a sudden the steering wheel was in my lap.

See if the slot that the turnsignal lever goes into on the side of the column looks like a "T". If it does, you have tilt wheel. Push the turnsignal lever toward the dash and the wheel should release.

 

OK, thanks. I'll look again when I get home. Actually, with the plastic part of the steering column off, I can see a situation that is quite different from what I've seen regarding that part you show above. It's a long metal rod that disappears into the dash. But whatever, hopefully I can get the steering wheel off tonight. I may have to turn green, rip my shirt to shreds with bulging muscles, or maybe I'll just use the huge pry bar that I have.

 

First the good news, it is a tilt wheel! Good news in that, this should be a cheap fix.

The bad news is that the steering wheel is on there so tight that I've actually bent the wheel itself in an attempt to get it off!

 

I've used a blow torch, and rigged up the puller with a crowbar so that it.... Actually bends the steering wheel but still it's not moving. Built Ford tough. But this is a joke!

 

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Help!

http://imageshack.com/a/img923/3946/WLoYIn.jpg

lol....

 

Might be easiest to just get a replacement column from the JY.

 

Do you think it will be any better than what the OP has now? It could be worse.

There is one part of the tilt wheel mechanism that no one has NOS .. the obsolete tilt wheel locking lever (E2TZ-3B661-A replaced D0AZ-3B661-A) despite the fact it was used in a gazillion 1970/91 FoMoCo vehicles.

Which is probably why no one has any.