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1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks 1987 - 1996 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350 and larger pickups - including the 1997 heavy-duty F250/F350+ trucks

Ignition switch spins 360degrees

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Old Jan 17, 2021 | 03:48 PM
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Bricknose 250's Avatar
Bricknose 250
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Ignition switch spins 360degrees

hey i have a 89 f250 custom 5 speed no cruise no tilt

over past couple days the key in the ignition switch has been hard to turn to start the truck i went out to start it today and went to turn the key and got all the dash lights on then the ignition switch started to spin freely. i can spin the whole ignition switch 360degrees and all my dash lights continued to stay on so i disconnected the battery.

i need to know if anyone has had this problem and what went wrong? im not sure if its the ignition switch or the actuator rod i know theres some gears that turn stuff inside.i have the steering wheel off but have never dug into a steering column any help would be appreciated thanks.
 
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Old Jan 18, 2021 | 07:43 AM
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The ignition switch doesn’t turn - it slides and is located under the dashboard on top of the column.



Actuator rod goes in slot circled in red.



If you are able to turn the lock cylinder round and round then a broken ignition actuator is most likely the problem. How to replace the actuator:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...-actuator.html
 
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