I have a 87 F150 truck that will not start . return spring must be broke as key will not auto return, also do not have to use button under steering column to return key to lock position. I have replaced key cylinder and it's not my problem. Truck has tilt wheel. What do i need to replace to fix problem? thanks in advance harold b

 

Do what happened to my truck..
The steering wheel unit was replace before purchase..

 

Had the same problem with my 91 F-150. The part that broke was the ignition actuator. The part is attached to the ignition switch via the actuator rod, and to the igntion lock cyclinder via the wheel lock pin (kind of like a minature rack in a rack and pinion streering assembly). The part that broke is shaped like a 1/4 moon with a shaft that slides in and out of a keyway. Several people on this message board have mentioned doing the repair themselves with varying opinions on the difficulty of the task. I tried to do it myself but had to turn to the dealer service department to complete it for me. I didn't have the factory service manual to guide me through the process and wasn't sure if I would end up doing more damage to the column. If you aren't willing to do the repair yourself, I would suggest finding a shop that specializes in column repairs. The dealer mechanic put mine back together and when I got the column back and installed it on the truck, I found the column rod loose. They wouldn't honor their warranty on the repair because they didn't R&R the column from the truck. Try contacting <a href="http://www.columnsgalore.com">http://www.columnsgalore.com</a> , they specialize in column repairs and I will be sending mine to them in the future.

 

4263 ,
Id bet you a 6 pack its the actuator rod ... Installing the new one is the hard part esp if you have a tilt wheel . Youll have to remove the pins that the wheel pivots on to get the rod in place . Its no biggie as long as you go slow and take your time . There is a spring in there that keeps tension on the steering wheel ... Once you remove the pivot pins , you have to be careful not to allow that spring to come out of its home ...If it flies out , lord knows how you ll get it back in ? To remove the pivot pins .... thread in a small machine screw in the pins and then use pliers to pull the pins out ... once they are out , you will have the proper angle to install the new actuator rod . Good luck
Paul

 

I replaced the actuater in my 1990 F150 4 times. It is not thaat hard of a job to do. after the first time it took me about a half hour after that. I finally found that if I tilt the wheel to straight when I start and shut off the truck that I didn't have any problems with it. This thing always seems to break when you really need the truck too. I will tell you how I would start it from the cab. Remove the plastic trim where the steerring column meets the dash. (2 phillips head screws). if you look in there you will see your internal mechanisim for the key button. directly above that you will see an piece of pot metal that is the actuator. using a straight blade screw driver push that piece toward the dash. Viola! truck is now running. Don't forget to put the key in and turn it to run or your steering wheel will stay locked though This will at least get you home if need be. Hope this helps

Brad