ncranger
I've got a mysterious problem. I have a 1988 Ford Ranger, which I just bought for $400. The other night I was going somewhere in the rain, and as I started driving, I realized the wipers wouldn't work, so I turned around and headed back to get my car. When I got home, I turned the engine off, started fiddling with the ***** and started the engine again. Wipers worked. I also noticed that when the wipers didn't work, the turn signals and radio also did not work, but after I restarted it, everything was fine.
That night everything worked as it should, and I thought it was some fluke. The next day, I started it up, and I checked to see if everything worked, and it did, so I was driving along when the radio suddenly went off. I tried the wipers and turn signals and they didn't work either, so I pulled over near a goodwill store (where I got sidetracked for a while and found $600 black leather boots for $5), and when I started the truck, everything worked, but a minute or two later as I was driving, the radio and stuff went off again.
I kept driving and when I came to a red light, I tried to turn the engine off so I could restart it to see if that cured the problem and I couldn't get it to turn off! The key would not move. I drove on, and got to an errand where I had to turn around and back up and I stalled it since I'm not used to its clutch yet. I couldn't turn the key off, but I could restart it.
At this point, I headed for home, and when I got home, I couldn't turn it off. Don't tell me I should press the button under the steering column because I tried that obviously. As I was turning the key back and forth, I accidentally turned it to start, and it made that grinding noise and the radio came back on for a second or two, and then went off. After that the key seemed to be freed up, and I was able to turn it off.
I'm not mechanic, so if anyone can explain the problem, please do so in simpleton terms. Thanks

 

nc
Sounds like the mechanicals in the ignition are worn out. If the key doesn't turn off in the ignition, the key may be worn to the point where it does not contact the tumblers. The reason the radio and wipers work intermitantly, is probably due to dirty contacts. Sometimes a removal and cleansing of the mechanical contacts with contact cleaner or electrical parts cleaner will do the trick. I had a similar problem in my acura. The motor would die for no reason. I cleaned the ignition and SHAZAM, problem solved.

My advice would be to remove the ignition, clean the contacts, and take it to a locksmith and get a new key cut. You could try to hunt down an ignition for it from a wrecker, however you may be in for more of the same. You only paid 400 bucks for the truck, so 20 dollars to get a key cut, and a couple bucks for a can of contact cleaner doesn't seem unbearable.

Good Luck, Rick

 

one thing to look at is if there was trailer lights hooked up. after i tried to get all technical trying to figure out what was wrong, i saw where someone tried to hook up wires for a trailer. ended up i had a short to ground and it wouldn't let me turn off the engine. i think its your ignition switch thats giving you the most trouble, but look into this idea for your radio and other electrical problems. mine was shorted out at the head lamp switch. a big bunch of melted wires. all because someone didn't know what they were doing when they hooked up the trailer lights or something was wrong with the trailer.
just something to think about