Hello;

I have a 92 xlt/2wd/2dr/3.0 V6/125k miles/5 spd/orig owner. Lately my ignition switch has been hanging in the start position and I'm told that the slider contact switch needs to be changed. I purchased a new one at Autozone and attempted to replace it but it's surely in a tight spot on top of the steering column under the dash. Is there a way to remove it without taking out the instrument cluster (which I tried one time for something else and it seemed impossible)? I figure it could be done blindly but would be a trick to accomplish. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Also, not absolutely sure that the switch is the culprit because when it hangs I can spray some silicon into the ignition keyhole and it will release. I've removed the plastic cover around the column and watch the wire link move back and forth and it seems to return o.k. so symptoms point back to the slider switch....really got me baffled.

xltdawg

 

Section 11-05: Steering Column Switches 1995 Aerostar, Ranger and Explorer Workshop Manual

REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ignition Switch
Ranger/Aerostar

Disconnect battery negative cable.
Remove attaching screws (2) and instrument panel steering column cover.
Remove attaching screws (4) and instrument panel reinforcement plate.
If equipped with an automatic transmission, remove PRND12 indicator cable attaching screw.
Remove steering column to brake pedal support bracket attaching screws (2).
Lower column until steering wheel rests on driver's seat.
Remove ignition switch attaching screws.
Disconnect wiring and remove ignition switch.
To install ignition switch, reverse removal procedure

 

Thanks for the good info Ken.....sorry I waited so long to acknowledge, but with the onset of spring and all of summer the switch caused me no problems. Now that it is getting cooler/colder, the switch acted up again one morning so I thought I had better take action before it got too cold for me to want to even change it.

You were very right....it was a breeze (well almost) to change out the switch with the instructions you gave.

I was still not convinced that it was the main switch because during the cold months when the starter would hang-up I would turn the key to the "off" position and the engine would still not stop turning over. Only when I would spray some WD-40 into the keyed ignition switch slot would it release. Now how the h*ll could that be....I mean all the key lock does is just what it says...that is "key lock" the ignition and when you rotate the key back to the "off" position you would think that the connecting rod would dis-engage the switch down below by force and stop the starter.

Upon inspection the old switch (almost 15 years old) I could not find any apparent problems with it. I cycled it back and forth many times with a screw driver in the side slot and it seemed to obey the original detents except for a slight amount of weakness from the "start" position to the "on" position. I will have to assume that it was that "weakness" in the spring or whatever that was causing my problem. I still wonder why the connecting rod didn't pull the switch back to the off position like it was supposed to.

The only thing left that I haven't done is dismantle the switch and I don't want to do that yet until (or "if") the new switch duplicates the old problem with the onset of really cold weather....that'll be the "acid test". I truly believe that the problem is corrected though with the installation of the new switch....I can just feel that it is going into the correct detents more firmly than before.....if not I'll post an update about it.

Thanks again for your help....it saved me a bunch of money by being able to do this myself.

 

Well, the cold weather is back and changing out the main ignition contact switch on the steering column was not the solution to my stuck starter motor.

I'm guessing that there is either a solenoid on the starter motor that gets stuck in cold weather or it's the one under the hood on top of the left fender with the hood open and facing the engine bay from the front of the truck.

Can anyone confirm that this is what may be causing this problem? I'm pretty well convinced that I've been barking up the wrong tree all along thinking it was either the main ignition contact or the key lock. It definitely is not that and it is something that gets sticky and sluggish when the truck has not been used for several days, and especially in cold weather which precipitates this condition.

Today I started my truck, which has been idle Since last Thursday, and it's been in freezing temps with snow all around it, and the starter would not let go no matter what I tried, so I had to disable it by disconnecting the battery.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks....

 

Could be a number of things, question is, which is the most likely & how to definitively test for it, so you don't end up guessng & throwing parts at it, to solve the problem.

I don't know how your 92 start system is configured.
On my 94 3.8L Taurus, when I turn the key to "start" the starter relay routes current to the starter solenoid's winding to actuate it.

The solenoid mounted atop the starter motor & is used to move the starter's "bendix", to engage the engines fly wheel & where upon, at the end of the solenoid's armature/plunger's stroke, it has caused the bendix to engage the flywheel's teeth & then it's contacts make the high current electrical connection, from the batteries B+ lead, to turn on & run the starter motor & crank the engine.

When you release the ignition key from "start", it should cause the starter relay, to break the electrical connection to the starter solenoid's winding, de-energizing it's coil & the retraction spring on the solenoids plunger should then cause it's plunger to retract & break the B+ electrical connection to the starter motor, to de-power it & then retract the bendix, which disengages the starter motors drive gear from the fly wheel.

So, IF, when you release the ignition key from "start", the starter relay doesn't open the electrical connection to the solenoid, ( say, it sticks closed, or it's contacts have welded closed), or the solenoid's armature/plunger sticks, or it's electrical contacts "weld" closed, such that the solenoid can't break the starter motors B+ connection, it'll just keep on supplying power to the starter motor & it'll continue running, until you disconnect the battery, which you've had to do.

Question is, which component on your 92, is most likely to fail, in such a way as to cause your condition?????

At this point I suppse I'd guess it's a sticking starter motor solenoid, as it switches the heavy current from the batteries B+ cable, needed to run the starter motor.

But it could be a faulty starter relay too, but when they fail, it's usually results in a "no crank" condition.

Guess it could also be a sticking starter motor bendix too, such that it sticks so bad that the solenoids return spring can't overcome the stuck bendix resistance, to move & retract it's plunger to cut power to the starter motor & retract the bendix completely, to disengage the flywheel, so it just continues to run, until you disconnect the battery.

I suppose the next time it happens, you could be prepaired to try & hit the solenoid, then the starter motor, with a broom handle & see if it'll respond, if not then hit the starter relay, on the fender.

Tapping on one of them in sequence should wake the faulty one up & thus maybe you can isolate the faulty part.

Just some thoughts to ponder.

Will be interesting to hear what you find.

 

Thanks for the response pawpaw. While reading your comments it struck me as to what may be causing this problem.

Since it's only a cold weather phenomena, I believe it is the starter bendix sticking that is the culprit. Reason I now strongly believe this, is that whenever I've been under the truck for any reason I've noticed a slight oil film or leak on the sides of the oil pan, and initially was concerned thinking that the oil plug was causing this. Turns out that the oil plug was not the cause but the low oil level sensor that taps into the side of the oil pan was. The feedthru signal wire seal leaks ever so slightly and it is this that may be contaminating the starter and starter bendix which in turns prevents it from functioning properly in cold weather...a la thick oil and grime.

Of course I'll have to check it out to be sure now but that's about the only thing that would logically be causing this especially after reading your description of the system.

Thanks again....

 

Well, unfortunately, I'm still having the same old stuck starter problem with my '92 Ranger. Like I mentioned before, during the warm months like the late spring and summer the problem seems to go away, then as soon as the weather starts to cool down a bit, the starter starts hanging again. This year it started again about a month ago so I decided I would change out the relay that's mounted on top of the right front fender well since it's a relatively inexpensive part compared to the starter. Last year I changed the main ignition switch down low on the steering column and that seemed to solve the problem for a while, then it came back same as usual. Well, changing out the relay didn't solve the problem so I went and purchased a rebuilt starter from Checker Auto with the intention of swapping it out myself.

Yesterday I finally got around to removing the old starter and thought that I would clean and lube it and put it back in instead of installing the rebuilt one so as to save a little money thinking that maybe it was sticking because of grime on the moving parts. Everything on the original starter looked fine except for the grime which I cleaned most of it off. I removed the front end of the starter housing, the retaining clip, and the bendix gear, cleaned them all up and lubed them and put it back together and all the parts slid back and forth with ease and no restrictions. I checked the starter solenoid as well and it seemed to "plunge" in and out with no restrictions or bindings.

As luck would have it, after re-installing the original starter after cleaning and lubing it myself, the starter is still doing the same old thing.

I'm at a loss as to what is causing this problem. The only thing I can figure that it might be is the starter solenoid is electrically sticking when power is applied to it since my moving it in and out may have not properly duplicated the symptom. If that's not it then I don't know what the heck it could be, and I would hate to go ahead and swap out the old original starter with the new rebuilt one that I bought, and still have, and not have that cure the problem.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions as to something that I may have overlooked?

 

Well you could try removing the starter from the engine, so it won't engage the fly wheel & then go to the start position on the ignition switch & see if it'll continue to hang up & run.

If it doesn't, then it would maybe suggest some kind of mounting or mechanical binding problem, with the starter mounted.

With the starter dismounted, if it continues to run after releasing the ignition switch from the start position, then you sould be ready to do some electrical voltage checks & make sure the ignition switch doesn't have a problem & is hanging up.

If that checks out ok, then move to the "S" position on the starter solenoid & make sure it doesn't still have 12 volts to it.

If it doesn't, then the problem is likely with the starter motor's solenoid contacts welding or maybe the bendix binding, or it's retraction spring has some kind of problem.

If your system has a relay, betwen the ignition switch & starter relay, check it out too. A good thump, on each one should wake it up, if it's sticking in the on mode.

Seeing as how this is a temperature sensitive problem, to me it suggests it's mechanical in nature.

Let us know how it goes.

 

pawpaw, that's a good suggestion about running the starter without it being engaged to the flywheel, but my focus now goes the the possible welding of the contacts on the starter mounted solenoid. Only problem with that theory is that if that's what is happening then it shouldn't be a temperature/seasonal sensitive phenomena. If the contacts are welding I would think that they'd do it all the time regardless of what the outside temp is, right?

Also, I saw no signs or evidence on the starter bendix gear of any binding that might be taking place with the flywheel, so this problem has really got me stumped.

The ONLY thing I can think of that may be the culprit is the starter mounted solenoid return spring. If that's what's causing the problem then the system would have to be sensitive to an almost imperceptible weakening of the spring which I could not detect when I removed both the old solenoid on the old starter as well as the new one on the rebuilt one. If the old spring has weakened enough to where it won't push back on the bendix pivot with enough force then that could do it, but again what is baffling me is that it wouldn't necessarily be a temperature/seasonal thing to my way of thinking.

I think my next step is, like you suggested, to back out the mounting bolts enough on the starter so I can run it without having it engage the ring gear. If it still does it then I'll just continue on with removing it and installing the rebuilt one that I have.

Thanks.

 

Well pawpaw, I ended up replacing the starter today and guess what? It was the starter all along. I did like you suggested and while removing the original I only backed out the bolts enough so the bendix wouldn't engage. I hit the ignition switch and the starter got going and wouldn't stop, so it appears that there was a problem on the solenoid that I couldn't duplicate when I had it out before.

I replaced the original with the rebuilt one from Checker that I had and I tested it on the truck just like the original before bolting it down tight and it worked fine. Only problem I had, and thank goodness that I checked first, was that the mounting bolts gauled up in the threaded holes on the new one. I got them to work well enough, albeit still tight, by placing anti-sieze compound on all three and worked them in and out enough when I had it out on the counter so that they went in well enough when I installed it. Not sure why that happened. The correct thing for me to have done would've been to chase the internal threads with a tap, but I didn't have one and I the only transportation I had to go and get one was the truck, and it was disabled. The original bolts and bolt holes are 13mm threads and I'm wondering if the rebuilt one had standard threads that were so close to the original metric that it was hard to detect?

Time will tell if the rebuilt one will hold up worth a darn. They clean them up to look new but no telling how much use or abuse they had from the original owner, and they don't change all the parts on the things either, only the main wear points.

 

Ok, good test/find & feedback, good to hear you finally have that intermittent problem run down & put right.

Intermittent problems are the most difficult to chase down, as we can only work them when they act up.

Thanks for closing this thread out.