[kudasai]

ok, i bought the new switch, and got all my lockplate depresser and snap ing type tools ready to change the ign lock.

unfortunatly, this was not to be. as i opened the instr, it said to remove column cover and remover cylinder.

oh hardy har har.

so i have these two press sleeves that face down and forward. i have never had luck with thee type of sleeves and usually drill them out and replace with a srew, rivit, what have you.

this time i'm thinking of trying something different. i'm going to pull the switch from the back, stick in a solid alum 5/8" bar, and ram it out with a 3 lb blackmith hammer.

that is, unless someone knows the correct way to pull the lock out.

i figure best case, it works, shears the pins, and the lock pops out.

worst case, i'm on my way to the junkyard with 80 bucks for a tilt column

so any help would be appreciated. i've owned many types of cars, but this is my first ford.

 

[fixitmattman]

Don't know about the Escorts, but I know that on F-150's if you put the key in the ignition (and set it to run I think as well), there's a ball bearing on the underside of the lock barrel (you'll need to remove the bezeling to get at it). Push this in and pull with the key. The tumbler assembly can be removed, replaced, or re-keyed as required.

Matt 8)

 

[kudasai]

well, this setup has to be one of the shittiest i've ever seen.

after much ado, and much trying, finessing and then pure rage, i finally just broke the damn thing off, tube and all, bypassed the wheel lock, the tranny lock, and hid the ignition switch.

what finally inspired the rage, you might ask?

the realization that i even for 200 bucks, i got ripped off with this thing. just like the focus, this is the worst engineered and built car i have ever worked on.

the sterring column swivel mounts are on slot tabs, which means that the moment i let the steering wheel down, the weight of the column pulled the mount off and snapped the slots.

the seatbelt lock on the tranny as well. if the seatbelt fuse blows, you cant get it out of park? oh you know that had to go.

and why the hell is there a 2lb weight in the steering wheel?!?!?

and why the hell are all the dash panels held on with hex/torx' combo bolts? didnt anyone tell these guys that cross tips are cheaper and a lot less infuriating?

i cant wait to sew up some upholstery, slap on a new paint job, and sell this pile o' junk quick

 

[fixitmattman]

I've never seen a 2lb weight on my steering wheel, but I don't have tilt steering. The wheel assembly itself is quite heavy, I know that from experience 8O

Remind me why we are bypassing safety switches :roll:

This is just asking for it:

and why the hell are all the dash panels held on with hex/torx' combo bolts? didnt anyone tell these guys that cross tips are cheaper and a lot less infuriating?

Next to the slot head screw, the Phillips head screw is:

THE MOST USE LESS PIECE OF SHIT FASTENER HEAD EVER INVENTED

If you use the right size and don't try to get by with something else the torx heads are amazing. Robertson heads are great, but most Americans don't know what a Robertson head is because it was a Candadian invention. Hex socket heads are great too. But again I cannot stress enough:

THE PHILLIPS HEAD SCREW IS THE MOST USELESS PIECE OF SHIT EVER INVENTED.

Good luck on selling the car :wink:

Matt 8)

 

[kudasai]

sorry dude, i gotta call you on some stuff.

cross tips are great. if i had to pull 200 torx bolts from aircraft panels, i'd lose my mind. cross tip offers the ability to work at angles, to get by with larger or smaller drivers if you dont have the right one.

now i can see on engine parts where the head would get corroded, but on interiors, it's just a pain in the ass.

as for the weight, take out the aribag, when you look at the steering wheel, the bolt holds down a plater that is attached to a small black cube of solide steel in the bottom center of the housing. take that out and the wheel is ever so much light(and as i noticed on the maint test drive, it takes out a lot of over steer on centering


and why are we bypassing safety switches? because if the auto seatbelt fuse ever blows, i dont want to be stuck somewhere calling a truck because i cant drive my car away

and about tilt steering, here's the funny part...i dont have it either! its one of those mass production things where they install the hinge, but make you pay 200 bucks for the latch

but one good point to the evening. no one has to know its me driving the car now. on the way to the store(four blocks) my head gasket blew a water jacket into one of my pistons. so now i can lay down a smoke screen better than james bond.

hooray for ford!

 

[fixitmattman]

On interiors it doesn't matter what fastener you use, they're easy to get out because they're protected. I've never yet had a problem with an interior screw, even a Phillips :wink: . However I quite frequently work on a construction equipment and everything rusts and corrodes, similar as in engine bays of cars. Winter + salt = fun :roll: It rusts and siezes up solid. I'm a very firm believer of using the right tool for the job, and even when I do use a #2 phillips bit on #2 phillips head it strips. Push and turn as hard as you want even on the first attempt and still 90% of the time rides right out of the head. Phillips just can't handle the torque the socket style heads such as a torx, robertson, or socket hex head can.

About your steering, that's really odd. I just have a mounting bracket, no slots at all.

There is a circular tab on the console for the shifter. If you pop up that cover there is a bypass for the Park Safety Switch there. I've never done it myself, but the manual tells you how to do it. It basically involves just moving that cover and manually moving the lock solenoid. Doesn't really matter now that you've bypassed it.

As for your coolant burning problem, if you have an LX (1.9 SEFI) try checking the intake manifold gasket. It covers a few water jackets in the head. If it goes it'll do the same as a blown head gasket leaking coolant. Many a headgasket have been replaced just to find it still does the same thing. May save you a bit of time and hassle to check this first.

Have fun

Matt 8)

 

[kudasai]

intake gasket eh?

now thats a handy dandy tip! i'll check that out

thanks