Author: SkyBoydston

Note before you begin: One reader has commented that he had better luck ordering part number 924-866 from Dorman. If you’re stuck using the Lock Smart part or another with the issues described below, read on. Thank you to user JP for the tip!

There is a problem with some Ford lock cylinders that will be becoming more common in the coming years. Older Ford vehicles are needing their lock cylinders replaced now that they’re aging. Unfortunately, all the remaining ignition lock cylinders for these vehicles are defective in a way that will not be easy to deal with. In this article, I’ll describe why a Ford lock cylinder won’t go all the way in and give you some of my tips and tricks to solve the problem.

What vehicles are affected

While it’s not clear how many vehicles are affected by this issue, the following vehicles may be:

• 1976-1995 Ford
• 1976-1980 Mercury
• 1976-1980 Lincoln

The issue

If you’re replacing this lock cylinder, you may find that the new lock cylinder won’t go all the way in.

Why the lock cylinder won’t go in

This problem is apparently caused by a problem with the casting of the new parts. When the Ford lock cylinder won’t go all the way in, it’s likely because the new part is simply too big for the housing it must fit inside.

These parts are made using molds that are used to cast the molten metal. Over time and many castings, these molds can become worn. When they wear, they end up bigger than they were originally intended. This is very similar to a well-known problem with jack stands sold by Harbor Freight. While sources can be vague, a court case states that “worn tooling” at the factory caused the jack stands to collapse. Others have released video showing that the faulty jack stands’ support beams lacked depth in their teeth, which is likely due to worn molds.

As you’ll see when you read the solution to the problem of the Ford lock cylinder that won’t go all the way in that follows, a similar problem with the molds at the factory is the most likely explanation.

The solution – Part 1

First, let’s look at the part we will be dealing with. While other part numbers may be affected by this problem, we’re concerned with part number LC14060 from Lock Smart. Looking at the pictures below, notice that this lock cylinder has two rails that guide it into the steering column:

Lock cylinder that won’t go in – View 1

Lock cylinder that won’t go in – View 2

In order to complete this repair, both of these rails will need to be ground down. Be careful to leave the locking pin alone as you still want that to fit snuggly. It can be slightly shorter but you don’t want to reduce its diameter.

Selecting the right tools for a lock cylinder that won’t go in

Selecting the right tools is critical when a Ford lock cylinder won’t go all the way in. When I did this, I used three different grinders. The first I used was too large to fit in the tight spaces near the lock cylinder grip, the part the driver turns to turn the key. It was a 1/2″ grinding stone in a Dremel. That tool was also not aggressive enough and was taking a long time.

The second tool was a special, very small cut-off wheel that’s made for a Dremel. This tool had the same issues as the first, though it was a bit better.

The right tool was a burr, similar to an end mill, but tiny and intended to be used with a Dremel or rotary tool.

You will need to remove a large amount of material to get this job done, so use one of these burrs.

The solution – Part 2

As you are going through Part 1 of the solution, remove a little material at a time, rechecking the fit of the part in the housing frequently. Don’t force the lock cylinder into the housing or it may get stuck. And as you go, grinding down the alignment rails on the lock cylinder, you will probably be able to fit it farther and farther into the housing. But no matter how much you grind, you won’t be able to get it all the way in.

The reason for that is this part. This part goes into the gear that moves the linkage that goes to the ignition switch. For the purposes of this article, I’ll call it the blade of the lock cylinder. It’s not clear whether the blade is too thick or is too big in every dimension. In either case, this will need to be trimmed down enough to fit into the gear.

Other considerations

You may find that you feel other parts of this lock cylinder are oversized, especially the black plastic part. It’s a cheap part, so feel free to trim wherever you feel necessary. If you take off too much, you can always start over with a new part.

Also, you may find that the lock cylinder fits too loosely after you’re done trimming. If that’s the case, consider filling some of the space with foam rubber or Teflon tape for a more satisfying fit.

This is a time-consuming task the first time you do it and requires quite a few tools and a ton of patience. If it’s not something you want to tackle on your own, you’ll probably be asking yourself, “Is there a mobile mechanic near me that can help me with this?” To check that, simply start an estimate and we’ll help you out.

Testing a starter with a Power Probe is one of my most fundamental skills as a mobile mechanic. This short article will explain the process and give you a couple tips from my personal experience that make the process easier and faster.

If you’re trying to do this test, you already suspect that you have a problem with your starter. This could be either that the starter clicks once when you try to start the car, clicks multiple times, or doesn’t click at all. This test helps to rule out possible causes of starting problems by bypassing some parts. The ignition switch and cabling from the ignition switch to the starter will be bypassed during the test.

What is a Power Probe?

If you’re reading this article, you probably already know what a Power Probe is. For those who don’t, it’s a tool that connects to your battery. It allows you to send power to a circuit using a probe tip (it’s also capable of grounding a circuit). Here is what it looks like and it is widely available online or in physical stores.

You’re going to use your Power Probe to send power to the starter signal terminal. Designs vary on starters in regards to where the signal terminal or post is. In general, it will be the part where the smallest wire attaches to the back of the starter. I have circled the signal wire for this starter.

How to test your starter with the Power Probe

Simply place the tip of your Power Probe on the metal terminal and hit the “forward” button. At that point, the starter will either turn or it won’t. If the starter doesn’t turn, that often but not always means that the starter is bad. Stay tuned for another article discussing what the results of testing your starter with a Power Probe means.

Ways to make it easier

One way that I like to make this process easier is by attaching a testing lead to the starter signal terminal. Oftentimes, your Power Probe will be too long to fit in the space you have to reach the starter signal terminal. So rather than trying to work your tool into that space, just bring the signal terminal to you! You just clamp one end of the test lead to the starter signal terminal and the other to the tip of your Power Probe. These test leads are inexpensive enough that you can modify them, too, without worrying about messing them up. If the alligator clip tip isn’t right for your situation, try cutting it off and attaching a blade-type terminal, for instance.

If that sounds like a lot to get in to, you’re right! This work can be complicated and tiring. You may find yourself asking, “Is there a mobile mechanic near me that could help me with this?” If that’s the case, you can start an estimate or simply get in touch.

This article will cover DIY help for diagnosing overheating on a gasoline engine. There are many possible causes of overheating. But before we get started, it’s important to take a couple minutes to talk about what you should do when it happens to you.

Overheating can cause extreme damage to your vehicle so, if possible, it’s important to stop driving immediately. Get safely to the side of the road, turn your vehicle off, and call for a tow. If you can’t safely stop the vehicle and have it towed, here are a few tricks you can try to get a little farther down the road. Firstly, check your fluid level. You should never remove the cap on a cooling system on a hot vehicle. Hot coolant and steam can seriously injure you. However, if necessity dictates, cover the cap with a towel and remove it slowly, being sure to keep any escaping coolant from touching any belts or electronics. You can top off your level with pure water as long as the car can be repaired before it might freeze. In some cases, turning on your air conditioner with the temperature selector moved all the way to hot will also cause your vehicle to cool down while you drive to a safe location to stop.

Now on to diagnosing the problem. The following list of possible causes are presented roughly in the order of likelihood that they are the cause of the problem.

-Low coolant level. This can be a result of loss to evaporation over time but is more frequently a result of a leak or a malfunctioning radiator or cooling system cap.
-Cooling fan malfunction. Electric cooling fans can develop bad motors or problems in the system that switches them on, such as their relays and coolant temperature sensors. Belt-driven cooling fans can stop working because of a missing belt or a malfunctioning fluid coupling.
-Thermostat stuck closed. The thermostat is usually closed when the engine is cold, preventing cooling flow and helping the engine to warm up to operating temperature. When it sticks closed, it can cause overheating. It can sometimes be identified by observing that one radiator hose is hot while the other remains cold.
-Engine cylinder head sealing issues. This fairly common issue is serious and will have to be diagnosed with special equipment. Sometimes, exhaust gases can pass into the coolant, causing it to heat beyond its normal temperature. This can also be a source of a coolant leak. This can also be the result of overheating due to one of the other listed causes.
-Water pump damage. Rarely, water pumps will lose the fins on their impellers. This can cause coolant to fail to flow.
-Soft radiator hoses. Radiator hoses are designed to be somewhat stiff so that they don’t get sucked flat by the forces of the water pump. Sucking flat can cause coolant to stop flowing.
-Air bubble in the system. While most systems will automatically flush out any air in the system that might be causing the flow of coolant to stop, some can require a special mechanic’s suction tool to remove the air. A loss of heat in the climate control air has been noted as a possible symptom of this problem.
-Radiator fin obstruction. Road debris can cause the fins of the radiator to fold over, preventing the flow of air through the radiator. Sometimes, debris in the air such as plant seeds can have a similar effect.
-Radiator core obstruction. Rarely, a buildup of a crystalline substance can occur if the coolant has not been changed frequently enough or a muddy substance can build up if Dex-cool has been mixed with regular coolant.
-Problems with wiring and computer circuit boards. Other problems such as cut or corroded wires or damaged vehicle computers can cause control circuit malfunctions leading to overheating.
-Lean air-fuel mixture. Very rarely, problems in the air-fuel mixture can cause overheating because of complex issues related to instances when the burning of fuel can act as a coolant rather than a source of heat.

Hopefully this list has been helpful in finding your overheating problem.

Safe driving!

So let’s say you go out to your car one day and find that it won’t start.  You turn the key and all the lights come on on the dash but the car doesn’t crank over.  You know that you have a good battery so you start to wonder whether your problem is your starter or your alternator.  Here’s how you can figure out the answer to that question.

The first thing to think about is your alternator.  You know that you can rule that out as a problem because your alternator is not one of the components of your starting system.  The starting system it is composed primarily of the starter, the starter relay, the ignition switch, the battery, and the wiring that connects those components.  The starter also has three parts inside of it: a starter solenoid, a motor, and a gear that moves axially to reach out and mesh with teeth on the flex plate or torque converter.

The starter is a common point of failure so we’ll start by checking it. First, you want to pay attention to whether or not you hear a click when you turn your key in the ignition. If you do, that’s an indication that your starter solenoid is moving. The starter solenoid moves for two reasons. First, it moves to shift the starter gear to make contact with the teeth on the flex plate or torque converter. Second, it moves a contact plate that transmits energy from a hot wire to the motor of the starter. So, if you are hearing the click but the starter motor is not turning then you are getting closer to understanding the problem with your car. If you don’t hear a click when you turn the key in the ignition, that indicates that either the solenoid is not receiving power or that it is not able to move for some reason.

It’s a common and useful procedure in that case to power the solenoid directly. If the key is in the on position in the ignition switch then many cars will start up at that point. If that’s the case, then you should be thinking about a possible problem with the ignition switch or a problem with the wiring between the ignition switch and the solenoid. To power the solenoid directly, you would ideally use a tool called a power probe. If you don’t have a power probe then you can connect a wire directly from the positive post of your battery to the starter solenoid terminal. Bear in mind, however, that this procedure is fairly risky because it’s very easy to cause a short circuit by touching your hot wire to a different part of the vehicle, most of which serves as a battery ground, or even to the starter solenoid terminal itself if the solenoid has certain electrical problems inside of it. If the starter turns when you perform this test then the next thing to check is the ignition switch.

In order to check the ignition switch, it will be a necessity on many vehicles to unmount the ignition switch so that you can get the probes of a digital multimeter into its electrical connectors. Once you have the switch exposed, you’ll need to find the wire that goes hot when the switch is turned to the start position. Use the multimeter to determine whether it does in fact go hot. If it does not, locate the hot wire coming from the battery going to the ignition switch. Determine whether this power source is in fact providing 12 volts. If it isn’t, you’ll need to look for a problem upstream of that point such as a blown fuse or a damaged wire. If that wire is providing 12 volts then continue on.

You’ll need to disconnect electrical connector from the ignition switch at this point. Then, with the switch in the start position, use your multimeter to check the resistance between the terminal for the hot wire coming from the battery and the terminal for the wire that goes to the starter solenoid. The resistance should the near zero Ohms. If it isn’t, replace the switch and try to starting system again; it should work at this point.

If the switch does have no resistance then visually inspect the wiring between the switch and the solenoid. You’ll likely find an area of high resistance due to a severed wire or corrosion. Once you’ve determined the cause of those conditions, you can remedy them and the starting system should start working again.

If you’re still unable to find the problem at this point, the next thing you should check is the starter relay. Remove the relay and look for obvious signs of damage such as burned contacts. You can briefly connect a jumper wire from terminal 30 to terminal 87 for the relay in the power distribution block. If the starter motor starts to turn when you do this and the relay is bad and replacing it will fix the problem.

If these checks have turned up a problem then you should look for a seized engine. The procedure for checking for a seized engine can cause serious internal engine damage if it isn’t done exactly correctly. You must be able to determine the natural rotation direction of the engine in order to ensure that the engine will maintain proper valve timing when you complete the procedure. Using the crankshaft pulley bolt, rotate the crankshaft about 20°. That should be a sufficient amount of rotation to determine whether the engine is seized. If it is seized, you should feel substantial resistance against your effort to rotate the engine. If that happens, it’s not uncommon for the engine itself to the able to rotate freely but some accessory part such as a distributor or water pump is seized and preventing the engine from turning. Locating the source of the seizure and repairing it should allow the vehicle to start.

As you can see, many of these procedures are risky and difficult. Not all information that is necessary to provide for a technician’s or DIYer’s safety has been provided here so please use this information at your own risk.