New Ignition Cylinder Help.

[j20000]

I'll PM you my Dad's info. He's the Parts manager at a Ford Dealership in Pittsburgh. If you give him a call, he'll sell you the cylinder at wholesale, and key it for you...the only thing is, he'll have to charge you for a key too so that he can key the ignition cylinder. But I'm pretty sure he'll just charge you cost for the key.

It will be around $150 I think, and he'll just ship it out to you...he's probably taken care of about 25 people on here.

[mesosneaky]

Ok i had a rough time getting the cyling out. I drilled the whole side wall out were the tab was. I got a new cylinder in and turned it everything goes on but it wont start. Its my buddies car he has three keys and said it doesnt have coded keys. Is he wrong? he gave me on key i put it up to the vats ring but it still didnt start. the button is flashing above the hazard lights doesnt that mean vats isnt letting it start?

Edit I also didnt put the airbag or cruis control connector in becuz i forgot which went to one side. Could anyone help with that? there are 2 inside the steering wheel which they can connect to left or right? for the airbag.

[Terry1]

Did it start before ? You must have coded keys for the PATS.

[mesosneaky]

Originally Posted by Terry1

Did it start before ? You must have coded keys for the PATS.

yes the cylinder and wheel locked up about 5 days ago. and i told him i could probably fix it. I removed the old cylinder and put a new one in from auto zone. that came with 2 keys. I turned it ignition and put his key right next to the PATS ring and still the engine wont crank.


Flashing little light above the hazard lights.
Is that a sign of the PATS making it not work?

[Terry1]

Rapid flashing means it's not reading the chip. Move the original key around the cylinder until you find the right spot. You'll know as soon as you turn to start position. Solid means it's reading the chip, flash-no good.

[mesosneaky]

how about the air bag and cruise control. does it matter which connection it goes in?

[j20000]

I REALLY wish that people would just get their parts from FORD. He could have just had the new cylinder tumblers set to match his old key, and it would start right up. Hope you get it worked out. Like Terry1 said, if the light is flashing...the PATS isn't reading the key.

[mesosneaky]

Originally Posted by j20000

I REALLY wish that people would just get their parts from FORD. He could have just had the new cylinder tumblers set to match his old key, and it would start right up. Hope you get it worked out. Like Terry1 said, if the light is flashing...the PATS isn't reading the key.

ya i told him to go to the ford dealer and not autozone... but .
thanks. the information was helpful but didnt work out the way it was suppose to. I drilled out the center never found the clip. than I took the steering wheel off to drill that tab. that didnt work came out a little but was still locked in. I had to drill out the whole side wall to get it to unlock and com out. so now the cylinder wont sit right but it can atleast turn.

[ZX3x]

I found a licksmith on evilbay sold me a new switch and two non transponder keys for $45. So one key opens it and a different one starts
it, no big deal. I removed the chip from one of the keys and it now lives
on the steering collum by the switch. Problem solved, yay.

[Kat252]

I just wanted to thank you all, especially Steve from Tousley Ford and J2000 for the pics and info! The pics helped immensely.

I ordered the part from Steve on Monday and received it Wednesday, cost out the door was about $100. When it comes to cars I am clueless, my dad always did my repairs until he passed away last year. So when I found this forum after having my car lock up on me, you can imagine how excited I was. This really was easy to install, lol learned a couple other things along the way like what a torque wrench is (I believe that's what it is called). Anyhow this is truly a case of, if I can do it, you can do it! lol Thanks again the part has worked wonderfully so far!

-Kathleen

[j20000]

You're welcome Kathleen. Good Job!!! I'm glad we could help. That's what we're here for.

[whitewagon]

where is the best place to find a new ignition cylinder? and which one should I buy for my 2003 ztw?

[whitewagon]

also, i was wondering what to drill in order to replace the cylinder?

[j20000]

Originally Posted by whitewagon

where is the best place to find a new ignition cylinder? and which one should I buy for my 2003 ztw?

Your local Ford Dealership (or Steve aka FORDSVTPARTS on here)

You drill out the little tab that you push in...the one that I show in my pictures that I'm pointing at with a pen.

[vx5va]

So I ordered the part from Tousley (FORDSVTPARTS) - cool guys btw - and waiting for it to arrive, but now I can't get the old cylinder out. I followed the instructions, and in putting a small screwdriver in the hole in the housing that points towards the driver, after a lot of prying and such I was able to get the cylinder to slide about a quarter or so out. For many hours now I've been trying to get that cylinder out and no luck.

Now this is not the original cylinder that came with the car. This same thing happened about 4 years ago and I payed a s-load of money for a keysmith to replace it. So perhaps the procedure to remove the second cylinder is different?? maybe?? any ideas?

[vx5va]

Ok, so I figured it out.

I think (and thats a big 'I think'), the problem was the fact that the ignition cylinder I had was not the stock cylinder and as such, the instructions on this thread as well as in my Haynes book did not apply exactly. Here are the steps I took, in case it may help somebody else (I recommend following the Haynes book):

1) Remove the steering columns shrouds and lower dash panel
2) Unplug the battery, and all the cables in the steering column
3) Remove the air bag on the steering wheel as well as the steering wheel
4) Now the most important part for me was to remove the switch on the opposite side of the steering column - opposite to the ignition cylinder. I noticed that this switch is what makes the clicking sound when I turn the key and also restricts the key to a < 90 degree turn. By taking it out I was able to turn the key past 90 degrees from the off position.
5) I then played around with trying to pry out the cylinder while turning the key at different angles, and finally the cylinder came out. Since the Retaining Ring on the end of the cylinder must be in a certain spot for the cylinder to come out, I guess I was able to find that spot by being able to turn the key to any angle. I'm no locksmith.
6) Put in the new cylinder from FORDSVTPARTS, which was set correctly (you give them your VIN first), and reinstalled everything else.

[geddyclaus]

Some people have written about drilling the button as an alternative to drilling the faceplate in order to release the ignition cylinder; how is it possible to reach that with a drill? The steering wheel is locked in the upright position and I cannot rotate the key at all once it is inserted.

[j20000]

Try banging on the key first...usually you can jar it loose.


If not...


angle drill:

[geddyclaus]

I've started drilling through the faceplate as described in the pdf article that was linked earlier. I was able to get out what I believe is the lock bar but still the key nor screwdriver can turn it to the accessory position. There is a little more play in the amount that I can turn the key, but like I said, not enough to get it into the position I need to continue. Do I drill a little deeper? I know I'm already at least 1" in so I'm wary of that.

I don't know if it will help but I took some pictures of the ignition cylinder and the locking bar I pulled out. I really want to try to avoid towing it to the dealership.









Thanks for any advice you can offer.

[j20000]

The cylinder is about 1 1/2" - 2" Thick, so you still have some room to play, however, I would really just try to drill out the button. I can't give much advice on drilling the cylinder out though, because all 5 of the cylinders that I've changed I was able to break the cylinder free by hitting the key and turning the cylinder to the ACC position.

[bigdaddyzx3]

Ream out the hole a little bigger, then jam the damn screwdriver and torque on it...

that's how it worked for me.

[dbump]

Extremely useful thread--thanks all!

My tip: on the opposite side of the key hole is the electric switch. It's a large, light-blue plastic module (on my model), with two snap tabs that hold it in place. Press on the top tab with a flat screwdriver, and you can press up on the bottom tab with your finger, and pull the switch out. Now, if you want, you can start the car. Just put your key in the ignition (or near it--so the PATS module detects it), and manually rotate the switch with a flat blade screwdriver. Crude, but effective. I also found that once I had the switch removed, I could rotate the key. It must have added just enough resistance to make the difference. The other nice thing about pulling the switch is that none of the electronics are activated while you're fiddling with the key--now it's just a dumb physical lock attached to nothing but the steering wheel lockout.

[500whpfocus]

I'm in need of help! I bought 2 keys and ignition cylinder from a member on ff.....i drilled out my cylinder and put the new one in! No problems with the install. I need the new keys programmed! I have my original 2 keys also. Can steve"fordsvtparts" program the keys for my based off my vin#? I need help. Car has been sitting for a while..........i just got pissed off. Its a 2000 z3 with only 51,563 miles. Help me out...plus i'm hearing the wife all the time!!!!!!!!!!!

[500whpfocus]

Pm me please and or send message on here........ Prefer a pm

[bigdaddyzx3]

I sent you a PM, but I suggest you take the new cylinder to a locksmith and have him rekey it to your original keys, then your issue is gone.... the easiest solution in my opinion.