80-91 Ford Truck & Van "ignition starter switch" 

What symptoms did you experience? I'm dealing with similar and chasing a mystery.

@@BuckyHoover i would lose the radio driving down the road, then the electric windows would not work, then it just plain quit on me while driving. Start right back up and quit again. Saw this video, changed the switch, no more problems.

@@danielherlihy4685 turns out mine was the ICM. Except now it hesitates when I accelerate but only if I put the pedal down. Revs high and jerks a little then it's fine right around 40mph

It parked mine quite a few times. Or at least brought it coasting to the shoulder!

Glad it helped

Glad I could help!

Glad it helped

Praise the Lord

Glad to help. Spray wd40 in the lock and column gaps before the pull link breaks. It shouldnt be stiff even in winter ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RMEq27GEogM.html

Thanks man, its good knowing youve helped someone!

You broke the pull link inside the column. Gotta pull the steering wheel. This is how to prevent it in the future ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RMEq27GEogM.html

If the key cylinder rotates its fine. If the key turns stiff, blast some lube all up in there before it breaks the little linkage inside. If the engine cuts out at the slightest fiddle of the key or column, then its just the switch itself. Glad you found it.

@@certifiedhoarder I actually replaced the same part as you and the key no longer switches off at just the touch or going over a bump! feels much safer to drive now thankfully

@@Hobosdkcheese well thats great to hear!

The colum has to be laid down onto the seat, its just 2bolts and is easy to do. The pullrod gets reconnected in the new switch the same as the old one then you advance or retard the switch on its slots to get the same feel you had before. If it cranks and shuts off by the key you got it right. If not keep adjusting it.

@@certifiedhoarder can you adjust the [pullrod while the colum was resting on the seat it seems like that might be easier - BTW - I appreciate your assistance -

@@user-ee4zw4zi9x its been so long i dont quite remember. I think i pulled it back down, changed the position and put it back up. Not too bad. Better to fuss an extra hour at home getting right than wait by a dead truck away from home.

Glad I could help!

Glad to help

You're welcome!

You bet!

With those being hard to find or very overpriced, best bet would be to just take out the two screws mounting it to the column. You don't want to break that fragile thing. Another thing that makes it a little easier (not that it's hard...) is to pop off the lights/wipers knobs & 3 screws on the top of the cluster cover. Gives a little more room to work with.

My shift indicator was already broke so im not sure

Drop the column down, should be ontop

Its got a plug. You might need some pick tools and effort to get it

Could be a lot of things. Lets begin at the starter and work backward. Take a charged battery and good jumper cables.. crawl under, chomp the negative to starter body and positive to the starter lug? Does it engage? No is starter issue, yes is starter good. Back up to the output lug of the solenoid, towards windshield. Chomp the positive there. If it doesnt engage but the starter did its the battery cable from solenoid to starter. Now put the positive cable to the big input lug on the opposite side of the solenoid and use a jumper wire to trigger the solenoid via the small threaded post. Does it crank? If so its good. If it clicks but dont crank its bad. Now try it hooked to the battery as normal, this will isolate the cable between battery positive and starter. If it wont crank youve got an issue in that piece of + cable or in the ground. Use your jumper cables to make temporary ground wires to verify that. Neutral safety is way upstream at the beginning. We just started downstream to prove out the components. Now if your neutral safety has failed or a wire is ripped out, you wont have any juice into the start lug inside the column switch so your column switch is makin a good closed connection but theres no electrons on that road, because the neutral safety drawbridge is up in the air. An "open circuit"

Put a 12v hot jumper to the coil positive lug and crank it. If it suddenly works correctly then either your column switch or neutral safety switch are likely culprits.

Something is hanging up, either the solenoid is sticking in the closed position (imagine an electrical drawbridge that lifts up by spring and pulls down to connect the amperage road by electromagnet) or the ignition column slide switch is sticking. If your key is really hard to turn then spray WD40 around in the column until it loosens up. Even if this isnt the issue. A stiff key will eventually break a link inside these columns so you want it smooth. On the fender solenoid is a small trigger wire. Use alligator clips to wire in a test light from battery negative to that small post. Keep the wire attached to the post. Have someone crank it and watch the light. If the starter keeps going and the light is on, its the column switch or ignition cylinder hanging up. If the starter keeps going with the light off, its the solenoid itself.

Spray wd40 into the ignition keyhole and up into the seams of the column. When the ignition gets stiff itll hold the slide switch in the crank position instead of spring returning. Its just too much friction from the grease that came in the column evaporating over the years. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RMEq27GEogM.html

Either the key is so gummy it wont roll back, or the slide switch is gummy, or most likely, the solenoid on the fender is sticking because the copper wipers inside are arc'd up. Spray the column with wd40 anyways since the column piece snaps if it gets sticky especially in winter from cold ancient grease. (Get it, ancient grease!) If when its stuck cranking you pull the small trigger wire off the solenoid and it stays cranking, its the solenoid or Maaaaybe the starter but i bet solenoid. Ive had it happen.

Im really sorry for such a late reply but for future reference you just need to bring some jumper links, once the column is unlocked it can all be done under the hood. Just need 12v to one side of the coil, and then momentary 12v to the starter solenoid start lug on the fender.

I dont really know the answer to that for sure but i think the little box is part of triggering the spark timing relative to the crank position.

No power to the coil lug could be the ignition sliding switch but no power anywhere can be a lot of thing. Down on the auto transmissions is a neutral safety switch that is upstream of the ignition slide. If a stick pulled the wire out itll die.

Fuel pumps on mine are mechanical. If you have an electric fuel pump that wont turn off.. yeah that could be ground loss. The voltage will make it back home via the path of least resistance, even if its a bulb or coil.

Could be a lot of things. The solenoid on the fender grounds through the sheetmetal and that often loses its ground path or sometimes corrodes internally. Id first get the solenoid clicking with jumper wires and see if it cranks the starter. Your problem is from there down stream if it doesnt, or upstream if it does.

The solenoid is grounded through the fender and often loses ground from rust. Get some alligator clip jumper wires from harbor freight. believe me youll be using them periodically for as long as you own the truck! Jump 12v positive to the solenoid trigger post to engage the solenoid coil. Think of it as a magnetic drawbridge across the fat cables. If it engages from manually triggering the coil with 12v+ jumper, then ignition switch or broken wire likely. I f not, then add a ground jumper from battery to solenoid and try again. If it clicks then you have poor ground thru the fender. If it clicks but no crank, undo the starter cable off the solenoid and touch it to battery + post. If the starter doesnt run its either froze up or youve got no ground to the engine block. If it does run and your starter solenoid was clicking, the contacts inside the solenoid are arced up. Replace solenoid. Its very common for chinese solenoids to die this way because no dielectric grease inside. Theyre very short lived. Does your dash or blinker system work when you turn the key on?

My 81 f150 is doing this same. I replaced the battery, voltage regulator, solenoid and the starter and the interior dome light comes on whilst the door is open, but when I turn the key absolutely nothing.

@@brycebradford7515 use a jumper wire to put 12v+ to the solenoid trigger lug abd verify that it clicks and the starter cranks over. If it does start looking at neutral safety switch. On an automatic theres a funny plastic piece on the shift shaft with a few wires. The harness for it got snagged in the woods on mine and the driveshaft ripped it off so i just wired them together to bypass the switch. Your ignition switch is downstream of the neutral safety switch.

@@certifiedhoarder yes the lights work and the fuel pump cranks

@@Adiera look into the neutral safety circuit like i describe in my reply above

Replaced the slide switch? It gets adjusted up or down the column to ensure the keystroke moves it the right amount fore and aft. I think i remember mine being maxed out one direction or the other to get it right.

I suspect you broke the link inside the column that connects the lock cylinder to that metal rod that pulls the slide switch ... if im understanding you correctly. These ignitions get real stiff in winter and need some WD40 or that link can snap.

Mine appears the same. Won't reach long enough to start. Did you end up figuring it out?

The slotted adjustment range on the switch wasnt enough?