Ford Escape : You Have To Turn Key Really Hard To Start It 

It was 1971, and I had a boyfriend, Mike, a doctor's son, who had a '69 Shelby. We lived in a rural area of NY, about 20 miles from any parts or tool sources. Most of the boys were pretty good with mechanic stuff, cause they had to work on their own stuff if they wanted to have a car to drive. My friend...not so much... but he did have money for beer, and was pretty popular because of it. So the other guys would do him favors, knowing Saturday's beer would be "free". Plus, of course, everyone wanted to be around the Shelby. Boys will be boys. My boyfriend had purchased a new 8 track tape player and wanted it in the car. The stereo thing, and FM, were still new, and everyone (who could) was spending big bucks to listen to Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, and more, in their cars. Sorry, Eric, I'm getting lost in the past. My boyfriend had a new 8 track. There were .......a LOT of wires.... He wanted it to play even if the car was off. He needed his friends. So my Saturday date was with the fellas as the installed the new 8 track. My boyfriend was "hovering"...watching closely as the guys twisted wires together, tested, discarded, and tried again. All the while, my boyfriend was making suggestions. After about 20 minutes of this, one of the guys got on his back, shimmied under the dash, and yelled... "SHIT"! Metric was just creeping into our lives. Toyota and Datsun were just starting to make lives miserable for American Americans. it was a '69 Ford, and it was a '71 8 track. I had a 1951 boyfriend. But he had 1971 friends. "i can't do this without a metric Philips head." he said. He called down to NAPA, 20 miles away. "Take my car...get some beer" and "Get That Screwdriver!". We got back.. of course we had the new metric Philips head, and a metric flat head in case, but the job was done, and a tape was playing. Everybody knew everybody. Everyone helped, and no one got hurt. The NAPA guys were in on it, of course, but it was rural America, and Mike got his tape deck. And I still have a husband. And we still have an 8 track.

Eric O, you are a great guy! I just watched the videos where the girl was going to have to spend like $1500 on an unfixable part but you went above and beyond to save her money,....... and maybe to see if it could be done. And you gave a single mom a free car!,!,...... wow You got my respect brother keep them videos rolling out!

Finally, someone who shows all the aggravating little steps which most people leave out, thank You Stan Jacobs

And on today's episode, Eric O reminds us that during this holiday season it's always important to find things to be thankful for. Like never having needed to do this repair before.

I mainly work on GM and I have work on some Fords back in the day. Well helping out one of wife friends which has a Ford and this was very helpful on helping her to fix hers thank you for helping me help her.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! Because of you I got my car going! God Bless you for sharing.

Had same problem on an old Nissan. A new lock cylinder made it better but not fixed. Nissan no longer serviced the part you replaced here. What to do? My wife helped me in the shop ( much like you and Mrs. O ) full time. She drank ice water all the time thru a plastic straw. Well I decided since plastic lasts for ever it would make a great shim. Simply cut 3/8 Inch off it, insert around the pin (a perfect fit by the way) and bam a tight fit and a fix. Worked for at least 5 years that I know of, mayb still be working somewhere ! ! My wife died 4 years ago, it's not often you find someone you get along with 24 hours a day, at home and at work, so be good to Mrs. O and enjoy what you have while you can.

Your right, the video will surely help Ford owners if they want to tackle that job. It was presented well with a funny twist or two. Classic Eric. Just when I think you'll skip ahead you say something that cracks me up so I end up watching the whole video so I don't miss anything.

Quite an intricate repair with all the screws, wire connectors, snapping and unsnapping, and remembering where everything goes, and pushing the rod in the hole blindly looked like fun to get the cover to come off !!!!! But persistence and patience paid off and the job got done flawlessly !!!! Way to go !!! Another satisfied happy customer of South Main Auto !!!!!!

I don't about anyone else, but I'm totally saying "handshoes and horse grenades" from now on!

Eric you have what it takes to be a Top Notch Mechanic- COMMON SENSE AND PATIENCE You Are The Best THANKS

'11 & '08 Escapes owner here, there is a cheap (almost free) & easy way to fix this. You just have to take the ignition lock cylinder out and tape the end tab with foil duct tape to take care of the play. It will last 2 to 3 years on the '08 and 5 to 6 years on the '09 & up as they have a start assist, you don't have to put apply much pressure on the key; it's like a push start activated with the key.

Thank you for putting the time and effort in your RU-vid channel

Great video! SMA is about the only RU-vid channel I watch anymore. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about automotive diagnostics but I have learned a considerable amount from Eric! You sir are a class act. Thank you!

Your channel is the best channel on RU-vid, you provide educational instruction and make it entertaining for everyone to watch young and old. You have a heart of gold in helping that single mom out, truly inspirational work that you do to help folks out. Thank you for everything you do eric. P.S. you may not believe this but not using profanity in your videos has more of a positive affect than you might think. I have been surrounded by profanity my whole life but hearing your creative and funny replacements for those words really catch on. I myself am using profanity less and find myself repeating your lines. so if it can have a positive affect on someone who has heard all the dirty words imagine the positive impact on kids. Keep it up man and don't ever change.

I love all the new technical terms I learn on this channel. Like ignition lock module, and rigimarole.

I like that you take your time in explaining in clear detail the job an reason why you are doing that way great job keep up the good work the Internet need men like you two help others.

While disconnecting the airbag, a superimposed countdown clock and some bomb squad type music would help with my appreciation level ; )

Eric, slightly off topic of this video but its been said by yourself often about the compressor noise and others commenting about moving the compressor outside etc which isn't viable with your shops situation as you've explained. However I am going to suggest possible idea's to reduce the sound level and one of them would be to re-plumb the intake by removing the factory air filter and install over size diameter plastic flex hose routed to a remote filter housing taken from whatever vehicle or even make use of a cab mounted stainless steel Peterbilt air filter housing for that matter !. The other item being strategically located sound deadening blankets near the compressor head but without restricting the air flow to cool the compressor, I would suspect that even blankets installed on the wall behind the compressor would help. But its amazing how much of the noise is generated simply from the intake, much like flipping the air filter lid on a an older vehicle. And a shop with solid walls is horrible for the echo effect as there is nothing to absorb the sounds like a house with carpet, furniture and curtains. In fact here is one compressor company that mentions the sound absorbing idea so its not just my own half cracked idea's. These thoughts will give you something to ponder anyway. www.quincycompressor.com/sound-reduction-air-compressors/

Eric, my wife and I have been driving her 2011 ford escape v6 for years with this issue. you have to push the lock cylinder inward toward the column and it starts everytime. Thanks for the video atleast i know what to do when it finally fails.

Your videos are good and funny at the same time some of ur jokes are the best part of the video keep up the good work

Eric, Great video and fix - thank you. I think the only things I would have done differently was disconnect the battery 1st and leave the break-off bolt intact until it was together enough to verify that the switch was working correctly. I think I would have installed the lock cylinder in the module before installing the module too. All Monday morning qbacking. SMA#1 God bless Paul

I pray you have a time in your life without worries about time !!

I sharpen a centre punch and use a hammer to get it moving. Can add that to the how to remove shear bolt. I cant use a little dremel, 200 lb gorilla leaving apprentice marks everywhere. Good demo so far. Some guys dont use steering wheel pullers.break a column and create a whole new mess. I always use a puller. Thanks for sharing. Lots of techs dont care for steering column work. I dont mind it.

I had a 91 F250 that did the same thing. The lock cylinder was ok, but there was a plastic bridge that moved and finally the plastic was getting hard enough that the movable bridge broke and had to be replaced. You got it easy with this one.....

I’m glad u don’t edit ur troubles, as a heavy equipment field mechanic I would hate to think I was the onl6 one that struggles at times

2009 Escape has had that problem for me. Very frustrating when you are sitting in your car trying to start it but nothing happens! Sounds like this is the issue, thanks for the video!

My Dad was a mechanic, and was told my mom had to wash the grease out of my diapers. I grew up learning from my Dad. Almost nothing is easy working on cars or trucks. I am a retired equipment mechanic and no matter how hard some things would get I felt good when the job left the shop and was working right. I can see that in you.

Just for safety ,the metal part of the airbag should always be on a firm surface thus preventing it to become a missile .Your channel is great and enjoy every second of it God bless

Like most modern vehicles, they are built for assembly, not maintenance...Engineers get fired if their assembly can be made a few cents cheaper... there is NO requirement for maintenance ease...

Eric, I ran into this exact problem 2 months ago on a coworkers escape. A tip to crank it when its "acting up" is to turn the key all the way to start while holding the key fwd press it "into" the steering column.

I love how you talk to us through the camera -- "The other screw that I need is in the cup holder that you're in, so I gotta move ya," makes me feel like I am actually sitting there participating (and getting in the way, of course!)

That would be hilarious having a torque wrench that went uaaarggh when it hit the mark........

"I wish I had magnetic fingers." Awesome!

My father-in-law has had the same issue with his '09 Escape for 2 years now. Money is tight so he just uses the factory remote start to start it every time. 😁 I told him I could change it for him but he just ignores me.

"Cars are stupid" -Eric o. 2018

Eric...saw you use pullers to get wheel hub and bearings off but a steering wheel puller...you have more pullers than I had when I practiced dentistry for 30 years...no kits...just different forceps.....great video...regards, Bob

I have never used a steering wheel puller. Found gently pulling around the steering wheel works great. Put 1 hand at 12 o'clock, 1 at 6 o'clock, give her a good wiggle, then change to 3 and 9 and repeat, then from there if it is still on just keep working both hands around the wheel until it comes off. Don't pull too hard or it may fly off, best to leave the steering wheel bolt in loosely to prevent it from flying off.

I just did this particular repair on my sister’s 09 Escape just last month. Took me over an hour to figure out how to push in that stupid airbag module retainer spring and that was after I watched a video on how to do it. Ridiculous! But at least it all works again.

Kinda impressed. You always seem to have the right tools for the job. I've got a hammer, a bigger hammer and a broken screwdriver.

"Metric Crescent wrench"! LOLOL! TOO good! BUT! ALL that frickin' work, just to replace a steenkin' key switch! OY!

Thank you, Eric. I have an 08 Mariner with about 1400 less miles than this Escape in the early stages of this problem. I watched a couple of videos a few months ago, including Ford Tech Makuloco who did it the same way you did. Several commenters said "you don't have to pull the steering wheel!" I didn't think that would be that easy. You just confirmed that it's better to go ahead and pull it rather that to try to get your elbow around your behind. Great "quick" near raw video. Guess I will be doing this in a few months. BTW the OEM ignition module is available on Amazon if you want to add an affiliate link.

“Hand shoes and horse grenades!!” Funny stuff!!!

Honda has used the same system since 1980 for sure..... I have had the joy of working with them. They used to work loose enough to rock on the colum. I have always used a small sharp chisel a few good wacks and off they come. When it came time to replace them Ford water pump bolts were about the same length and with the 10mm head they fit good now I just buy a box of 6mm Allen head bolts I'm not paying $11x2 from the stealer ship for a bolt I pay. $0.98 for raw footage =good time great video.

Smashing job, back to new condition again, one happy driver :-D. I had trouble removing special bolts on a bmw steering bracket, the bolts were inside the dashboard so a long fine chisel was used to tap the bolt heads around, a pain but worked :-D

The steering wheel does not need to be removed. There are holes through the steering wheel behind the airbag retaining springs, (at min 18:20). These holes line up with the 1 screw by the key that needs to be removed, (at min 9). Then 2 small screws need to be removed, one on top and one below, (at min 12:30 & 23:40). Then of course that goofy shear bolt, (at min 10). Make sure the steering wheel lock is disengaged with the key and the lock body should slide right off. Lock body, Ford part number 9L8Z-3511-A Shear bolt, Ford part number W302562S300 I hate to be "that" guy. But I figured this tip could save someone some trouble and tools. And a big thanks to Erik O for all his videos.

ERIC, BROTHER, THANKS SO MUCH TO YOU,~~~!!! FOR THE FANTASTIC honda pilot belt job (timing) I used it before last year and got along, swimmingly! I'm reviewing now to b rush up on the job, some of which I've forgotten!! I am appreciative of you, and you are A GOOD MAN!!

"I can reach in here and wriggle it's jiggly bits" Is this still a car channel?

I work for an OEM, and my repair duties include removing sheer bolts. I’ve removed thousands of them, usually a die grinder and large flat blade screwdriver does the trick the easiest. If confined space is involved, a ninety degree drill and ez out works. It’s good practice to run a tap before installing the new bolt.

DING DONG---"Oh Crap!! Somebody's here!!" LOL That line is gonna haunt you Eric. Hear this Ivan!!!

I had a 1987 Ford F150 that I had to change the ignition in. I put my key in 1 night and all she did was spin in the ignition. Easiest ignition ever to change. Just use a pin to push the ear of the ignition switch down, put on new switch, and use your key in the new switch. I like how the new switch was not keyed yet and you could key it yourself.

I like your helper singing in the back ground shows a happy work shop , I all ways whistle theme from = The last of the Mohicans when the job is going well .

Been a subscriber for a few months now I look forward to watching your videos just wanted to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and a happy New year

Breakaway "anti theft" bolts for Ford steering column to dash mounts date back to the early thirty's through 40's. only grinding a slot was not too easy, they're usually seized from rust, a vice grips and some heat required. If it's a good car you're not tearing down, then its vice grips only. Ford service tool company, KR Wilson, made a tool to extract those breakaway bolts, it looked like a small C clamp which drove four teeth into head of the bolt and turned it out. The key lock cyl was pinned in place with a soft metal plug with a small portion holding the key cyl. If you attempt to drill the plug out you will destroy the lock cyl and enlarge the column bracket keeper hole. If you don't remove ALL of the metal plug the lock cyl will not slide out, you have to drill and tap threads insert a screw, pry on the screw to remove the whole plug. (32-36 the cyl lock plug was a very small diameter, maybe 1/8 in, hard to drill your tap hole, 37-40's were about 1/4 in diameter or so) 1930's 40's fords the steering column would lock the steering wheel when the key was removed. If you remove the lock cyl successfully the key code is on the side of the cylinder and you could have a new key cut.

You ground that slot so well in the sheer screw it's good enough to go into your screw collection.

Thanks for showing this job. I hope you get a chance to show more random repairs like this. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Airbag disconnect sound effects for the win lol

The commentary is PRICELESS! Watch out for the horn button! Great Video! The comedy relief is great too! Not simple to change the ign assy like years ago, but SMA steps up to the task!

Dremel sound reminded me of seating in the dentist chair getting my teeth drilled had to turn my sound off. Always good information Thanks for your time making the video Bill N

Around @1:52 it got a little odd and sensual when “wiggling it’s giggly bits”. Jesus, especially @2:09 you finger blasted the holy hell out of the key ignition’s cylinder housing, Hahaha. All jokes aside though you have a kick ass channel, it’s been a huge help. Cheers 🍻

Ok, I have you figured out. You record all of your videos so you can go back and figure which screw/bolt goes where when you reassemble. :) :) Just kidding. I have a lot of respect for you and your skills. Thank you for taking the time to post them.

My Cadillac had a problem with the ignition lock cylinder where the key wouldn't turn at all, or if it did, was very notchy. It has the remedial VATS system so my local Napa Auto Care Center changed it out so I could still use my original keys even after the swap. I do keep my cars forever so I figured with all the turns it probably just wore out. Great video.

Cool stuff. Pull the wheel. I always have to. Climb into a column takes balls. I love it. Done many . They're all different. Don't be afraid of the bag. Never deployed one yet.

Always nice to have a video to go with my morning coffee! Thanks for the entertainment and education Eric.

@South Main Auto Repair hey Eric it was a good thing while you were " disarming " the airbag that someone didn't suddenly thumb on the roof or side of the door, as you seemed to be concentrating quite hard with it,,, an i'm sure the sudden loud banging would of tested your nerves huh lol

I purchased a "metric" crescent wrench the other day. Best investment ever. LOL

"Oh, lookit, lookit, it actually worked!!!". Yeah, I know that feeling... :)

Well done Eric, had to do similar job on an old 1982 Toyota Grande, steering wheel had to come off first there too.

08 Mariner, same problem. It helps to pull the wheel that gets it out of the way of all those torix screws and gives you more room and line of sight.

Center punch does the trick at the right angle with a good smack with the hammer on the edge of the head of the bolt Works every time . Keep up the good work have a good Xmas and prosperous. Newyear

Good video Eric I have a 2003 mustang gt I'm probably going to have to do same thing to the key turns hard all the way and when it starts you have to turn key back a little physically because it will keep turning the starter while it's running it is annoying this video will help me alot thanks!

Great style Mr O. Always that wee bit of humour to keep the viewer involved. "Napa - Not a sponsor!'

Great Video! I have a good idea now of what will be involved. Thanks for posting.

A rust-free job. The plus with vehicle interior jobs. Great funny commentary, and some youtubers might twist it dirty

Excellent video. Reminds me of the GM ignition switch issue where they tried to save a couple of bucks on the parts. It seems like something that is totally unnecessary given the number of key turn cycles needed. Typically there is a multiplier of maybe 3X or 4X the amount of time for someone who does casual car work over what you took. Doing this work every day, professionally, makes a big difference in efficiency. It's notable that you don't make mistakes and don't break things, which is usually not the case for someone not in the business and not familiar with the design.

Just a tip for threading new plastic, I torch the screw for a sec just to warn it and it forms the threads with out breaking cold plastic.

Hammer and a small chisel. Everytime! Never failed me! Ive changed 4 or 5 now.

Way more difficult than it needed to be. Nicely done, Mr. O. Merry Christmas!

Crescent might not make them, but I have some other brand metric/inch adjustable wrenches. They say 150mm & 6" so I know I can use them on either. Way better than just metric or just inch. I will see if your amazon store has any Astro metric/inch adjustables.

"Isn't that annoying?" Yeah image working at a Ford dealership and listening to that all day on almost every last vehicle that comes in. XD

Eric there is no need to remove the steering wheel for this job. next time insert the key into the cylinder and turn it to the "run"position. this pulls the "steering lock"into the mechanism allowing removal. -Justin Sliwka

A repair shops dream a FORD (fix or repair daily)! LOL! Very nice video Eric!

Iused to work with a guy we called crecent wrench. He would work ok for a little while then slip off...

The knowledge you are giving us is invaluable..thank you for taking the time...

As soon as you said "believe" I knew you were gonna sing THAT R Kelly song. Using the Dremel to cut a slot in the shear bolt would've been my Plan A. It is the most common way to get shear bolts out.

I think that's an ANTI-DIY bolt, rather than an "anti-theft" bolt. Then, they top that off with the one-hole airbag release! FoMoCo engineering prowess right there ...😡 That is how my day goes nearly every day over here it seems - fiddling with some stupidly engineered plastic crap that won't release! You should've seen me trying to get a Taurus radio out so I could install a blower switch - I had FOUR allen & Torx keys hanging out the thing, as I tried juggling them all at once. 😖 I won in the end though ... luckily! On that note, I just did battle on a rusty crusty '96 Tahoe - needed upper ball joints and hub bearings - you know, the ones that you get from the front, through the hub flange holes. Like a dummy, I got the ol' IR impact on the hub bolt ... and that was the end of that! A nice, round stub. On the next one, I gave my little Craftsman 14mm socket the beans with a breaker bar, and busted the socket in 2 places! GRRR! I used Big Nasty to jam on some Blue Point spiked sockets, and I was able to extract it with a little heat and the big Harbor "Fright" breaker bar (that's been welded back together ... twice ... 🤣). The other 2 came out the same way. Stupid GM engineering! Now I've got a set of 6 Dorman bolts on their way. I had to hang up on the parts guy at GM - put me on hold for over 3 minutes because I didn't feel like running out to the shop to get the stupid VIN number. The hell with 'em. This thing will be going to the crusher in about 3 years anyway, the way the body is coming unglued. STUPID VEHICLES!!! STUPID GM!!! I broke my Black & Decker "Dremel" this week too. It's my second one in 18 years. The little spring driveshaft inside always busts - it's not meant for the type of stuff I do with it, lol. I had fabricated a little piece for my old one, out of an old flathead screwdriver. I extracted that out of the old one and installed it in the new one, and finished the job. Wasted an hour on that, though. All my tools are getting long in the tooth ... Been a while since you've posted a RAW, uncut vid! 😁 These are always fun - we got some "meows", and "sons of monkeys" , plus some naughty pickup lines and a few "wiggles of jiggly bits"! 😂 😎😂 I needed some laughs this morning! Now, back to the ol' 'Hoe I got on the rack out there ... 😜

Girl, you from Tennessee, because you the only 10 I see lol Nice job Eric. Looking for more videos.

"Metric Cresent wrench" I must get me one of those!

At 7:09 you said you had a text from the President and I had a bit of a brain fart..........I thought you were talking about Vanessa......lol

Wow great video, very descriptive! He makes it look easy

Thanks for taking us along,easy when you do the driving!

I used small piece of plastic to force ignition switch to stay put when it normally would do the jiggly wiggly. Has stayed put for over three years and no play when starting. Used plastic from trim remover edge from harbor freight. In theory new ignition switch would take up some of the play as well. Believe housing was just engineered poorly causing the trouble.

torque this bolt back down, EEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! that's its torque spec. Thank you for the laugh Mr. O!

Ford has the finest plastic money can buy.

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy (healthier) 2019!

Now you said 'bomb' a few times, the FBI are gonna be all over this video. :)

Hi Eric, I am new to your channel I am AJ may I say all your videos are awesome great I am from the U.K. England you and Vanessa are awesome kool. ☺😊 May I say you both work very hard in the shop garage as we call it here in UK May I wish you and your family a very merry Christmas.

Glad he explained about that shear bolt I was scratching my head wondering if it was for ocd car thieves or what.

Great video. I especially like the confirmation for the technical terms that I have used for the for the steering column parts and pieces. haha!

They call it a "Module" now b/c they've incorporated the Ign Lock Cylinder and Ign Switch into one component -- same cheap, poorly made parts...with a new ambiguous name and twice the price! Thanks Ford for keeping your eye on what's important