Help with key and igniton.

[supersaiyian]

Hello all first post and I was hoping it would be a happy one but recently my 95 Thunderbird LX 4.6L decided that it didn't want to stop running. I looked and from what i can tell a pin fell out that holds the lock cylinder plastic piece and ignition switch plastic piece that starts and kill the car as you turn the key. This wasn't to big of a problem I don't drive it in a big town so didn't really worry about it i could just kill it with a wrench. Now though it has decided to lock up on me I can turn the key and it hits to start it and that's all it does it locks up and keeps on trying to start its self untill after a few mins or few hours untill it clicks back into the run possition. I have saw what the problem is but don't know how to go about fixing it. Friends have told me to get a push start button kit and that would bypass the key all togeather. So my main question is how can I fix the ignition key problem or would it be easier to steer away fom the traditional and just do a starter button and what that would entail.

Thanks all for you help in advanced and nice to meet you all.

[marksatterfield]

Well, it seems a few things going on here.

1) The ignition switch has a spring in it to return from "Start" to "Run," so if it is hanging up in "Start," the switch is likely bad. It might have been caused by the wrench you use. I would suggest disconnecting the negative battery cable if this happens again.

2) Starters are not built to stay "on" for long periods of time. The starter motor will likely overheat. Besides, I can only assume it is not healthy for they flywheel gears either.

3) The pin connecting the key tumbler to the ignition switch is metal on my car (1987). You might want to check if Autozone sells something like this. If you wind up replacing everything with push buttons you might consider using relays.

Good luck to you, and be sure to respond back to the forum how you fix the issue and how whichever technique works out.

Cheers,

--Mark

http://www.marksatterfield.com

[reino134]

When I bought my 95 tbird, the key cylinder was broken. i just stopped by the local lock smith and had him replace it. He rekeyed the new lock assembly to match up with my existing keys, and replaced it for I believe around $50.

[supersaiyian]

thanks all after some work with a can of wd40 and a screwdriver i managed to get it back to the way it was. Thanks for all the tips about what can happen but I found that the ignition switch was fine while i had it apart i was able to push it down and start it by hand and then it clicked back into place. I could even shut if off like that. Unfortunately it seems that I may have messed something up because as you said with gears my transmission spins some when I go for the gas and at times I have a 2 second transmission response time which makes the tires sequel if I go to high. Which of course I don't mind the tire squealing. Sounds cool but I know probably not the best thing for my car. I have been looking for diagrams for my steering wheel so I can find out what that plastic part is called. I hope that I can find a metal one like mark said so I will never have this problem again. Thanks again for your help again.