Ignition Cylinder Broken?

[Organism_ike]

The other day i was starting my 83 (Tilt Column) repeatedly for some tuning. I put the key in the ignition cylinder, rotated it to on, then rotated it forward to the start position, and before the engine even fired the cylinder made a snap and continued to rotate past start, to where it behaved as if it was in the "accessory" position (radio worked, but distributor had no power), and the key could slide in and out of the lock freely, but the cylinder wouldn't rotate back to any of the positions it is supposed to. In other words, the key was stuck past the start position, the battery stayed on, and when rotating the key forward the cylinder felt springy like it normally would when rotating it to "Start" and the starter would kick on, but when I released the key it would go back to the "too far forward/broken" position and the engine would die since it thinks it's in "accessory" position.

Yes, I tried moving the gear selector to each position, along with a few other obvious tricks. All I need to know is if the ignition cylinder is broken, or is it something else? I unplugged the battery to stop the drain.

[willett]

There is a rod that goes from the ign cylinder with an 'L' bend on the end. This runs down the column and hooks into a sh*tty 4 way switch that will be on the 1 o'clock position of your column. Have a peak under there while your turning the cylinder and see what the rod is doing.
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[Organism_ike]

I can't see anything that the rod is doing in the switch, because of the way the truck was built. However, I uploaded a video to Youtube to try and explain my problem better. I've looked and can't find anything on the internet related to this problem so I'll keep this thread updated with a solution when I find it.

http://youtu.be/dBJvecpqKA8

[willett]

pull your bezel.......

[Organism_ike]

Everything that can be removed that was in the way is pulled. The gauge cluster, wiring, etc. But the metal "Frame" that your entire dash and everything slips in to covers the steering column at the point where the rod goes into the switch, and of course you can't really remove the metal without a LOT of work.

[piecesparts]

It is not the rod, it is the pot metal piece that is attached to the key cylinder that rotates and pulls the rod. Been there and done that. The actual ignition switch is a rectangular block sitting on top of the column just above the floor of the truck. The rod is inserted into this block and the key moves the slide in the block to start the truck. Mine broke in Louisville Kentucky on the Hot Rod Power tour one year. I had to strip the column down to get the block out and then started the truck with a screwdriver inserted into the block to slide the rail in the contacts. This was all done at midnight with a flashlight in my mouth and no help.

The replacement piece for the switch will require the top section of the column to taken apart and then replace the metal piece. (steering wheel, turn signal control plate, Lock late, and possibly the screws that hold the shroud around the column Then you may have to loosen the screws on the ignition switch block and move it ever so slightly to readjust it to hit the right contacts at the right time. f so, then taking the two nuts off of the column mounting bolts on the dash and pushing down towards the seat will let you do that with out taking the column out of the truck.

[Organism_ike]

Problem solved. Even though I too thought the problem was in the linkage, it was just the ignition lock cylinder that was broken. I threw a cheap new $13 auto-parts store one in to test it out, and the old one was complete garbage. So if anyone else has a similar problem, just switch out your lock.

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by Organism_ike

Problem solved. Even though I too thought the problem was in the linkage, it was just the ignition lock cylinder that was broken. I threw a cheap new $13 auto-parts store one in to test it out, and the old one was complete garbage. So if anyone else has a similar problem, just switch out your lock.

Lucky you, not all will be that way.

[akram]

I'm in the process of tearing down my column to replace the pot metal piece only to find out that the rod that goes from it to the ignition switch is broken off at the L where it goes into the switch. I've looked all over the web and can't find where they make a replacement one. Any ideas on where to look or what I might use to make my own?