Tood

New guy here, please bear with me. I've searched and read all I could find here but I'm stumped and sadly not especially auto mechanically inclined.

So the back story, since I've owned this 1995 F150, about 1.5 years, it's had an issue where I'd remove the key and it would still buzz like the key was in it. No big deal, I'd wiggle the switch a bit and it would quit. Quirk of an older truck. A week ago, (and maybe totally unrelated) I start it and the key doesn't return back from the start position so the truck is running but so is the starter. I have to physically move the key back to the run position. Totally fine. Truck's running normally, starter's not engaged. I get home and can't turn it off. The key moves freely back to off doing nothing. I switch to the empty rear tank to stall it. All the electrical is still on so I pull the negative battery lead and we're all shut down. Now I can reconnect the battery and start it no problem. Shut down is as described, run it out of gas and pull the negative off the battery.

Reading here and elsewhere, it's either the ignition cylinder, ignition switch or the actuator. From what I can tell, which I've admitted isn't much, the actuator isn't broken. It moves with the key and indexes with the ignition switch. The Ford guru here at work (read: just some dude) says if it will start with the key, it's not the cylinder. So I replace the ignition switch. That's straight forward enough but doesn't do anything. So is it possible that it's just the cylinder is shot or am I looking at pulling the steering column?

So then, as I so often do, to further complicate things, having put the new switch in, my wipers/washer now doesn't work. Turn signals work, high beam works. I've checked the fuses and nothing's blown and the connections around the ignition switch area all seem secure. What have I done?

I'm ok with the temporary work around for starting and stopping the truck but slathering the windshield with Rain-X and driving faster in the rain just probably won't end well. I'd appreciate any help or advice.

Thanks,

Tood

blackduck00

I'm no guru but have you just checked the wires that plug in to the steering column ? Just to make sure

blackduck00

Also I read somewhere on the forums that the ignition wires are under the hood drivers side and they should be a square brown plug and maybe check the wire that goes hot when you try an start the truck and see if there's a prob...

Tood

Brief update, new ignition cylinder, interestingly, returned from start to on spring loaded so no starter issue. Past that it still won't turn off and the wipers dont work.