Removing seized ignition lock cylinder

[will_95gt]

Anybody know how to get one of these things out? I know there is a little pin that one is supposed to press inwards and then they should slide right out of the housing, but my cylinder is stuck in the off position (you can only press in the pin after you've turn the key to the run position--for antitheft purposes, I suppose). I tried drilling through that retaining pin (noted with an arrow) with an 1/8" bit but even after completely drilling it out, the cylinder still isn't sliding out of the housing.

Any ideas?

 

[will_95gt]

After further research, it looks like even if the pin has been drilled out, the cylinder still needs to be in the run position to be removed from the housing. It looks like i'll be drilling the cylinder out completely. I've never done this before, any tips are welcome. Wish me luck.

 

[will_95gt]

All done. Drilling that thing out was a pain. Although this thread has turned out to be me talking to myself, for the sake of conclusion, here's some pics, lol:




If anyone wants to repeat this experiment, PM me or waken this thread and I'll drop some knowledge.

 

[revhead347]

I was about to say. Drill, tap, slide hammer. Had to do that with a speed sensor on an Escort once.

Kurt

 

[will_95gt]

Alright--problems encountered. I thought I had everything working, and as far as the new ignition cylinder, everything is working, however, the battery now refuses to stay charged. At off it's reading 11.68 V and at run it's reading 7.60 V.

I'm wondering if I bumped or disconnected an important wire while preforming the ignition cylinder swap. Are there wires in the ignition switch or steering column directly connected to the charging circuit? There is one ground wire in particular that seems loose near the newly installed ignition cylinder and it causes the door-chime to go off erratically whether the key is in the ignition or not. Could this be related to the poor charge? I have a sneaking suspicion that the answer is yes but I'm not really sure what to look for.

Thanks, fellas.

 

[HISSIN50]

You could temporarily insulate that chime ground-wire if you desire. Be sure the chime is not draining your battery.

You could check current-draw and see if something is draining your battery down. This is where I'd start - this will allow you to narrow down the source of the drain.

I can't think of any wires in the switch that go to the charging circuit. There are a handful of battery power sources however.

 

[99FiveOh]

Although this thread has turned out to be me talking to myself

I've noticed this happening a lot around here as of late. It's like the 94/95 section has gone to sleep or something. WAKE up guys, I know gas is 4 bucks a gallon, but come on... we're in this for the long haul!

 

[will_95gt]

I've noticed this happening a lot around here as of late. It's like the 94/95 section has gone to sleep or something. WAKE up guys, I know gas is 4 bucks a gallon, but come on... we're in this for the long haul!

Hah, our cars are getting up there in age--the kids these days want wifi and bluetooth in their cars, they don't understand phrases like "engine displacement".

You could temporarily insulate that chime ground-wire if you desire. Be sure the chime is not draining your battery.

You could check current-draw and see if something is draining your battery down. This is where I'd start - this will allow you to narrow down the source of the drain.

I can't think of any wires in the switch that go to the charging circuit. There are a handful of battery power sources however.

I've got a good understanding of Ohms law but I don't really know where I should be testing. Do you know of any online resources that elaborate on testing for current draw? Or any good threads? As always, thanks for the response.

 

[HISSIN50]

Turn off every accessory and light on the car. Don't forget the interior light and underhood light. You might want to start off using a test light but the procedure is the same for a test light or meter (if you have a huge draw, you can blow the fuse inside the meter - most are only rated for a small amount of current, often 10 Amps). Thus starting with a test light is a good idea. Once you get the test light down to a light glow (not its full illumination), you can use the meter instead.

For the light, disconnect the negative battery cable and put the test light in-series between the disconnected negative battery cable and the negative battery post. If the light is glowing, you have a draw.


For a meter: You'll set your meter to the amperage scale. You'll probably need to re-pin the red lead to the other slot. Put the meter in-series between the disconnected negative battery cable and negative battery post.

Here's a picture/link of the meter that Saleen0679 was nice enough to post some time ago (just use a test light instead if starting off with the light):

Battery Service

 

[will_95gt]

Great post. Thanks, Hissin! I've been crazy busy this week but once I get a chance i'll check for parasitic draw and let you guys know. I think the only test light I have around is for checking 120 V lines so I may just roll the dice with my multi and hope it doesn't explode, haha.

 

[will_95gt]

Welp...I just checked for parasitic drain and the multi read 105 mA. Over 4x the average current reading according to the battery service link you posted. This is with the doors closed, the trunk closed, the lights off, etc. I guess its time to start testing appliances individually to see what's draining the current?

How do I go about this? Should I start unplugging appliances one by one and then seeing if the current draw goes away?

 

[will_95gt]

Nevermind, I just found a great article on diagnosing F.R.E.D.s (frustrating ridiculous electronics devices). It seems pulling fuses is the best way to begin narrowing things down. Idk why I didn't think of that .

Parasitic Battery Drains | Scope It Out

 

[will_95gt]

I found the culprit fuse--fuse #8. After I pulled it the current draw dropped to 10.3 mA. I looked up the electronics protected by that fuse and sure enough, the key warning chime is listed under fuse 8.

I knew that damn chime was behind all of this! I tried to follow the wiring to from the chime ground wire to find a harness that I could unplug but it started getting dark on me so I couldn't find one. Anybody know how I can disable the door chime without effecting any other electronics?

 

[HISSIN50]

So you don't feel alone with the number 8 draw:

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/837324-battery-drain-tested-no-drop-pulling-fuses.html

I don't know if anyone has pulled the plug on the keyless module to see what it draws.

For the chime's input ground wire, you could just insulate it up and secure it behind the dash. If it's not grounded, the chime should not come on (because of the key being off but the lights on, etc).