I just bought a 4cyl 88 mustang. The owner i bought it from lost the keys and I need to know how to remove the ignition or tumble set without keys. My haynes manual says you have to have the key so you can turn it to the on position. He tried a screwed drive which made the tumbles all messed up. Anyone have any suggestions??? thanks in advance!
remove ignition switch w/o keys?
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tbadair said:
Hoo boy. This one will get ya toasted
Kinda like asking "How do I steal a Mustang..."
Around here we call a towtruck. Most of those guys have the tools to fix that problem.
You need to drill the pin out. When you buy a new switch, you'll see the pin i'm talking about.
The pin that noslo90 is reffering to is case hardend steel and very hard to drill The problem with that is the casing the switch sits in is aluminum and it's very easy to damage if your drilling is not straight. What I have done several times is drill out the lock cylinder itself to a point where the pin can easily be pushed in to release the rest of the cylinder. Then clean out the area where the cylinder sits and install the new one.
I have a whole new ignition switch out of my 89 GT that I plan on putting in there. So drilling it out isnt a problem if I need to do that. Where is the pin that you refer to located at?
P.S. If I wanted to steal the car it wouldnt be that hard to do but since I am paying for this car I would like to keep it in good condition b/c it is my donor for the engine out of my GT.
P.S. If I wanted to steal the car it wouldnt be that hard to do but since I am paying for this car I would like to keep it in good condition b/c it is my donor for the engine out of my GT.
Stanger007
Founding Member
I second drilling out the keyhole/locktumbler and using a screwdriver to turn the cylinder. Take it from someone who'd tried it before. If you can drill the pin that holds the cylinder in, you have got a serious drill/bit. Like as not you will end up drilling all around the pin and messing up the column. Drill the tumbler. Been there, done that on an 89 4cyl.
Icepick
Founding Member
Speaking of stealing stangs i really need to do more anti theft stuff to mine before it goes missing. 
a_turbo_stang
Member
Just pay a locksmith 20 bucks to make a key for it. Or just take the column out of your GT and put it in.
a_turbo_stang
Member
Wouldnt take but a half hour to pull it. Not really too hard. I am sure there is a tech guide on here somewhere.
chaka
Founding Member
If you drill the keyhole/locktumbler you can turn the cylinder and then remove it the way the haynes manual says.
Just drilling out the tumblers(in through the keyhole) won't work...i've tried that. To remove a switch with a key, insert the key and turn it forwards a little, then about an inch or so towards the column(roughly in the 6-8 o'clock position on the switch if i remember right) is a pin that needs to be pushed in. It locks the cylinder. With out a key this pin needs to be drilled...can't be pushed. Hard to explain where exactly it is, haven't done this in awhile. Bought a car off a buddy that lost the keys also.
93 LX
Founding Member
On my Capri I lost the ignition key. However I had one from another doner car. I didnt drill anything. I used a punch the same size at the lock pin. I drive it into the cylinder and took it our. This leaves a piece in the ignition switch in the column. This part is designed to break off if the lock is hit with any force. I used a lock ring plier to remove the ignition gear cover and took out the broken piece. I reinstalled the new lock cylinder and fired the Capri up. Took about .5 hours. This was the 1st time I ever did this.
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As 93lx stated, a puch will work great also...i just wouldn't want to "shock" the column and risk breaking something else.
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