Ford Falcon & Territory Ignition DIY Fixes: Why YouTube Fixes Can Cost You More
In the age of the internet there is a wealth of knowledge shared however this can lead to some very questionable sources of information with the “just do this” attitude. The “just do this” attitude is what gives people the false impression it’s easy and there is a reason we chose to specialise for this problem. With regards to this issue of fixing an ignition switch we’ve seen just about every fix possible by the DIY community and Youtube videos, we’ve seen them because they all fail in the end.
Some of the more common DIY repairs:
- Put it back together and put some cable ties on it to hold it together
- Put it back together and apply glue to stop if falling apart again
- Obtain another switch from a steering column and cut off the faulty one and splice the wires attaching the replacement
- Drill a hole in the switch and install a piece of wire or a roll pin to replace the piece of metal broken off from the spring
- Rewire and splice a later FG Series falcon ignition switch or an older one from earlier Falcon’s
Some of the more creative DIY repairs:
- Using a roofing screw and cable tie for good measure to hold it in
- Insert a screw under the switch and filing it down smooth for the spring to work off
- Installing a push button to bypass the ignition switch from various switches
- One poor customer paid an auto electrician to essentially hot wire the car and teaching the customer what to do just leaving exposed wires between their legs
Whilst these may work they are more often than not a short term fix to get you going cheaply it’s likely to fail again or force the spring to pop out of its housing causing more issues. If you haven’t read our post on what’s wrong with the ignition switch post check it out here
The main problem with putting it back together is the condition of the metal where the spring returns the key back to accessories from the start position, whilst we are talking about a surface area of only a few millimetres it has a massive impact on the normal operation of the switch. Even if you get it back together the spring is still going to be twisting as it mounts to the deteriorating lug which it will inevitably fall apart again at some point or it will break off as the best case scenario.
The second biggest problem is the condition of the cast metal housing, unfortunately it is a very brittle material which splits and tears quite easily which we can see in the picture here. Like most metals once it’s been worked it doesn’t retain anywhere near the structure it had before so the risk of it falling apart again over time is likely.
Brute Force Isn’t The Solution
One of the biggest risks of putting it back together is breaking the wiring loom plate, this is Bakelite material and extremely fragile. If you break this then you’ve just made an easy problem to fix into a much harder one. I don’t know how many times I’ve been told it just fell apart like that whilst the owner swears they did nothing but take out the screws. This only happens because you force it together and you can’t see the locator pin for the wiring loom on the inside of the switch housing rim. For the sake of everyone’s sanity brute force rarely fixes the problem properly without causing further damage.
Should you happen to be reading this after the fact and looking at this image wondering where the hell I can get one of those, please call us we can usually source them at an additional cost to supply when we install a new ignition switch. We don’t sell wiring looms on their own, unfortunately its a lot of effort to track down and sources these so we only supply them when installing onsite.
More Information
Check out our post for some trouble shooting tips Ford Falcon & Territory Starting Problems: 7 Things to Check Before Calling a Mechanic or about Second-Hand Ford Falcon & Territory Steering Columns: Why They Are a Risky Gamble
Save Your Steering Column – Get it Fixed Properly
Don’t gamble with your car’s reliability. A ‘short-term’ fix often results in getting stuck at a shopping center or, worse, having your car fail while driving. DIY is inexpensive for some and extremely expensive for others when it all goes wrong.
We specialise in rebuilding the ignition switch using the high-quality new parts.
- No new keys needed (Keep your originals)
- No towing required (We come to your home or work)
- Lifetime Guarantee On the New Ignition Switch Housing (Better than factory cast metal)