NEED HELP!!! Please calling all maverick people!

Hi, I was checking on something in the car and my steering wheel locked up on me. I can't start the car now it's in lock position and it won't come out. Please if anyone can help me I have 76 maverick 2 door. Please anyone tell me some good news.

 

I have that happen in the past on some older cars. Try pulling the wheel into the locked position just a little more while turning the key.

Sometimes the pressure applied is too much and some tension needs to be rep leased.

In my experience anyway.

 

I tried turning key while pulling steering wheel for hours already and it only moves a little bit each way and key doesn't move at all.

 

1. Make sure you're using the right key.
2. It's almost zero degrees up in Canada.
3. Maybe spray a little of that antifreeze spray in there.
4. You may have to remove the wheel to see if the lock pin mechanism is seized up.

What type of steering wheel?

 

It has the shifter on steering wheel and the car is in heated garage but it is minus 30 here lol. You think I should take it apart?

 

If spraying an anti freeze type spray into the keylock hole, and into the upper collar area doesn't work, then you might have to pull the wheel.

Here is the Exploded View of Maverick Steering Columns of that year:

(3 on Tree Type):



(Automatic on Column Type):



You can see the lock Pin in this Mustang Steering Wheel Pic at the 2' oclock postition:

 

That's a lot of parts for a steering wheel, thanks I'll try it out and I'll get back too you thanks!

 

I doubt the ignition is frozen. Try moving the shifter arm back and forth, or rock the car back and forth a bit, and see if that helps.

 

Tried rocking car back and forth already didn't seem to help. Tried to play with shifter too while tring to turn key just won't unlock for nothing.

 

Sounds like the lock assembly has gone bad since it won't even let the key come out. A spring can break jamming a tumbler against the key which keeps the key from coming out. See if you can get a little WD40 to spray in there and wiggle the key a lot while trying to remove it, sometimes you get lucky and it will come out. Will probably happen again though, put in new lock and key assembly.

 

When my old Grand National (Buick) would do this, I could solve it temporarily by twisting the lower column back and forth with one hand while working the key with the other. The permanent fix was to replace the rubber bushings on the shifter arms at the base of the column. Maybe this will apply for you?

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

got anywhere with this yet...

 

Best course of action.

 

Took the whole wheel apart it was a mess the pin stuck to get the tumbler out ended up punching it out still didn't really work out might be looking for a lot of new parts now. A lot of @&$@&$&@$$@&$ that and now I'm selling it too much work on me. I got a 78 mustang cobra I pick up with a 302 already in it was going to put it in maverick but the stang is in much better shape. Very sorry to all the maverick owners I'm going to the other side, it's been a blast and one day I'll be back to the maverick nation. For now stang all the way!,,,, thanks for all your help and feed back I'll send pics of stang and you can tell me if I'm doing the right thing or not.