My old gray haired mother's mint 1988 Lariat woke up dead this morning. You put the key in and turn and the lights come on the starter solenoid makes a click, but the starter doesn't engage. Also it can't be shifted out of park. I don't drive it often, but the key switch feels a little funny to me. I have checked the fuses and don't see anything wrong. The steering wheel does unlock, but not the shifter. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance. Joe

 

There was a problem with the ignition auctuating rod in those, it would break. But your problem sounds different since it will try to engague the starter relay. That could be a relay (wich also go bad often) or the starter. As far as not going into gear, did you have your foot on the brake??

 

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have been putting my foot on the brake and still the starter doesn't try to start and the transmission will not get out of park. She has had no trouble with it, just came home from work and parked it and this morning it was doing this. I see that the 88 F150 has a recall for a bad ignition switched. Guess I'll call our local Ford Dealer and see what they say. It's a great old truck with 92,000 original miles on it. It's also 4 wheel drive, if that makes any difference. I tried turning the key very slowly to see if there was a spot where it would allow me to get it out of Park, but that didn't work. I'll sleep on it and see if I have a new idea in the morning. Thanks again for your help. Joe