Go to NAPA or Advance and get a can of "Spray Lithium Grease", it will have a small plastic tube taped to the can. Put tube in sprayer and insert tube in where key goes and spray. It will free up the lock and lubricate. Store can with tube for reuse in your cabinet.

It works good as a maintenance item for all your lock mechanisms, house and vehicles equally as well.

 

I get calls all the time from people with stolen spares. Sad.

 

BTW, I'm here because this exact thing happened to me last night. Set it all up at do do my FPDM at a buddy's barn.......

Buy and get a Dorman FPDM: Check
Kissed the kids good night: Check
Drive 20 minutes to his house in a near blizzard: Check
Turn the heat on and heat a 30 x 40 barn: Check

Put the key in the tumbler, goes half way in and stops. Won't turn. Project fail.

I'm going to spray the heck out of it with PB Baster once a day for a week and see what happens. I'd rather not punch the lock out if I can avoid it. If anyone has a picture of what the tumbler looks like from behind the bumper that would be great.

 

The back side of the lock just uses a e-clip to hold it on. Remove it off and the U shaped piece that is on there and the rest should come out the front of the bumper. I just did mine about a month ago when I had to replace the FPDM. The outside of the lock assembly and U-shaped piece were corroded. I wire brushed them clean and put a spray rust inhibitor on it.

 

Ford's corrosive locks have helped prevent this some

 

Yes they managed to keep the owners from even getting the spare down. Remove the lock and throw it away, DO NOT put another on. I had a friend have a key brake off on him in it along the road one night while attempting a tire change. Not only out a towing fee because of it, also out a $100 key replacement. The odds of someone stealing a spare from this truck is pretty low, they would need the 10 foot long tool to lower it and its under the back seat and even the dumbest criminal isn't going to carry that thing around all night!

 

nope. all they need is a drill and a square bit. happens ALL THE TIME. they can even get them off with the lock in tact. I had a buddy get his spare stolen on his '11 while on the work site, in broad daylight. Some really ballsy criminals out there. Same goes for tailgates. If you don't lock your tailgate, you're asking for trouble. With the cost of a new tailgate easily going over $1000, they can pop one off your truck in 20 seconds and sell it on ebay for 4, 5, 6, 700 dollars.

 

All the same, I would rather take the chance of 1 out of 500 ballsy criminals then be stranded on a dark stretch of road alone at night, especially if you have a female that drives the truck much alone. A spare tire will run you about 200 bucks, getting hurt sitting along the highway in a disabled vehicle is well worth loosing a not likely 200 bucks all over a stuck lock and faulty design.

 

That's why I carry roadside on my insurance.

 

It worked!

After 2 days of drowning the lock in PB Blaster it was still stuck. So I got on my back last night and beat on it with a hammer from the back. I tried again and after some very careful key force the mechanism broke free! It's now turning. All KINDS of dirt, rust, and tar fell out of it.

I'm under no illusion that if someone wants my spare they are going to get it, but I don't like a hole in my bumper either. So I'll keep it in. But from now on it's getting a shot of WD-40 and used once a month.

Crappy cell phone picture, sorry.......

 

There are such things as rubber plugs that don't seize up in an emergency that will fill a bumper hole just fine ;-)

 

I just checked mine, it was stiff to turn with the key.
It's all lubed up now.

 

Not much use as a theft deterent, though.

 

I have a full size 35" spare and because it is so damn heavy, I was worried that the flimsy cable would snap and that spare would fall and launch the rear of my truck into the air! So I ran a tow chain up and over the frame, through the holes on the spare rim and padlocked it. If someone wants it they have to work to get it off, but it is as secure (if not more) than that POS lock that's on there. BTW, I used some zip ties to take up some of the slack in the chain to prevent it from rattling and such.

 

When i was adding my 7 pin wiring harness to my truck and i needed to drop the spare i had no issue unlocking the lock. But i couldn't get the key out of the lock. so after i let the lock sit in wd-40 for the night i managed to get the key out. The minute i retrieved the key i threw the lock straight into the garbage and to plug the hole in the bumper i bought SS washers, bolt, and wing nut. I ground the washer down to fit the black cap perfectly so i don't have a hole in the bumper but i can still access the spare.