Key cutting

[BaySHO Performance]

Bought a new ignition lock for a 93 ATX and am trying to get the door portion of the old key transferred to the new keys. From what I can gather, these are 8 cut keys as opposed to 10 cut which were introduced around '97-98. With cut 1 being nearest the tip, does anyone know which cuts are for the ignition and which for the door? I'm told by a Ford parts guy that cuts 1-4 are for the ignition and cuts 5-8 are for the door, but the new ignition lock keys have already been cut beyond 4.

For the record, 10 cut keys go like this:

The correct way to combine a new ignition key with an old door lock key is as follows. The Factory key has 10 cuts starting at the tip. Cuts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 control the ignition. Cuts 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 control the door locks. If you look at the new ignition key you should see that there isn’t a cut in the #5 position and no cuts after the #6 position. Take the new key and cut positions 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 to match the old key and it will now work both the door locks and start the car.

 

[rubydist]

iirc, on the factory setup, cut 5 was used for both door and ignition on those.

 

[NoSlo]

iirc, on the factory setup, cut 5 was used for both door and ignition on those.

Position #6. Ignition uses 1,2,3,4,6; Door uses 5,6,7,8,9,10.



In the ignition cylinder, #6 can't be repinned to match the door (you don't want to take the cylinder apart at all, just deal with the new random keying), so that's why the TSB shows above you must order the correct ignition cylinder to match the door.

The door cylinders can be relatively easily re-keyed to match the #6 ignition pin, but is to be avoided, as on the SHO, you must gently work and break the cylinder out of the front plastic piece with illuminated entry (which was factory-melted) and then reassemble, melting retaining parts back together with a solder iron or JB weld.

Due to some unauthorized entry, I just had to replace a door handle, door and ignition cylinders. Lucky a SHO was in a nearby wrecking yard to donate the door parts.

The door cylinder has six wafer tumblers, each with five possible codes, and the codes are stamped 1-5 on the wafers. Wafers can be pulled out, swapped around and flipped, etc. (look similar to below)

With a new ignition cylinder and its included keys (blanks with only the ignition wafer cuts), you can record the complete pinning code at the 10 key locations that are needed, and then have a locksmith use a code-cutting machine to cut the remaining door cuts on the key. Or do what I did, re-key doors to my own code, and make the key with dremel and caliper with the dimensions shown in the TSB, easier when you can verify each cut works on the disassembled door cylinder in-hand.

Also, if your key pulls out, it is because the ignition coding uses a key that gets smaller near the end, and the bumps between the wafer cuts on the key that would retain it have worn down. You can get a new locksmith code-cut machine key and it should have new bumps, or if you never want this problem, get an ignition cylinder where the key gets fatter from 6->1 (like the TSB picture).

 

[BaySHO Performance]

NoSlo, great info on 10 cut keys. Those came in around 97-98 per a knowledgeable parts guy at a Ford dealer. All the Gen 1 and 2 keys are 8 cut. Do you have info for those?

 

[NoSlo]

NoSlo, great info on 10 cut keys. Those came in around 97-98 per a knowledgeable parts guy at a Ford dealer. All the Gen 1 and 2 keys are 8 cut. Do you have info for those?

I think you are misinformed. G2 uses a 10-cut key. The TSB pictured is from 1987. I know my 86 tempo had different keying, it had one key for ignition and one "Ford Family of Fine cars" oval head for doors and trunk.