will a dead battery make an ignition EXTREMELY hard to turn

 

uh , if your battery is dead , your car wont start !

 

I dont know if you are meaning something else, but if you mean what I think you mean, then I would have to agree with WayneRS.

 

well i replaced the battery today but the ignition requires a hell of alot of strength to turnover....

But it is a little better than it was

 

Do you mean the ignition switch on the column?

 

yeah on the column..
it nearly takes two hands just to turn the dang key

 

did you try to force it?

such as if you tried forcing it to eject the key while it WASN'T in park.. i could imagine that could make it screw up, and hard to turn

dunno maybe it just needs greased a bit

 

somebody said something about a wire needed to be tighended??? is there a wire that could need tightnened

 

JSU,

If the ignition lock cylinder is hard to turn, try injecting or spraying some lubricant AROUND (not into) the lock cylinder. There is no VATS on an '86, so there really isn't a lot you can harm.

You'll probably eventually want to get into the steering column anyway. If I got the car under your circumstances, I would change the ignition lock cylinder just to make sure the previous owner doesn't return after you get everything repaired and running great, then drive off with your new project. That would make a great episode for Judge Judy, for sure.

You should realize that while the lock cylinder is mounted on the upper portion of the column, the actual ignition switch is located on the lower portion of the column, near your feet. The cylinder is connected to the switch via linkage rods. If you happen to have a tilt column, try moving the column up and down to see if it operates better in a different position (possible linkage problems).

Was the interior of the car exposed to rain/moisture, by any chance?

 

not that i know of...

 

Please check this summarized thread for information and replies: https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=150440