What does the spare tire key for a 2002 ford f250 look like?

Answer 1

The key is a cylinder about 2-3 inches long that has a hole in one end that fits on the end of the jack extension rod. The other end has a six-lobed pattern that fits into a key in the spare tire winch (at the end of a plastic tube reached via a hole in the rear bumper). There are multiple patterns for these keys, the chance of randomly finding one at a junkyard or borrowing one that fits your truck is slim. These things are a pain in the butt and the best solution if you lose one or buy a truck without one is to remove the lock. Fortunately this is easy to do. Just buy a cheap 9/16 six-point socket (has to be hex, any other type won't fit) get enough extensions to reach the lock and have several inches extend out from the hole in the bumper when the socket is against the lock. Whack it smartly several times with a heavy hammer. At this point the socket should be driven over the key and the tire can be lowered with an ordinary rachet. Once the tire is down, remove the plastic tube by prying loose the tabs over the ears on the winch with a screwdriver and now the lock can be pried out of the winch (there is a shoulder on the lock you can get behind) with a screwdriver. Throw it away. Now you can raise or lower your tire with the jack extensions and handle. The jack extension will now fit into the hole left by the lock removal. If you have trouble prying out the lock, just remove the winch by undoing the two bolts holding it in place and work with it out in the open. The last one I did took about 15 minutes. ---ASE Certified Master Automotive/HD Truck Tech (maybe that makes this easier)