2000 3.0 sport edition.
- Please read all. thank you in advance.
- Problem is my truck wont start plain and simple. the theft system IS engaged and wont let the engine turn over; of this i am positive. there is a slight clicking in the cab...like a relay that keeps turning over. I have done nothing to the electrical sysytem at all and as of recently this "problem" has been happening more and more often. i already pulled the theft fuse and i have tried to reset the battery and have even tried waiting the theft system out. any other options? wire cutting? anything? my truck has been OOC all day and im worried. i dont want to go to ford and have to pay out my bunghole to get it reflashed. thank you guys

 

I'm not too smart with this kind of thing but have you checked all of your grounds under the hood?


GB :)

 

yes, as many as i know of haha, but i will go through tm and throughly check them all. thank you for replying. sucks dude, truck still is just sitting there...so sad

 

You should get some more replies soon. Everyone is out for new years celebrations tonight. Hopefully someone with a more intimate knowledge of the PATS system will chime in tomorrow.



GB :)

 

Park /neutral safety switch not actuating properly ?
Try taking it out and back in to park a few times. Also try starting in neutral.

 

Would this safety switch cause theft system to enagage? thanks i will go try this. however I do believe PATS is not letting my vehicle reciieve any charge from the battery. guy at ford said 62$ for new pats chip and key and 80$ for a flash of ECU...

 

Bumping this thread for the OP. It's got me curious..

Any other thoughts anyone??



GB :)

 

The PATS system won't cause a clicking noise. THat's something else IMO.

 

On my 01 the theft system will let the engine start but will die within about 2 seconds. The clicking sound acts like a weak battery. Charge the battery good and retry or just jump it with another battery.
Charles

 

I had issues with a week battery not too long ago. My doors would lock as soon as I tried to open them.

The two issues might not be related, but it might help. Try and get your battery checked out.

 

ok so update:
let truck sit with no battery at all all night. woke up. took battery out of shelf and charged it completely. after charge had truck towed to adance and diagnostic tested. all is ok except for faulty MAF readings. no biggy for this problem. battery tested "ok" at autoz, advance, and wally world; except there was a reading of - 1.2 amps so there is a small drain. so I went ahead and checked all major grounds on the vehicle. cleaned almost all i could find. ended up buying a new ground from negative terminal to engine block (kept stock as well, just wired them both up). and she started up. idk if this was due to the time i just let it sit with no electricity running through it or new grounds but it worked.

also: the clicking actually is a sort of "breaker" like in your house. as you sit in your vehicle and try to use your radio it will come on then get shut off as the power gets cut off then come right back on. this is what led me to the idea that there was a short via a ground and the PATS system was detecting it. thank you all. im thinking of making a sticky on how to defuse this PATS system because after a lot of research it seems to be as easy as pulling a few fuses in certain orders and sniping a few wires. ill get on it, thank you

 

it sounds like you reset the alarm, and it de activated. i have this problem in my dads mustang. i would have suggested set your alarm off, then shut it off as you normally would.

 

but the alarm never goes off, i dont understand it at all but some how it all worked

 

If I had to guess, I'd say it was a ground issue like I had mentioned. Keep us updated if anything happens in the future.

Also, I don't think the PATS system is that simple to deactivate. Talk to a qualified Ford mechanic.


GB :)

 

i know for a fact that if you try and turn the ignition with a properly cut key that is not programmed with PATS the "theft" light just blinks fast , you get no clicks at all... how do I know? The previous owner had a normal key cut for the truck, and it will do just this. For this reason the key I am speaking of only unlocks/locks my doors. I lock myself out on purpose with the truck warming up on winter mornings and use this key to get back in the truck.

 

i have the same spare key with no chip in it. and my actual PATS key. but when i called ford he said there is one of two options: let it sit or possibly fry the ECU and have it towed to get re-flashed. then I asked about the clicking, he said there should be clicking but it should be so quiet I shouldnt hear it. idk, well its fixed for now, ill throw up another thread if it comes up again
- thank you guys

 

that guy sounds like an idiot. Your PATS key should disable it when it gets near the sensor. so, could be an electrical problem going to the sensor.

 

Buy yourself another PATS key off of Ebay for cheap if you only have one. Then have Ford program it for you. It might come in handy in the future. You need two PATS keys.



GB :)