cliffyk

First, the instrument cluster and the PCM have to be a matched pair each having the same security ID that was programmed at the factory-are they?

If not then you will have to either have Ford "marry" the two, or have PATS disabled in the tune.

There is no other option. The PCM "looks for" a properly formatted SAE J1850 message being sent from the instrument cluster to the PCM, via the SCP (Serial Communications Protocol) data bus, that tells it it's OK to allow the engine to start.

PATS was purposely designed to make stealing the car a real hassle, and despite all the anecdotal reports of how "my 3rd cousin and I can steal your car in 23 seconds" it does that quite well--which is why theft insurance is pretty cheap on what would otherwise be expensive to insure cars...

zero2005

stand alone fuel/spark management ftw.

cliffyk

^ That is of course an alternative, there are quite a few running the MegaSquirt on modulars.

I ran one on my 15psi M-60 1.6L Miata after I burst a fuel line running 140psi+ to get the biggest injectors the OEM computer could handle to deliver enough fuel...

zero2005

i will be joining those ranks of the ones running a megasquirt eventually. i had to tap into the budget i had setup for that though to help pay off some of the bills of my blown motor... in the end, stage 1 heads + cams won out

i think ford should offer free service to disable pats on older vehicles... i say take it to them and tell them to disable it! if someone really wanted your car bad enough, they would steal it some other way...

Dj96cnvrtblgt

My car is type A pats, only needs one key of key type 1, and no starter disable...so now my question is...after the dealer said tow it in, give'm a $100.00 for a computer diagnosis and then they could tell me what it'll cost.....couldnt I just power the fuel pump and install an MSD Ignition box for less? I've installed one before but it was on a carb'd stang so I'm not sure if it's apples and oranges ? The theft light is flashing out a 1:6 code...fault between pats and eecv....

zero2005

yea but what would fire the injectors...? if pats is faulting it would basically keep the EEC from doing anything? and MSD boxes are expensive.

if you wanna keep it stock, you might wanna find another shop that could possible fix it. if not and your good at wiring/soldering, consider a stand alone ECU. megasquirt is a DIY setup. their MS-I can control fuel and spark, and is probably the best budget ECU on the market (assuming you can solder). MS-2 has some slightly more advanced features with a bit higher "resolution" for fuel maps. the only thing the stock ECU would be needed for would be the original gauges, and if you have an auto trans to control that.

they also have prebuilt units, then you just gotta figure out the wiring.

there's also other options, but they're usually in the 1000+ range. a full fledged MS-2 setup with wideband can be done for half that, and a really budget setup can be done for the price of a handheld.

cliffyk

As zero2005 said the injectors will still be disabled--even if they were not you would end up with a horribly bastardised system that would be next to impossible to tune. And I doubt very much it would cost any less than having a dealer straighten things out.

What is your overall goal? If the stock PCM meets those needs then get it fixed up; if not forget it and move on to an after market engine control system--keep in mind however that such systems can be a real PITA to get setup if you plan an putting together a "streetable" vehicle...

Repzard

Would using a remote car starter or module from one work on disabling the P.A.T.S ?
I thought I read something on it working once

zero2005

found a post about a focus that said a locksmith disabled pats on his system, and made him 4 spare regular keys for 120$. might wanna check that out. give a couple places some calls. cant hurt to call and ask right?

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/s...d.php?t=172424

Dj96cnvrtblgt

Thanks...everybody....good info...I guess I'll do some goggling on megasquirt and make some calls 