Ok I have an 07 expedition that my wife drives. She said its had a hard time starting so I went out to take a look. I tried to start it and had to crank it 3 times to get it to fire. The first two times it would stay cranking until I removed the key. Fuel pump is nine months old and pressure is great. Fuel filter was changed as per routine maintenance two weeks ago. Before going and buying spark plugs and coil packs I decided to check fuses and relays. Wife mentioned her heated and cooled seats didn't work anymore, dim lighting on the stereo display and no lighting for the gear selector as well, so with all that in mind I pulled every fuse and relay one at a time and replaced a small handful. Now the problem starts. After replacing and checking fuses and relays I went to start it and the PATS indicator on the dash cluster is blinking like it's a cop ready to pull me over. So naturally I jump online to see what I can learn. I tried the ignition switch key reset. But that didn't work. All that happens is a faint click from the interior fuse panel when I turn the key. I did notice that after about a minute the light stops yelling at me and begins a slower blink. I can only think that these slower blinks are trouble codes. Anyone know how to determine the flashing code or fix this problem? It's a first for me.
PATS on 07 expedition
- Thread starter Greensick
- Start date
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Start with the basics, clean the battery terminals and battery clamps. The dim light and lack off sound like a lack of power and low voltage may be the cause for the pats system to fail. If you have access to a good scanner. Scan The Whole vehicle for codes. If there are low voltage codes then start with the basics ( see above)
Thanks Mike,
Have to bring my meter home from work tomorrow to test battery voltage, wouldn't surprise me if it was low and/or starting to fail. It's the factory installed battery from 07 and there has been some hot weather recently. Terminals had a little build up but wasn't bad. If the voltage turns out to be low I will test the cells.
Have to bring my meter home from work tomorrow to test battery voltage, wouldn't surprise me if it was low and/or starting to fail. It's the factory installed battery from 07 and there has been some hot weather recently. Terminals had a little build up but wasn't bad. If the voltage turns out to be low I will test the cells.
Bedrck47
Full Access Members
sounds more like time to install a new battery
The other thing to check is if you have a code reader, see if it is throwing any codes as that might give you a better idea of where start looking. If it's cranking and not starting, your battery is probably still good (but no doubt it's at end of life at 7 years old). You might have plugged or clogged injectors with fuel not reaching the cylinders, or in the old days I'd say low or no spark but with COPs that's less likely.
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The battery is ten years old. It's had a real good run. Things were ok except hard start until I pulled fuses. Before the pats lock out I got lean mixture code for bank one. That was the only code. Now with pats lockout the obd scanner won't connect. Does anyone know how many blinks mean which code for the pats. Cannot progress without deactivating the pats.
Try this:
The passive anti-theft system (PATS) is installed on every Ford Expedition at the factory. While some erroneously call this system the factory alarm, it really is not an alarm system. The PATS system will arm itself if someone attempts to start the vehicle with anything other than the PATS key programmed to that specific vehicle. Once the system is triggered, the red light on the dash will begin flashing faster than normal and it will remain in this mode until either the proper key is inserted and turned in the ignition or 15 minutes has passed.
The passive anti-theft system (PATS) is installed on every Ford Expedition at the factory. While some erroneously call this system the factory alarm, it really is not an alarm system. The PATS system will arm itself if someone attempts to start the vehicle with anything other than the PATS key programmed to that specific vehicle. Once the system is triggered, the red light on the dash will begin flashing faster than normal and it will remain in this mode until either the proper key is inserted and turned in the ignition or 15 minutes has passed.
- Get into the Expedition and insert the known correct key into the ignition and turn it. If you use a non PATS key, such as one that was cut simply to open the doors from an all-metal key blank, the system will remain armed. If the Expedition starts, then you have disarmed the PATS system. If not, move on to step 2.
- Verify you have the right key. Ford PATS keys have large black plastic, or molded rubber, heads. Inside the head is a transponder chip that is programmed to a certain code so that the PATS transponder in the vehicle recognizes the key. It is possible for a PATS key to lose its programming, but highly unlikely. In the event you are certain you have the correct key, try to start the Expedition with the spare, if you have it. If the Expedition still refuses to start, move on to step 3.
- Wait 15 minutes, until you see the flashing rate on the red light on your dashboard decrease to normal speed and then try both keys again. If this still fails to start the Expedition, raise the hood and disconnect the battery for 15 minutes, then reconnect it and try again. If, after that, you still cannot get the Expedition to start, you will need to have it towed to a Ford service department for further diagnosis by a trained technician.
Tried that last night. The problem here is that, after 45 seconds to 1 minute the fast flash stops, and a slower flash begins. They key still won't start it, I guess I will have to call a lock smith to reprogram it because no way in hell am I towing it to a dealership. Thanks for trying to help everyone. I will let you all know what the fix is as soon as it's handled.
