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
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sounds more like time to install a new battery
ExpeditionAndy
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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.
ExpeditionAndy
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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.
Bedrck47
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You may want to disconnect the battery for about half an hour Then reconnect and try again to start
Bedrck47
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Just curious Did you make any changes in the steering column or instrument cluster or disconnect any wiring for either?
Bedrck47
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Have you changed the battery or still using that 10 year old battery
ExpeditionAndy
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Before you do anything else, If you have a battery charger, I would throw that on for a couple of hours and then try to start it again. I read something about a low battery could cause a similar problem. It is worth a try before you spend any money.
Once the light starts flashing slowly again, I would try reading the codes and see if you get anything.
Once the light starts flashing slowly again, I would try reading the codes and see if you get anything.
Bedrck, I did go through every fuse one by one with my tester. Specifically,climate control, seat heating and cooling, dash cluster, igniton and transmission is what started it. Went to make a few minor fixes for comfort and visibility for my wife. After I saw the condition of those fuses and their contacts I decided it was a good time to test them all. Most tested good so a little clean up and back in they went. I did not disconnect the battery for this just in case I needed to confirm power to location. It was after this that the pats engaged and told me to f*#! Right off.
Expeditionandy- I have a charger but the damn battery is still good. Voltage is still right where it should be. I did a lot of research before joining this forum. There are a lot of things that can cause this. At this point I believe I made the vehicle forget which key it uses.
Expeditionandy- I have a charger but the damn battery is still good. Voltage is still right where it should be. I did a lot of research before joining this forum. There are a lot of things that can cause this. At this point I believe I made the vehicle forget which key it uses.
Bedrck47
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well being you say that the 10 year old battery is still good I won't bring it up again
Ok everyone, sorry it took so long. Work and family took a lot of my attention. I did a lot of testing on this vehicle and have now confirmed it's the pcm. I get full voltage to the unit and none coming out. Ordered a replacement pcm for less than $200 dollars from FS1. It will be a $65 dollar service call to have a locksmith sync the keys. After talking to ford a sure way to know it's the pcm is mileage to empty or odometer in the message center will read as dashes and you will not be able establish conection with obd scanner. I tested the wiring harness and pin connections ultimately getting full voltage to the pcm and not one bit coming out. When the new one gets here I will pull the old one out completely and see if there is anything fried internally. Thanks everyone. Turns out the pats system was doing its job after the computer failed.
Bedrck47
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Although this may be a method to check fuses it is not the best way
You do not need to pull all the fuses to test them most can be tested while installed in the fuse box
and you really need to leave the battery connected
Using a VOLT meter with the fuse in the circuit will prove the fuse is good and will also prove that you have the proper voltage for the circuit.
See the attached link
http://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/fuse-testing-101.24587/
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