CherryRellik
Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2009
- Messages
- 25
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Cape Coral, FL
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2000 XLT
Hi guys. This is my second post on this forum. Thought I'd share this with you. Hopefully it can save some of you some money just like it saved me.
I bought my 2000 Ranger with only one chipped key. After locking it in the truck three times, and subsequently figuring out three different ways to break into my truck, I decided it was time to have copies made. I went to a local hardware store, and they wanted $125 to make me a copy. My jaw hit the floor when they told me that. So I started looking around. Seemed my local Ford stealership could do it for about $90. Still way too expensive for me, so I talked to the guys at the parts counter. It seems that there's a ring around the ignition that reads your chipped key when you put it in the ignition. If it reads the right code, then it allows your truck to start. If the chip is not there, or it's the wrong one, no dice.
Armed with this info, I went to Home Depot and had them cut me a key for a buck-fifty. Then, in their parking lot, I took my dash apart. I pulled out the ignition and then unscrewed the ring that reads the key. It's attached to a wire that runs back into the dash. I zip-tied my chipped key into it, and dropped it back inside the dash. Now my truck is constantly reading the signal from my chipped key. Once I put everything back together, I inserted the non-chipped key, and started my truck with it. Now I can make copies of my key that WILL START MY TRUCK for less than two bucks. Granted, I don't have the 'security' that using a chipped key provides, but that's ok, I keep my doors locked.
Sorry, I didn't have the presence of mind to take pics while I was doing this. I wasn't even sure it would work until I was finished. It's super easy to do, and only takes about twenty mins, including putting everything back together.
I went back to that Ford dealership, and you should have seen the looks on the faces of the mechanics there when I told them I started and drove my truck to their dealership with the non-chipped key in my hand.
So that's it. This is a nice little hack that will save you tons of money when it comes to having new keys made for your truck. Enjoy!
I bought my 2000 Ranger with only one chipped key. After locking it in the truck three times, and subsequently figuring out three different ways to break into my truck, I decided it was time to have copies made. I went to a local hardware store, and they wanted $125 to make me a copy. My jaw hit the floor when they told me that. So I started looking around. Seemed my local Ford stealership could do it for about $90. Still way too expensive for me, so I talked to the guys at the parts counter. It seems that there's a ring around the ignition that reads your chipped key when you put it in the ignition. If it reads the right code, then it allows your truck to start. If the chip is not there, or it's the wrong one, no dice.
Armed with this info, I went to Home Depot and had them cut me a key for a buck-fifty. Then, in their parking lot, I took my dash apart. I pulled out the ignition and then unscrewed the ring that reads the key. It's attached to a wire that runs back into the dash. I zip-tied my chipped key into it, and dropped it back inside the dash. Now my truck is constantly reading the signal from my chipped key. Once I put everything back together, I inserted the non-chipped key, and started my truck with it. Now I can make copies of my key that WILL START MY TRUCK for less than two bucks. Granted, I don't have the 'security' that using a chipped key provides, but that's ok, I keep my doors locked.
Sorry, I didn't have the presence of mind to take pics while I was doing this. I wasn't even sure it would work until I was finished. It's super easy to do, and only takes about twenty mins, including putting everything back together.
I went back to that Ford dealership, and you should have seen the looks on the faces of the mechanics there when I told them I started and drove my truck to their dealership with the non-chipped key in my hand.
So that's it. This is a nice little hack that will save you tons of money when it comes to having new keys made for your truck. Enjoy!