keyless entry help

[redexplorer5.0]

my 2001 mercury mountaineer keyless entry has a problem when i first got the truck i only got one original key
with no fob
i had two fobs brand new from my old truck not program
i have a second blank original key i ordered online i haven't got it cut and programed yet
i programed one remote and it unlocks and lock the truck the
but the theft light just blinks when i lock the doors its not steady and the alarm is not set
what can be the problem thank you
p.s the keyless on the drivers side door works also but wont set the alarm either

 

[koda2000]

On a 2001, yes the theft like just blinks all the time. If the doors are locked the alarm is set. The theft light should blink roughly ever 2 seconds. That's normal. You have no problem.

 

[redexplorer5.0]

thats the thing ill keep the window open set the alarm wait 5 mins open the door from the inside handle the alarm wont go off

 

[koda2000]

thats the thing ill keep the window open set the alarm wait 5 mins open the door from the inside handle the alarm wont go off

That's correct. Under those circumstances the vehicle assumes someone was sitting in the truck and just wants to get out. The alarm will not go off if you open the door using the inside handle.

On the 2001 the Passive Anti Theft systems (PATS) mainly relies on recognizing the correct RF transponder key to allow the PCM to turn on the fuel injectors to prevent theft. IDK under what circumstances (if any) the system blows the horn. In 7 years of owning multiple Explorer's and Mountaineers the only time I've ever set the horn alarm off was while opening the hood on our '97 (which was pre-PATS and had a mechanical switch under the hood) or when my grandson pushes the PANIC button on the key fob. I've never read the owner's manual to see exactly what should set off the horn alarm, but your's sounds completely normal. I suggest you read your owner's manual for more info. If someone wants something out of your vehicle they usually just bust out a window, reach in and take it. The best solution is to not leave valuables in your vehicle, but from what I see on the news most nights people are to dumb to do this. In the Atlanta area a week doesn't go by that some dumb-ass doesn't get there vehicle stolen at the gas station (often when there children still in the vehicle) because they leave the engine running with doors open while they pump fuel and/or go into the gas station. If you ask me these people should be charged with child endangerment and basic stupidity (but that's another rant).

 

[Turdle]

With doors unlocked-push the lock button on the FOB 2 times, the horn should chirp once with the second push of the lock button. If you get 2 horn chirps there is an issue and the PATS is not set.

 

[koda2000]

With doors unlocked-push the lock button on the FOB 2 times, the horn should chirp once with the second push of the lock button. If you get 2 horn chirps there is an issue and the PATS is not set.

If you hear 2 chirps the truck thinks a door is not closed (even though they may all appear to be closed). I've had this happen with my lift-gate on occasion. All the doors and the lift-gate have small switches on their latches which indicate when the doors are closed. If a door is not closed the DOOR AJAR light should be on.

 

[redexplorer5.0]

i did everything Turdle said
doors unlocked-push the lock button on the FOB 2 times the horn did chirp once
the theft light should stay on for 30 sec then start blink every second or so after the you set the alarm right

mine does not do that do that

 

[koda2000]

i did everything Turdle said
doors unlocked-push the lock button on the FOB 2 times the horn did chirp once
the theft light should stay on for 30 sec then start blink every second or so after the you set the alarm right

mine does not do that do that

No, the theft light should not stay lit for 30 seconds before returning to it's normal 2 second blinking pattern. The theft light only blinks quickly if you try to use the wrong ignition key or if there's a PATS problem.

 

[redexplorer5.0]

koda
when you shut you truck off the theft light blinks
when you close the door you set the alarm the light stay steady for a couple of seconds and blinks after right
when i had my 98 explorer i would shut the door and set the alarm the theft light would say steady and start to blink when it was fully armed

my 2001 does not do that
p.s im not trying to be a wisea@@

 

[koda2000]

koda
when you shut you truck off the theft light blinks
when you close the door you set the alarm the light stay steady for a couple of seconds and blinks after right
when i had my 98 explorer i would shut the door and set the alarm the theft light would say steady and start to blink when it was fully armed

my 2001 does not do that
p.s im not trying to be a wisea@@

All 5 of my 2000/2001 Explorers/Mountaineers behave in the following manner:
- walk up to truck and the theft light is blinking ever 2 seconds
- open door, theft light continues blinking every 2 seconds
- insert key, the theft light blinks every 2 seconds. Door open or closed doesn't matter.
- key ON, the theft light goes off
- turn key OFF and remove, theft light off but begins blinking after a second or two
- The theft light is NEVER on steady (other than during the bulb check).

I have nothing more to add to this subject. Nothing you've said leads me to believe you have a problem. I've never had a '98 so I can't comment on how they behaved. Have you read the owner's manual?

 

[Turdle]

I think the 98 PATS is different, as I seem to recall sitting in our 98, in a campsite one night, trying to be secretive in my actions, accidentally set the alarm and when I opened the door from the inside the alarm went off. My 2000 will not do this. I might add my 2000 theft light flashes whether it is set or unlocked.

 

[r1cardo97]

My 99 works the same way as 00 and makes me a little worried, I don't recall we have ever set the alarm off by accident; I get the solid horn chirp pressing the button twice on the remote; so I just started working at a new company (which is in a kind of problematic area of the city), parking lot is full so I have to park on the street two times a week while parking pass waitlist moves up, I tried to set the alarm off a few times at home and I never got any response so I'm scared to not find my Explorer every day I leave it on the street...

This is what I tried:
1) Unlocking with the key in the door while it is "armed", not pressing any button on the fob or keypad. (Don't know if this has to do with the code on the key)
2) Opening one of the doors with the handle inside (didn't know about this didn't trigger the system).

I'm wondering if pulling one of back door locks and opening it from outside would set it off, but I havent tried it yet.

I'll be glad to hear if someone found a way to trigger the alarm system without having to literally force your way in.

 

[DintDobbs]

@r1cardo97 This thread is from 2016, but that is an interesting topic. If you have the factory owner's manual, perhaps it will tell you what sort of tampering would set off the alarm.

I disabled the alarm on both of my Explorers using the power lock switch - perhaps you would do well to verify that your alarm is truly enabled before attempting to trigger it.

 

[r1cardo97]

@r1cardo97 This thread is from 2016, but that is an interesting topic. If you have the factory owner's manual, perhaps it will tell you what sort of tampering would set off the alarm.

I disabled the alarm on both of my Explorers using the power lock switch - perhaps you would do well to verify that your alarm is truly enabled before attempting to trigger it.

Tbh we lost the owner's manual in a move 8 years ago; I downloaded one online and doesn't mention anything related, if it isn't too much trouble, how do you verify that? I didn't know you could deactivate it though...

 

[DintDobbs]

@r1cardo97 Let me find mine and I'll post up pics of the instructions, and anything else useful I can find in there about it.

 

[DintDobbs]

 

[DintDobbs]

 

[DintDobbs]

I thought that there was included in this section some way to enable and disable a tempering alarm, but looking over the index, I didn't see any mention made of any anti-theft ALARM system. The PATS section makes no mention of any tampering alarms. The remote control's panic alarm function is detailed in its own section.

 

[DintDobbs]

Not all features listed in this manual apply to every trim line. Both of my Explorers ('99 Sport and '00 Limited) included the same manual with purchase, even though they have very different features.

 

[r1cardo97]

Not all features listed in this manual apply to every trim line. Both of my Explorers ('99 Sport and '00 Limited) included the same manual with purchase, even though they have very different features.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post these pictures, reading those pages I confirmed I have autolock activated, however it kinda scares me that no manual for the 99 model mentions something about an actual alarm besides panic button on the remote; I just went to Ford website and checked the 98 Explorer manual and it does mention a Perimeter Alarm System (which doesnt appear in the 99 manual), it makes me think 99 to 01 Explorers are not equipped with a Perimeter Alarm System.