theft light on 98 ford explorer help

[mhill_1969]

i have a 1998 ford explorer 4x4 i have had issues in the past with my theft light getting stuck not allowing me to start my vehicle. i would move the tilt steering up and down and it would eventually quit blinking allowing me to start it. now it is stuck and i cannot start it at all,
is there a way to disconnect the wiring for the theft system or is it shorted somewhere that i can access and re solder

 

[MrQ]

From what I understand of the PATS system (passive antitheft system) there is a little receiver on the key collar inside the column. It recieves a signal from your key which has a small chip in it. When it senses the key the pats system will unlock the fuel injectors and the engine will start. From what you are describing, it sounds like the receiver has a short in it. It may be as simple as removing the column cover and tracing the wire from the receiver till you find the short. Hope this helps.

 

[mhill_1969]

yeah thats what i was thinking i was going to have to do ive already spent money on a new key to be programmed thinking the chip in my key was bad and that wasnt it so i guess ill pull the column off and see if i can find it thanks for your help

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

Dan is on the right track, the part in question is called the PATS transceiver...it is a device that has a ring (plastic with wire inside) the goes over the ignition cylinder. The transceiver has 4 wires, but i have seen the point in which the wires enter the module from the front go bad and break solder connections. to remove, basically remove the two trim peices, then out the key in the run position, and hit the little release pin and the cylinder will come out. then unscrew the one torx bolt holding the transceiver in and it will slide off. the electrical connector is located further in the dash to the right of the steering wheel. Look at the wire connections and see if any are broke. If it's unrepairable, then a new transceiver is in order, which then you have to take to a dealer (or someone with an NGS and a green card) to do whats called a Parameter Reset, which 'realigns' all the pats parts back together and makes them happy.

 

[mhill_1969]

well lets hope its just the wires and i can re solder them because the other sounds way to expensive!!
thanks for all the help and tips ill try to tackle it this weekend and let you know how it goes