theft light stays blinking

[murphy1600]

Hey everyone! I have a '98 explorer sport with a couple issues, first of all the theft light in the dash blinks constantly after I shut down the motor, I looked thru the window to check it 15 minutes after I shut it down and it was still blinking, any ideas? and by the way is there any way to bypass the securilock ignition system? I recently lost one of my keys on a fishing trip and I heard it would cost around $120. to replace it. I have a bad habit of losing keys and I don't want to have to fork out $120. every time I lose my keys!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
THANKS, Dave

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Dave, the theft light should blink every few seconds when the vehicle is parked. That's normal. Just gives the thieves something to think about.

I don't think the PATS system can be easily bypassed. You can program your own spare key if you have two other ones that work. If you only have one, the dealer will have to program a spare, and then with two you can program a third, or up to eight, IIRC. The dealer charged me $55 for one, but that was about 3 years ago.

 

[murphy1600]

Thank You R.O.E., I really appreciate your help on everything!

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

You're welcome, glad to help.

The key programming procedure has been posted on this board, and you can find it by doing a search. It involves inserting the different keys, turning off and on, etc......