Thought I would share this story with you. Yesterday, I had to go out during my lunch to run some errands for the wife. Got in the truck and it wouldn't start...fast blinking theft light. I disconnected the battery, waited a few minutes and tried again. Crap! I had no idea what was going on so I jumped on f150online and did some searching. It was very obvious that I was not the first person to have this problem, it was some kind of PATS failure. The theft light gave me a code of 16. I printed out every posted trick I could find and tried them all throughout the day. No go. I had an extra key at home so I left my truck at work and caught a ride home with a co-worker. Today, I get in and try the new key....no go. I tried a few more tricks I had found and none helped. I had called a friend of mine who owns a couple of used car lots (the guy I got the truck from). He called around to 3 different Ford service depts that he does business with and none of them knew anything about code 16 or how I got it from the theft light (found this out on f150online). I did the trick to get DTC codes on the odometer but there were no codes concerning the theft system. All hope was finally lost so I called a tow truck to haul me to the dealership. It was kind of a pain because I was in a parking garage that has a carded gate on the 5th floor. The gate is smart so I had to get a co-worker to drive onto the weight sensor so I could scan my card so it would think I had left. Had to do this so I could use my card to get the tow truck in. The tow truck finally makes it to my truck. The driver gets my keys, gets in and cranked it up immediately!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO PROBLEM WHAT SO EVER!!!!!!! I was like, you gotta be kidding me! I tried it several more times while he was there and it worked like a champ. The driver said that I wouldn't believe how often this exact situation has happened to him. I have no idea what I did that fixed it (I tried everything I could find and nothing helped). I believe the very last thing I did was bring up the DTC codes on the odometer but I don't think that would have done anything.

Anyway, if you ever have problems with PATS keeping your truck from starting, try everything then wait. I did wait between the different things I tried as suggested on this wonderful forum.

Greg

 

Hi Greg,

I got a spare key from the dealer and just to see what would happen put it in and tried to start.
The Pats took the system out of operation just like you had experienced.
Indeed the wait peroid is what needs to be endured.
How long I don't know but I suspect a timer is set to make sure the truck can't be stolen within a reasonable amount of time and resets after some period allowing the use of a legal key.
I did procede to do the key programming after that, without a problem.

In your case it's anybody's guess as to what happened from a close by two-way radio to some other reason.

www.afba.org
Take care.

 

Well, I have some good news and some bad news to follow up on. Bad news is it happened again. It's been running/cranking fine but I went in Walmart for 5 minutes, and my truck wouldn't start, same thing with the theft light blinking rapidly. Now for the good news. After my experience the other day and thinking that the last thing I did before the tow truck arrived was to run the dtc codes on the odometer, I decided to try that again. I did the trick to get the codes on the odometer, ran through all of the displays and tried cranking again. Cranked right up. So, for everyone else that gets stranded by PATS, this is another trick to try. More bad news is that I have to take it in and get it fixed permenantly. Ugh.

Greg

 

The PATS light flashing does not indicate DTCs. When it flashes, it's only telling you that the engine was disabled. You've probably got a transceiver problem, or maybe a key that's flaking out. You don't have any large metal objects on your keychain with your ignition key either, do you? No mini credit cards or Speedpass thingies or anything like that? These may interrupt the transponder signal to the transceiver.

 

Quintin brings up some good points. A few things that can really create some PITA time with PATS.

Mobile Speed pass. There was a TSB on this back when Ford started with PATS, and actually added it to the owners manual. The 01 manual has the text on page 64, about having a speed pass on the same ring, as well as items key fob building passes.

Another Ford key on the same ring as your truck key with also cause problems.

Fod suggests having these not on the same ring, which I did with my speed pass, and I got in the habit of holding cupped in my right hand, and my crank no starts went away.

Usually after the first one, waiting I would wait 1 min, and make sure not not have anything else by the key that I was starting the truck with.

Bad news, this could be an indication that the HEC is going south in the truck. Not a pretty sight, that is where the PATS codes used to be stored, at least prior to 2004. newer ones, I have not looked into yet.

I would suggest 3 things :
1. Start using your 2nd key that came with the truck.
2. Get a new PATS key cut, and program it for your truck, instructions are in the owners manual for this procedure.
3. keep only your ign key on a small ring, and any other keys or speed pass / RFID tags on a seperate ring, that you can cup in your right hand ( with your middle, ring, and pinky fingers ) and turn the ign key with your index finger and thumb.

That is about all I can offer at the moment. Try those 3 things, and keep an eye on it, and see if it happens still, prior to letting the dealer do something with the HEC.

Good luck, hope it turns out to be an easy fix.

 

SScully, there's nothing like you mentioned on my key ring or in the vicinity. Both of my keys are having the same problem. I waited overnight and tried my other key and had the same problem. Quintin, when I was talking about DTC codes I was talking about the trick where you press and hold the odometer reset then turn the key to on to get tests and codes on the digital odometer (I don't know what all doing this does but it made the truck crankable both times that it has been disabled). I wasn't saying that I was getting them from the flashing theft light. I know the flashing meant that I was disabled. After about a minute the theft light does blink a code which mine was 16. I couldn't find anything about 16. I took it to the dealership today Forgive my ignorance but what is HEC?

Thanks,
Greg

 

Hm, I can't find any reference to DTC "16" in the workshop manual, although generally speaking if the theft light is flashing any differently than very rapidly, it means a communication problem somewhere between the key, the PCM and/or the instrument cluster.

HEC is Ford speak for the instrument cluster, stands for Hybrid Electronic Cluster.

 

I don't have any factory info on this specific indication but it seems you found something little known (here at least) if the theft lite blinks a code in this situation.
I have code info on the dash DTC indicators.
There are references to 5 codes involving the PATS system transceiver, keys and wiring.
These should be looked at when there is a problem as possibly it will give a leed to the problem that is being detected.
Look for 'dtc' codes A103 or 9232, 9600, 9601, 9602 and 9681.
Hope this might give you something to go on.

Maybe Quintin can add some info to this either yeh or nay.

 

Try the following site: http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/pats.htm It gives some insight into trouble codes including 16. I don't know if they are applicable to the F150 though.

 

I'd have to look it up, but I thought it was not an EEC V anymore. I thought the new PCM with the HEC replaced EEC V. I'll have to try to take a look through the old posts, and see if I can confirm this Take it with a huge grain of salt at the moment.

 

I found info about the theft light blinking out a code here https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=101705 from buschman. Mine blinks 16. When I ran the dtc codes on the odometer there were no codes shown that were specific to any kind of pats problem. Like I said though, both times I did the odometer trick, it fixed the problem so maybe it does something that cleared the problem before I actually got to the codes (there are several tests before you get to the codes).

HEC replacement sounds bad and expensive. Being that it will probably not have any problems while at the dealership, they will probably want to replace this rather than the transceiver since it is so much more expensive! intermittent problems suck!

I want to extend a thank you to everyone who responded. I had originally posted this thread just as a "here's what happened to me" cause there seems to be quite a few of us that have had pats problems. I'm convienced that running the odometer tests (actually called HEC Dealer test mode) temporarily fixed the inability to start my truck both times. If that helps at least one other person that might get stranded by this, I'm happy.

jpdadeo has great information on this in https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=220856


Thanks again,
Greg

 

One quick question in one of you're posts I read the term "crankable" when pats is active the truck will crank normaly but will not start, it does not stop the engine from cranking over. A second question, have you had the truck from new could any one have installed a remote start on the truck, remote starts use a pats bypass that can have many ill effects on starting. they do not properly work with a pats system, they only fool the pats to think ther is a key in the system.

 

The after market ones usually have a key head under the steering column, the Ford Silver and Gold remote starters have a PATS bypass ring that is looped around the key.
By the Ford documentation, the PATS bypass ring, only has power after the remote start has been triggered, this stops someone with a door key from starting the truck ( or a key pick ).

Just a bit of FYI, but you are correct in bringing up with question, I had not thought of it. That would be a PITA. Needing a WD system to erase all the keys from the HEC, and start over.

 

Sorry, it does crank but it will not start. I got it used but I'm quite sure there is nothing non-ford on it.

Greg

 

Well...picked up my truck from the dealership today. $303 to replace the tranceiver. I hope that fixes it.

Greg