Ford Antitheft Immobilizer - Flashing Car Symbol With Paddle Lock

[SteveWK]

I'll try to make this as short as possible.

Left my keys in the ignition over night and drained the battery. Put charger on and while it was charging jacked up the rear of the car to do some wrenching. Car alarm kept going off and I just cancelled it with my FOB. Lowered car and tried to start it. Dash lit up with every single idiot light available and a flashing car symbol with paddle lock on it. Not understanding what the problem was, I thought it was the battery. Replaced battery, same result. Did some digging and found out the flashing car symbol with the paddle lock means the car's anti theft immobilizer is active. Anybody know how to clear this?

But the problems don't stop there. While driving it the day before the Service Advance Trac warning kept popping up and I also noticed my ngauge would lose connection with the car. Also, after scanning for codes, P260F was logged - evaporative system monitoring processor performance. This is set when the PCM detects a problem with its own hardware, an internal fault. Before these problem showed up I had reflashed the PCM and drove it maybe 10 miles. I tried to reflash it today but my ngauge will not connect with the car. Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can find anything electrically wrong with the car, but in all probability it will be towed to Ford. Fortunately I think the PCM is covered under warranty for 8 years as an emissions device.

 

[beau t]

got this from another site not sure it will help but no one else has posted anything
Disarming the System

You can disarm the system by any of the following actions

•Unlock the doors by using the remote entry transmitter portion of

your integrated key head transmitter.

•Turn ignition to the on position with a valid programmed SecuriLock

key or integrated key head transmitter.

•Press the panic control on the remote entry transmitter portion of

your integrated key head transmitter. This will only shut off the horn

and turn lamps when the alarm is sounding. The alarm system will still

be armed.


•Use a key in the driver’s door to unlock the vehicle.


Pressing the power door unlock control within the 20 second prearmed

mode will return the vehicle to a disarmed state.

 

[SteveWK]

Thanks for the information. I just let it sit for a few days and it started. Drove it for a bit and then reloaded the tune and got the same PATS problem. Let it sit for a few hours and it started. Drove it again and noticed my boost gauge was wildly wrong plus the oil pressure said it was low, but a quick blip of the throttle and that was gone. I was seeing 9-10 psi of boost with the throttle closed while decelerating. Basically nothing on the instrument panel could be trusted. Very odd indeed. Got two new DTCs, P1602 immobilizer ECM communication error and P1639 Vehicle ID block corrupted or missing. It's going to FORD today. I have a new PCM on order from Autonation. Hopefully it something simple like a loose ground.

 

[SteveWK]

It apparently has self corrected. I did find some serious vacuum leaks which can only be blamed on me, namely the passenger side EGV was not plugged in and the frickin' PMAS tubing had slid off the bottom side of the throttle body. Part of that silicon coupler is on tapered tubing and it tends to slide off a lot. I reflashed the PCM 3 times and the PATS system seems to be happy now. The previous two reflashes would activate in immobilizer and brick the car. Seems to all be back to normal. I need to find a better way to connect the PMAS tubing or get some better tubbing. This isn't the first time it has slid off.

 

[SteveWK]

Deleted. Alcohol inspired post that was complete gibberish lol.

Steve

 

[SteveWK]

So, the car just got towed home thanks to the antitheft system not letting me start the car again. One of the modules on the CAN Bus is either creating a lot of noise on the bus thus not allowing the antitheft system to communicate or one of the antitheft modules is bad. There is a long back story to this whole problem that I won't go into, but I think the vehicle dynamics module/computer is puking out gibberish on the CAN Bus. Tomorrow I am going to verify the antitheft system is still active and then I'm going to disconnect the vehicle dynamics module and see if it starts.

 

[SteveWK]

Tried to start car this morning and the antitheft system was still active. Disconnected the VDM and it starts right up. Reconnected the VDM and it still starts up.