I have a 99 that I don't want to get rid of but it's had many problems from previous owners. The main two are that it has an electric drain that nobody can seem to find, and there is something wrong with the security system that keeps it from starting. The people at the repair shop said the computer probably needed to be reset. I don't know much about cars and the electrical system even less so. Any help would be appreciated.
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- Thread starter Razorcorp
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If it has an aftermarket security system that prevents it from starting, then the starter **** probably breaks the ignition circuit. You'll have to rip out the brain of the alarm system and try to piece back the wires that should mate to each other w/o the **** switch in place. Depending on the alarm, sometimes there will be a button that you push to defeat the starter **** and it will allow the car to start. Such **** switches can be under the dash, or concealed by the center console. I hid my **** switch on my '73 Charger by replacing the hot on my cig lighter with a ground that would complete the circuit so I could start my car. I always had to have my cig lighter pushed in (like it was energizing to light a cig) until I parked it and wanted to engage the **** switch, at which point I'd pop it out like 'normal'. If someone would try to start it, the car would crank and crank but not fire.
Do you know what brand of alarm system is installed? If so, you can look up install diagrams on the web and figure out which wires go where.
Does it have an aftermarket alarm system? It should have a factory alarm system and standard Ford PATS. Unplug the "football" and see if the battery drain stops.
So by your use of the terms "unplug the football" you mean the combined HVAC and radio module in the center of the dash? If this is what you are referring to, do you need to have the DIN removal handles (they look like upside down "U" handles with notches in them) that you plug into the 2 holes on either side, push outward and pull towards you) to get to the Molex plug to disconnect, or can you do it from under the console w/o pulling the unit out of the dash? I didn't know that's where the factory anti-theft brain lived.
You have to remove the unit with the DIN tools. There are a lot of fuses that go to the ICP "football", so it's easier to unplug it rather than pulling fuses. If the draw goes away it's likely that some component in the ICP is bad.
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