I'm sure the dealership will be laughing at me pretty soon.

Hector

Hector

Active LVC Member
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Oct 9, 2011
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Hello,

So for starters I got rid of that annoying dinging noise, yes I know now if my car overheats or if my trunk is open it will not have a way to notify me unless I'm staring at the message center.

Anyways I'm an idiot ! I unplugged the cluster without disconnecting the neg cable :( and well I'm paying for it now.

My locksmith buddy came by made me 2 more keys and well tried to reprogram PATS but ended up nothing having the NGS or NCS whatever tool that only ford has to link it up. Free tow thanks to my Roadside Assist (within 15miles) and well now its up there waiting to get worked on.

lol $1500 car about $600 parts so far but only has 117,000 and an idiot for an owner. priceless :);)


lesson learned :(
 
woulldnt disconnecting the battery have also avoided the sitatuion? :confused:

just a thought for the next time when ur doin anything (major/sensitive) electrical with ur car. disconnect the battery imo
 
I took out my cluster without disconnecting the battery, no problems. Lucky on my part or did you do something else?
 
Yes I should have disconnected the negative cable. I just never thought lol well I am an idiot now big time.

Funny thing I've change instrument cluster bulbs on an 03 Explorer & my old 98 GT and didn't have PATS activate but oh well guess I was lucky then.

Well the dealer is charging me $381.27 because they said they also found a "pinched" wire on the back of the cluster on the round connector I told them all I needed was PATS to be reprogrammed not to go searching for wires (diagnostic charge). Well I'm paying that amount regardless afterall I'm the idiot who did this, I don't like to think dealers are ripping people off but I don't recall a "round" connector only 3 Square Connectors and the tech said "umm there was a pinched wire just don't recall where" I asked well I'm sure the diagnostic print out will explain, afterall I'm paying for it. but oh well I'm the idiot and this is what I get. :)

Picking it up later today.

Thanks all for the reply!
-Idiot
 
Alax7, I'm not sure I didn't do anything different but just didn't disconnect the battery at all. I have a 2000 LS8 perhaps different years?
 
Hector said:
Yes I should have disconnected the negative cable. I just never thought lol well I am an idiot now big time.

Funny thing I've change instrument cluster bulbs on an 03 Explorer & my old 98 GT and didn't have PATS activate but oh well guess I was lucky then.

Well the dealer is charging me $381.27 because they said they also found a "pinched" wire on the back of the cluster on the round connector I told them all I needed was PATS to be reprogrammed not to go searching for wires (diagnostic charge). Well I'm paying that amount regardless afterall I'm the idiot who did this, I don't like to think dealers are ripping people off but I don't recall a "round" connector only 3 Square Connectors and the tech said "umm there was a pinched wire just don't recall where" I asked well I'm sure the diagnostic print out will explain, afterall I'm paying for it. but oh well I'm the idiot and this is what I get. :)

Picking it up later today.

Thanks all for the reply!
-Idiot
Click to expand...

Perhaps it is an internal connector, and maybe that pinched wire is the real reason for the PATS issue.

Was the beeping you were getting rid of the SRS bulb out warning?
 
Hector said:
.........Well the dealer is charging me $381.27 because they said they also found a "pinched" wire on the back of the cluster........
Click to expand...

Makes me wonder if the pinched wire was your problem. The wire could have been grounding-out.
 
Joegr & LS4me, yes I was replacing the light bulbs for the SRS & some really small light bulbs that wouldn't allow the entire instrument to light up correctly also decided to get rid of the dinger.

I'm not sure because everything ran good on the car until I unplugged the cluster and plugged it back in without actually re-installing the cluster and wouldn't start. I was told by the techs that the cluster actually holds all the information and once I unplugged it caused it to not communicate with my computer and triggered PATS. :shifty:

They couldn't really give me an answer as to what the pinched wire was causing other than it wouldn't allow PATS to be reprogrammed. Also at first I was told the wire was "tensioned" then "pinched" when I asked which and where?

They also tried to tell me at first that the 2 keys I had given them weren't the transponder type after I told them to please double check they corrected themselves.:confused:
 
we had a wire issue like that on mom's car. pulled the dash to replace an AC temp sensor and a screw poked into a wire and sent the pats haywire. we had to have the car towed and ford poked around and found some blown fuses. then they had to reprogram the keys and everything after.
 
I'm 100% sure I didn't damage any wires, but then again its a 2000 and I just bought it not even a month ago.

Either they were just trying to get a diagnostic cost out of it or they really found a pinched wire who knows.

I know one thing for sure I WILL NEVER touch that cluster AGAIN ! well perhaps for the white face gauges I might. :D
 
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