Recognizing PATS key by pushing button, instead of programming slot?
Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:38 am
Hi all,
I have a problem that I'm hoping someone familiar with PATS programming can help me with. I've been reading through the various forum posts, but can't find anything that addresses my particular problem. The very short version (TL:DR) is that I want to get my car to recognize a new key by having me press a button on the remote, rather than put it into the programming notch, and am hoping someone can give me a pointer on how to do that.
I have a North American 2013 C-Max SEL, with the three button Intelligent Access key (i.e., push-button start).
I bought three spare keys online from China, years ago, and took them to my local Ford dealer, but they weren't able to program them.
Then I went to my neighborhood locksmith, who was able to use his Advanced Diagnostics MVP Pro (I took a picture of it, so I'd remember) to wipe all my keys and then activate all of them, including my Chinese keys. I remember he activated them by pressing the unlock button on each key, in turn.
They all programmed, but - this was strange - the Chinese keys programmed as MyKeys, but in its menus, my car claimed that it didn't have any MyKeys programmed. ( My two originals went in first, as Administrative keys, and then the next 3 were the Chinese keys that became MyKeys. But even when using an Admin key, I couldn't remove the MyKeys using the car's menu, because the car was sure that none were programmed.)
Over the years, I lost my two original Administrator keys, so was left only with the 3 Chinese MyKeys. I got a copy of Forscan, version 2.3.37 beta, and the recommended ODBLink cable, and decided to see whether I could make my keys stop being MyKeys.
Even though my keys already unlocked and started the car (in MyKey mode), I decided to start by trying to re-add them.... and it was then that I was reminded about the trouble the dealership had. I'd go through the PATS programming process, but Forscan kept reporting "No key detected". Except, one time, it didn't - I'm pretty sure I did everything exactly the same, but instead of telling me that they key was not found, Forscan told me to hold the unlock button for six seconds, and then one of my keys was re-programmed. But when I tried to reprogram another, I wasn't able to; I got a message that it was already added.
I remembered my experience at the locksmith, and thought that maybe if I erased all my keys then perhaps the car would be able to "see" them and I'd be able to re-add them. However, to my horror, after I wiped them, it initially couldn't detect *any* of my keys, and exited with zero keys programmed.
I restarted Forscan, and tried adding a key, and after one unsuccessful attempt, I tried again, and Forscan again asked me to push the unlock button on the remote for six seconds. That programmed one of my remotes, so I'm able to start the car again, but despite repeating the process numerous times since then, I haven't been able to add either of my remaining two keys.
Here's what it looks like:
(OK) [21:34:20.825] Remote Keyless Entry and Start Programming has been started
(OK) [21:34:26.385] Programmed RKE keys: Unknown, PATS transponders: 1
(WARN) [21:34:31.230] Gain Security Access...
(WARN) [21:34:32.477] This procedure will take approximately 10 minutes to complete
(OK) [21:44:36.051] Security access granted
(ERR) [21:45:15.697] No key detected
(ERR) [21:45:21.166] No key detected
(ERR) [21:45:21.199] Programming PATS key failed
(OK) [21:45:34.459] Programmed RKE keys: Unknown, PATS transponders: 1
(OK) [21:47:29.785] Service procedure completed successfully.
I didn't realize it until now, but I suspect what may be happening is that my Chinese keys don't have a big enough power-receiving antenna inside them to be energized when I press them up against the programming notch in my steering column - that's probably why the dealership couldn't program them, years ago. The car can't "see" them when I put them in the programming notch, but it CAN see them when I press the unlock button. There seems to be the two separate mechanisms for my car to recognize a new key... but only one allows me to use these keys, and I don't know how to make my car / Forscan use the button mechanism to recognize my key rather than the programming notch. It did identify my keys twice (out of probably 30 attempts) by that mechanism, and I don't think I did anything different.
So - does anyone know how I can make Forscan / my car identify a new PATS key by pressing the unlock button, rather than by putting it in the programming notch? I *know* it's possible, because a locksmith did it with an MVP Pro, and Forscan did it a couple of times for me, but I'd love to be able to do it more consistently.
Thanks in advance for any help!
-Sirius
I have a problem that I'm hoping someone familiar with PATS programming can help me with. I've been reading through the various forum posts, but can't find anything that addresses my particular problem. The very short version (TL:DR) is that I want to get my car to recognize a new key by having me press a button on the remote, rather than put it into the programming notch, and am hoping someone can give me a pointer on how to do that.
I have a North American 2013 C-Max SEL, with the three button Intelligent Access key (i.e., push-button start).
I bought three spare keys online from China, years ago, and took them to my local Ford dealer, but they weren't able to program them.
Then I went to my neighborhood locksmith, who was able to use his Advanced Diagnostics MVP Pro (I took a picture of it, so I'd remember) to wipe all my keys and then activate all of them, including my Chinese keys. I remember he activated them by pressing the unlock button on each key, in turn.
They all programmed, but - this was strange - the Chinese keys programmed as MyKeys, but in its menus, my car claimed that it didn't have any MyKeys programmed. ( My two originals went in first, as Administrative keys, and then the next 3 were the Chinese keys that became MyKeys. But even when using an Admin key, I couldn't remove the MyKeys using the car's menu, because the car was sure that none were programmed.)
Over the years, I lost my two original Administrator keys, so was left only with the 3 Chinese MyKeys. I got a copy of Forscan, version 2.3.37 beta, and the recommended ODBLink cable, and decided to see whether I could make my keys stop being MyKeys.
Even though my keys already unlocked and started the car (in MyKey mode), I decided to start by trying to re-add them.... and it was then that I was reminded about the trouble the dealership had. I'd go through the PATS programming process, but Forscan kept reporting "No key detected". Except, one time, it didn't - I'm pretty sure I did everything exactly the same, but instead of telling me that they key was not found, Forscan told me to hold the unlock button for six seconds, and then one of my keys was re-programmed. But when I tried to reprogram another, I wasn't able to; I got a message that it was already added.
I remembered my experience at the locksmith, and thought that maybe if I erased all my keys then perhaps the car would be able to "see" them and I'd be able to re-add them. However, to my horror, after I wiped them, it initially couldn't detect *any* of my keys, and exited with zero keys programmed.
I restarted Forscan, and tried adding a key, and after one unsuccessful attempt, I tried again, and Forscan again asked me to push the unlock button on the remote for six seconds. That programmed one of my remotes, so I'm able to start the car again, but despite repeating the process numerous times since then, I haven't been able to add either of my remaining two keys.
Here's what it looks like:
(OK) [21:34:20.825] Remote Keyless Entry and Start Programming has been started
(OK) [21:34:26.385] Programmed RKE keys: Unknown, PATS transponders: 1
(WARN) [21:34:31.230] Gain Security Access...
(WARN) [21:34:32.477] This procedure will take approximately 10 minutes to complete
(OK) [21:44:36.051] Security access granted
(ERR) [21:45:15.697] No key detected
(ERR) [21:45:21.166] No key detected
(ERR) [21:45:21.199] Programming PATS key failed
(OK) [21:45:34.459] Programmed RKE keys: Unknown, PATS transponders: 1
(OK) [21:47:29.785] Service procedure completed successfully.
I didn't realize it until now, but I suspect what may be happening is that my Chinese keys don't have a big enough power-receiving antenna inside them to be energized when I press them up against the programming notch in my steering column - that's probably why the dealership couldn't program them, years ago. The car can't "see" them when I put them in the programming notch, but it CAN see them when I press the unlock button. There seems to be the two separate mechanisms for my car to recognize a new key... but only one allows me to use these keys, and I don't know how to make my car / Forscan use the button mechanism to recognize my key rather than the programming notch. It did identify my keys twice (out of probably 30 attempts) by that mechanism, and I don't think I did anything different.
So - does anyone know how I can make Forscan / my car identify a new PATS key by pressing the unlock button, rather than by putting it in the programming notch? I *know* it's possible, because a locksmith did it with an MVP Pro, and Forscan did it a couple of times for me, but I'd love to be able to do it more consistently.
Thanks in advance for any help!
-Sirius