Who here knows their way around Ford locking systems?

kaiowas · 23 Oct 2010 at 18:33

Today Vix bought a Puma. Barely an hour after getting home the damned thing is totally immobile.

It's got some all singing all dancing Clifford alarm on it, which went off not long after we got home so I decided to not use it rather than risk annoying the neighbours so I pressed the button to stop the alarm, pressed it again to unlock the car then locked it with the key (the battery for the Ford remote is flat, presumably due to it not being used since the Clifford was fitted).

Went outside a short while later to go for a drive and unlocked the car with the key. Then as soon as I opened the door the Ford alarm started going off. Seeing as i have no working Ford fob until I can get a battery for I had to pop the bonnet and disconnect the battery to shut it up. Then I closed the bonnet, locked the car and went inside to do some reasearch and have a think about how I was going to stop the the Ford alarm from going off as soon as I reconnect the battery.

Big problem now is that the keys won't unlock any of the doors. I'm guessing that the door locks are all electrical rather than having a nice safe, reliable mechanical connection leaving me unable to unlock the car until I can connect the battery, and unable to connect the battery until I can unlock the car to pop the bonnet. Then once I've dealt with all that I've still got the alarm issues to get over....

Anyone here with a bit of Ford background got any tips for getting in without having to break anything? Seem ridiculous that someone would design a system where you can be locked out of a car despite having the bloody key in your hand.

Biohazard · 23 Oct 2010 at 18:35

try internal central locking button, some OE alarms hook through that. That may disable the OE ford alarm.

Just use the clifford for central locking, and take it to a carpark one night and play with the alarm there.

kaiowas · 23 Oct 2010 at 18:38

Biohazard said:
try internal central locking button, some OE alarms hook through that. That may disable the OE ford alarm.

Just use the clifford for central locking, and take it to a carpark one night and play with the alarm there.

Cheers, will try that once I manage to get in. Can see myself trying to take the front end apart tomorrow trying to get to the bonnet release from underneath.

Biohazard · 23 Oct 2010 at 18:40

oh your joking, you disconnected the neg and then slammed the bonnet?

does your key not manually turn a latch?

tried the boot?

Vix · 23 Oct 2010 at 18:44

Yep, shut the bonnet with the thinking that the key would open the door, which it doesn't :/ or the boot.

DM · 23 Oct 2010 at 18:46

Ring the AA or RAC if you are a member, or join with quidco always handy to have.

Maz · 23 Oct 2010 at 18:47

Vix said:
Yep, shut the bonnet with the thinking that the key would open the door, which it doesn't :/ or the boot.

These keys are a nightmare as they wear out!

Fiddle with the key in the lock until it opens, and then try reprogramming key to car by following guide available on net - because it might not be the battery.

kaiowas · 23 Oct 2010 at 18:58

Cheers Maz,

Had a good fiddle around and got the door to unlock. Will worry about the alarms tomorrow in daylight but having had a chance to read the handbook I should be able to deal with those. Looks like the Ford alarm is disabled when you unlock the door with the key, so it went off because we used the Clifford to unlock the car.

Plan for tomorrow is to connect the battery, unlock a door with the key which should shut the alarm up then we'll be away.