FINALLY......FOB programming '97 F-150 XLT
11-03-2018, 12:44 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
FINALLY......FOB programming '97 F-150 XLT
Well guys, it's taken me almost 3 years of asking nearly every Ford Tech in town (and San Antonio ain't exactly small), going thru untold numbers of google searches and online forums (including our Home Sweet Home right here), being told "you apparently dont have the (factory) Option", or "looks like you need new actuators", and any other number of road blocks.
I'd guess-timate that 90% of the info I obtained was the same 'ol standard procedure, much of it just worded a little different, and another 7-8% had some minor variations here and there. I can promise you that in these 3 (nearly) years, I've pretty much tried every procedure description I could come across, and ALL of them I repeated many, many times to make sure I wasn't the problem. Oh, the other 2-2.99%? Well, there's some boneheads that just have no business even LOOKING at mechanical equipment, let alone touching it.
Well, TONIGHT, I finally stumbled upon the "TRICK"......
Now, I'm not claiming this works for everyone's '97 (I can't because noone's solution was working for me), but this is the ONE METHOD that got me fixed-up I probably should mention that my 1997 Scab 4x4 has a build date of 6/96, and although all my research had revealed that, in general, the '97s were oddballs when it came to the programming procedure; stuck in between the ’96 and earlier version of PATS, and the NEW version introduced with the '98 models. Well, it may be that early 1996-dated F-150s are even odder STILL. In any case, here's how I got mine working......
IMPORTANT NOTES before starting:
First, verify your truck IS equipped with the Receiver, or nothing else will help here. If you dont know, its mounted under your dash, roughly above and behind the Emergency Brake pedal.
Second, make sure your FOB is correct. It should have WORDS (not Pics) notating button function, and have an FCC ID of GQ43VT4T (found on the back). Also, the FOB is more rectangular than square.
And Third, (I know I shouldn't have to day this, but...) make sure the battery is good and the FOB works. Most auto parts stores have a FOB-tester somewhere in store to Test-it-Yourself; usually at the parts counter or register
IMPORTANT: Keep the Driver door OPEN throughout this procedure......
(1) Using DRIVER's Lock button, Hit UNLOCK (pause 1 sec.) then LOCK (pause 1 sec.) then UNLOCK.
2) Starting in the OFF/LOCK position, cycle ignition key 8x between RUN and ACC, ending in the RUN/ACC position on #8. NOTE: Do this as fast as you can go, and still hit each position correctly. The standard time limit is 10 seconds, but it seems that faster is better.....
3) Wait until the door locks cycle once (this may take a few seconds)
4) Using either the LOCK or UNLOCK button on your FOB, Press and Hold until the door locks cycle once.
5) If you're doing more than one FOB, repeat Step 4 now
6) After all fobs are programmed, turn ignition key back to OFF/LOCK position. The door locks should cycle once more to verify programming is complete (Again, this could take a few seconds, so don't rush it)
Now at first glance, you might think that what I've posted here looks like the "standard" procedures that you can find anywhere from the internet, shop manuals, and many other sources. For the most part, you'd be right, so I'll highlight the changes I made to the "standard" for you:
(1) Keeping the Driver door OPEN.........I found this listed in other year models, but I don't recall it being shown for the '97s (although I could be wrong).
(2) The UNLOCK/LOCK/UNLOCK in step #1.........I found this as "LOCK/UNLOCK" in many sources, while others didn't include it at all.
(3) For Steps 3 & 6, added the wait-time because, unlike my '98 Mustang that cycled almost immediately, my truck took around 7-8 secs. to do so.
I hope this may help some weary souls that have been trial-and-erroring their butts off and beating their heads on the wall with No Luck. If it helps just a small few, then my stubborn refusal to quit will be even more worth it.
I'd guess-timate that 90% of the info I obtained was the same 'ol standard procedure, much of it just worded a little different, and another 7-8% had some minor variations here and there. I can promise you that in these 3 (nearly) years, I've pretty much tried every procedure description I could come across, and ALL of them I repeated many, many times to make sure I wasn't the problem. Oh, the other 2-2.99%? Well, there's some boneheads that just have no business even LOOKING at mechanical equipment, let alone touching it.
Well, TONIGHT, I finally stumbled upon the "TRICK"......
Now, I'm not claiming this works for everyone's '97 (I can't because noone's solution was working for me), but this is the ONE METHOD that got me fixed-up I probably should mention that my 1997 Scab 4x4 has a build date of 6/96, and although all my research had revealed that, in general, the '97s were oddballs when it came to the programming procedure; stuck in between the ’96 and earlier version of PATS, and the NEW version introduced with the '98 models. Well, it may be that early 1996-dated F-150s are even odder STILL. In any case, here's how I got mine working......
IMPORTANT NOTES before starting:
First, verify your truck IS equipped with the Receiver, or nothing else will help here. If you dont know, its mounted under your dash, roughly above and behind the Emergency Brake pedal.
Second, make sure your FOB is correct. It should have WORDS (not Pics) notating button function, and have an FCC ID of GQ43VT4T (found on the back). Also, the FOB is more rectangular than square.
And Third, (I know I shouldn't have to day this, but...) make sure the battery is good and the FOB works. Most auto parts stores have a FOB-tester somewhere in store to Test-it-Yourself; usually at the parts counter or register
IMPORTANT: Keep the Driver door OPEN throughout this procedure......
(1) Using DRIVER's Lock button, Hit UNLOCK (pause 1 sec.) then LOCK (pause 1 sec.) then UNLOCK.
2) Starting in the OFF/LOCK position, cycle ignition key 8x between RUN and ACC, ending in the RUN/ACC position on #8. NOTE: Do this as fast as you can go, and still hit each position correctly. The standard time limit is 10 seconds, but it seems that faster is better.....
3) Wait until the door locks cycle once (this may take a few seconds)
4) Using either the LOCK or UNLOCK button on your FOB, Press and Hold until the door locks cycle once.
5) If you're doing more than one FOB, repeat Step 4 now
6) After all fobs are programmed, turn ignition key back to OFF/LOCK position. The door locks should cycle once more to verify programming is complete (Again, this could take a few seconds, so don't rush it)
Now at first glance, you might think that what I've posted here looks like the "standard" procedures that you can find anywhere from the internet, shop manuals, and many other sources. For the most part, you'd be right, so I'll highlight the changes I made to the "standard" for you:
(1) Keeping the Driver door OPEN.........I found this listed in other year models, but I don't recall it being shown for the '97s (although I could be wrong).
(2) The UNLOCK/LOCK/UNLOCK in step #1.........I found this as "LOCK/UNLOCK" in many sources, while others didn't include it at all.
(3) For Steps 3 & 6, added the wait-time because, unlike my '98 Mustang that cycled almost immediately, my truck took around 7-8 secs. to do so.
I hope this may help some weary souls that have been trial-and-erroring their butts off and beating their heads on the wall with No Luck. If it helps just a small few, then my stubborn refusal to quit will be even more worth it.
Last edited by BossRacing71; 11-03-2018 at 01:03 AM.
11-12-2018, 10:10 PM
#2
Great Job with your persistence. I’m almost ready to go outside and look up under my dash for a receiver!! Where did you get your Fob? I have a build date of 2/96, so I’m sure of being one of the scabs you described.
