Wow, Good Stuff, NO, GREAT STUFF!!! 2 days, now and I finally read all through your thread. I was working on wiring up a 99 Cobra motor several years ago and basically stopped moving forward since there weren't any used parts or info out there on the pats at the time. I read up on how the pats talks directly with the PCM if it wasn't passing the right code, the PCM shuts down the motor. If its all in the PCM, I figured a good programmer could just tell it to ignore it or take it out completely. I remember talking to several people at Diablo about getting a custom tune and having the pats removed from the computer. They said it could be done, then they said it couldn't be done, then about 6 months later, they were advertising it in all the magazines that they could so I guess they did figure it out after all. So you can get just about any setup out there and have the pats disabled from the PCM. I guess the theory being if someone wants your vehicle bad enough, they will find a way. I read that PATS decreased Mustang thefts by 75% when they installed it in 1996. (I guess the other 25% used tow trucks.) That to me makes it a worth while investment when you figure how uncomplicated it really is. This thread gets me fired up though. And I agree that this stuff isn't too complicated once you get it figuared out. Take it one wire at a time. 93 Mustang compared to what your doing really isn't very much harder. You just have to look at the wiring diagrams and components individually and it doesn't take long until you have a complete harness setup. Speaking of which, I found the factory Ford wiring diagram on ebay for like $20 for the Mustang and they are simply worth every penny. I haven't ever used alldata, but I like having a book I can set on the workbench and reference it as I trace and make my wires. It shows all the connectors, pin numbers, component locations and so on. It may be the same stuff you are getting on alldata, but its a good source if you don't want to pay the alldata fees, not to mention, it the original source.
I did have a couple of questions about your setup. Are you going to grind the key to fit you existing locks or do you have another plan (like removing the pats chip from the key and epoxying it to your Bronco key. There used to be some clear PATS keys on ebay that you easily see where to cut the plastic to get the chip out. I didn't figure the PATS key locks could be installed in the Bronco. I know Ford's NGS tool (new generation scanner) can do alot of the functions you are doing as well as program new pats keys. I have considered getting one from time to time, but they are very expensive. I was hoping someone would come out with a cheaper scan tool or software that would allow the advanced DIY'er to do it. I honestly haven't looked into it in a while.
I also notice you seam concerned about vss signals. I ran a 97 Mustang about a year without a speedo gear at all and didn't throw a code. I was always amazed it didn't throw a code. I read up on it a little a while back but its been a while. Since it was a manual transmission, I thought it was only necessary for verifying/comparing optimal engine load calculations and estimating things like fuel ratio, idle speed when letting off the gas when coasting and stopping and such. When I read you posts, my thought it that you may need it since its an automatic, but you may not. I have read it many times that the PCM will learn after an hour of driving and it may not matter as long as it has some kind of signal to learn from, weather it be 8 or 16 or 2. Using your method, there is absolutely no question its right, but I was thinking it might be possible for someone with a manual or who has a less intensive build up to get by with out the vss signal. If you think about, you can rev the engine up in park, and the vss is zero, and the computer has no reason to throw a code. Even some of the commercial duty stuff that has PTO's would essentially have a zero VSS signal, yet the engine could be under quite a heavy load. However, after reading your posts, I feel it might more negatively effect the performance than I previously thought. The Mustang was supercharged so it was really hard to tell if it was effected. No speedo, so you don't know how many miles you have traveled so you can't check MPG either. Anyways, thoughts that was popping into my head. I was looking at E4OD trans controllers a while back and there are a few companies out there that make a signal converter. I remember being referred by Baumann when I got a baumannator for my 48 F-1 project. I am going the other way on signal, but I will have to look it up and see who it was because I thought they had both. Point being, someone makes them, I just can't remember who at this moment.
