[1badSN95]

ok well first off hello to everyone im new here and my names chris now off to buisness...heres the story.
Car is a 96 Mustang GT. just 2 weeks ago i had my car at Dez Racing in seekonk mass gettin a PI swap done fully built and polished allong with some other upgrades. "fuel rails, fuel pump, comp cam gears, air mass meeter, 30# injectors, fuel pressure regulator, typhoon intake manifold, SCT XF3 Flash tuner with a Custom dyno tune by Dez Racing.
THE PROBLEM...
car ran great and runs great. but just a bout a week ago i was driving the car around like nothing new. went to pump some gas and when i was done i got in my car and went to start it...nothing happened. kept trying and nothing happened some more...when i say nothing happened this is what i mean. turn key into on position but NOT to start, none of the dash lights come on nore does the fuel pump turn on and nore does the computer go thrugh its self check. everything else will work. "clock, interior lights, radio, horn, exterior lights..." now when u turn the key to the start position, everything dies and u here a clicking sound coming from what seems to be under the hood that only last a second. its not a loud clicking at all. its like 3 clicks real fast then thats it.
heres the kicker. if u let the car sit for about 20 mins or more and try to start it again, everything will work again as normal. but if u drive it a few times, turning it off in between, it seems that after a few times of turning it back on, the same problem happens all over again.
now when the car is working, u can turn the key to the on position over and over again and it wont mess up. its only if u drive it a few times in a row and shut it off in between is when the car shuts down and wont start.
so i called dez racing and explained this problem. he says that when it locks u out its in anti theft mode. which is what i suspect and something is triggering it when i drive it. so he sent me the same custom tune BUT this time he tuned out the PATS "passive anti theft system" so it will be turned off. so i downloaded the tune to my flash tuner and uploaded it into my car. the theft light flashes really fast for about a min then gradualy slowes down and then turns off all togeather. i imagine its because in the tune the anti theft is turned off. so i test drove it. started it, left my house and drove to a cumbys. turned the car off and got a drink, came back out and started the car again, drove it home into the garage and whent to start it again just for kicks after i shut it off...and again. the same problem accured even with the PATS "shut off" in the tune.
so now i am at a loss. i still believe it has something to do with the anti theft because it seems to be going into the anti theft mode.
this problem had accured once before last summer before i even got it to dez racing when i unpluged the battery, but never did it again untill now after i had that work done at dez.
could the custom tune be messing with the anti theft???
could the key not be reconized anymore cuz of the custom tune???

any help would be GREATLY appreicated!!!!
like i said if the car sits its fine after so long but then after a few drives it does it all over again.

plz any ideas??????
thanks everyone!!!!
Chris.

[kaos]

Does not sound like you have a problem with the pats system. Retune it to the old one so the pats is on. Sounds like you have a voltage issue. Start by checking battery connections, battery voltage(have load tested) Then check the grounds going to the block so they where not damaged or cut during the work that was done, and if all that is good i would look towards the starter to have a bad connection from the battery, solinoid failing or the starter its self. Hope that helps alittle Good luck

[97GT4.6]

hmm.. i had a pats issue where my car wouldn't start and i had it removed with a tune after my PI swap.. it made my theft light flash for awhile every time i started it, so i pulled out the bulb. Thats interestesting.. but it doesn't sound like a PATS issue if it's doing it with the system off.

[fmxona500]

Loud clicking noises sound like it is your starter bro. Check the condition of your battery and ensure your negative battery cable is tight, in good condition, and grounded properly. Then check your positive battery cable and ensure that it isn't oxidized and everything is tight from the battery to the starter.

Also you need to yank out that starter and take it to autozone for testing though. It sounds alot like a starter solenoid problem. I'd recommend replacing it.

[97blackstangt97]

i had sort of the same problem i went to a gas station shut the car off pumped my gas and i got back in my car to start it and just clicking, waited a few minutes than just cranking. ended up being my solenoid on my starter but i just swapped the whole thing out for a new one and than the alarm system in my car was cutting off the fuel causing it to just crank.anti- theft light was coming on randomly one day. so i had the box cut out and the cars ran great ever since i don't know if that's your problem but i'd try changing the starter first.

[1badSN95]

thanks guys for all the advice...turns out the car had an aftermarket alarm that i didnt know of..."im the 3rd owner and there was no siren or keypad on keychain for the alarm" yeah so when all that work was done the clifford alarm kept having a fit. wasnt the pats which is good cuz thats just a pain to deal with. took the car to act audio in vernon ct and they took the clifford alarm out, and shes been fine ever sence =)