1999 Ford Explorer, PATS Disable

i am having issues with my alarm. i tried to open the xlt with the key fob and nothing. i opened the door using the key and the alarm activated. I could not reset, nor start the engine. after much research and failure, i was finally able to start it by disconnecting the neg. cable, turning the key all the way to start, quickly replacing the neg. cable and it runs fine. the alarm still continues. it runs about 30 times for 5 cycles then shuts off. i unplugged the horn and cut the siren to stop all that noise, but the lights still flash for the cycle and this means it's still running.. i tried an online mechanic who was certain the problem was with the door latch on the drivers side. i went to several alarm shops and no one would touch it because it is a factory system. there must be a back-up power supply or battery since i pulled every fuse attempting to disable it and it just keeps running. Does anyone have any advice? i want to know the location of that battery so i can completely shut down the system and reset it.jimgrey

PATS stands for Passive Anti-Theft System and isn't the "factory alarm" you're dealing with. If you can disconnect the negative battery and the alarm keeps going then it has a back-up battery otherwise it doesn't. Personally, I don't know of any factory alarms that are equipped with battery back-up. I had a relative with a 1997 Explorer XLT w/ factory alarm and there was a valet switch on the drivers kick panel to put the system into valet mode and disable the alarm.

Should I use the valet button? I do have one.jimgrey

Yes, it will turn off the alarm

Excellent! What a relief. I followed your advice. I went to another site as found out there are different ways to do this. So I tried some and it worked. It's off. The car starts normally. Now x I just need to re activate the system. Thanks for your help. It's been a 5 day frustrating ordeal. Excellent.jimgrey