Well, it took me a while to find time to mess with the car. I've tried cleaning the IAC valve as per one suggestion, didn't help. The car would not even roll start, so I wound up towing it to a nearby dealer for diagnosing. They said it was a PATS problem after all. Apparently the main ecu lost touch with reality (or at least the keys). They couldn't give a good explanation why it occured.

Unfortunately they cannot reprogram it - they said the PATS system has them completely locked out. Consequently, they said they have to replace the ECU then program the new one to the car. To do all of this will cost just shy of $1200. Since the car is out of warrantee (54K miles on it) and 6 years old, it would appear that Ford won't lift a finger to help offset the cost either.

So I brought the car home, parked it next to the garage and threw the cover over it. It'll have to stay there till I can afford to fix it or figure out an alternative...

Rick Barnes '66 Ford Ranchero '84 Ford EXP Turbo Coupe '88 Mazda 323 GTX '88 Mazda 323 SE/GT hybrid '93 Ford Aerostar XLT AWD '99 Ford Contour SVT