Lucky... I disagree again with the quick run to try a temporary fix. At the least it is time wasted, at the worst it could make the job simply harder to actually solve if you then cause a "hide and go seek" intermittent. Follow correct troubleshooting routines, and go straight at the problem. That means, a qualified technician with the correct O.E. scan tool, which for this car is the Chrysler DRBIII. With that tool I can monitor the serial data directly and see which input is causing the BCM to make what appears to be an erroneous decision. The diagnostics continue from there and then only on the speciific circuit involved.

Here's an update: After going from one mechanic to another, or being referred to this guy or the other, we finally found one who said the tumbler was worn out. My husband got a new ignition/kit/whatever from Autozone for about $70. He installed it for me but then we found out we needed some kind of certified mechanic because of the anti-theft device. We don't have a Ford dealership here & was worried we'd have to go to the nearest one, about an hour away. We lucked up & the guy who told us it was a worn tumbler (he didn't have time to fix it, that's why my husband did it) also told us the name of a man who once worked as a Ford technician. He still had the little machine but couldn't do it for about a week. He was finally able to do it, during the afternoon in about 95 degree weather, & didn't charge me anything! Just said to return the favor to whomever I could whenever I could. No problem for me since we live by that code anyway. I do have another question though....When my daughter's friend tried to help (by hotwiring the truck turns out) he pulled out an orange wire. That night I was pretty desperate & wasn't paying close enough attention because I thought he knew what he was doing. When he pulled (or cut) the wire, he said he didn't know what that wire went to. I've been driving the truck for several days now & haven't had any problems except it seems to run alittle hot. My husband says maybe it had something to do with the thermostat or could be something else entirely. No idea where the wire went other than underneath the steering column over to the left side. We can't find any information in the owner's manual but wondered if it would be in one of those books you can get at places like Autozone that are for specific makes? Anyone have ideas on where to start?

You may have a bad console. You can eliminate this temporarily by removing the wire that goes to terminal #1 on the rear of the motor unit. You may also have to program your remotes. Normally when the lock function is on the keypad continues to work.

If you have the hot coming in on top then it is the line and it continues out on the second black to the load so its not a switch loop youre just switching the hot before it reahes the load which is to be expected...on a switch loop the hot comes into the switch after the load and continues back out after being relabeled white where it pigtails to the second terminal on the load...remember the line comes in thru the switch on black wire to the load then returns to the panel on the white or it could be coming from the load hot and returning to the other screw on the load after the switch the timer is single pole