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THE KEY by Ian Hunt I am the proud owner of a silver, 1999 registered 4/4 two seater, which is a joy to drive. Of late however, it has been increasingly difficult to start. My local dealer suspected that the problem was due to a faulty relay which controls the fuel pump, this soon proved not to be the case and the fault was traced to the ignition key, apparently over a period of time the transponder which should be located in the plastic head of the key had worked loose and eventually fallen out. Therefore
on the advice of the dealer & with total confidence in the Ford
spare parts network, I presented myself to the parts department of the
local Ford Dealership. ‘Can
you provide me with a replacement key for my Mondeo Zetec engined Morgan
4/4?’ said I thrusting the master key in his direction. ‘Not a Ford
key sir’ replied he. 'But it’s a Ford engine & management
system, surely you can help me?' ‘It’s nothing like a Ford key sir,
but let me speak to somebody in the workshop they may recognize it’
Suitably crestfallen I followed at a respectful distance into the
workshop to consult the oracle, ‘Could be an Explorer key’ one
fitter said, ‘No it’s a Rover 800 series key’ said another. I left the garage empty handed resigned in the knowledge that I would have to seek the help of those nice people at the factory on Monday morning. It
so happens however that quite close to where I live is a |
The
master key was duly presented with a request for a replacement, imagine my
horror when the assistant said, ‘This is not a true transponder key, but
a DIY effort.’ Being a helpful fellow he checked the chip within the
master key & confirmed that it was indeed a Ford component. A
discussion followed & he offered to sell me a replacement chip on a
sale or return basis for £12. It was with little expectation &
absolutely no hope that I returned home & placed the chip into the old
key, programmed it & attempted to start the Morgan. Joy unconfined the
engine burst into life, I immediately secured the chip with a dab of
silicon sealer and touch wood where it remains still working efficiently. I
offer this tome for the information of any other poor unfortunate who
finds themselves in the same predicament as an aside I have an image in my
mind of Charles Morgan hand drill at the ready, beavering away late into
the night drilling holes in new ignition keys to save on overheads –
just a thought folks, I really do love the car & everything Morgan. Incidentally
for those of you who do not know how to reprogramme an ignition key read
on: Using
the master key turn on the ignition – DO NOT START THE ENGINE – the
immobilizer light will illuminate & stay solid red, turn off the
ignition & remove the master key. WITHIN
15 SECONDS Put the new key (or the key to be re programmed) into the ignition lock and turn it on DO NOT START THE ENGINE, the immobilizer light will go to solid red, leave for a few moments, turn off the key which should now be functional.
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