a little help with 2007 wiring / or how to remove aftermarket alarm/rke/security system w/ kill switch

[Brain75]

2007 Ranger XLT 4.0 Auto (presumably the 5R55e from door sticker, but honestly have not crawled under to confirm).

Background: vehicle came to owner (my mother) with 2 keys, one genuine Ford/Strattech (almost worn out), and one aftermarket junky key that says F150 on one side an china on the other... as well as ZERO RKE fobs, but 1 aftermarket alarm system/RKE fob.

I quickly deduced the junk key was junk and bought two genuine Strattech keys and had them cut locally and I programmed em with forscan and vgate cable. I then bought two genuine strattech RKE fobs and programmed em with page 166 of the owners manual (page number is a rough guess not actual).

other than the junk key, truck has been super reliable (junk key giving 'crank but no start' issues with no PATS irregularities - solid light for 1 second, no flashing, no other symptoms)

Fast forward to 2 days ago when I left overnight to go to a couple junkyards farther away.
Mom (retiried) and her boyfriend (92 yr old) decided they want to do something with the truck... I have told them just leave the aftermarket security system fob at home and don't touch till I figure out how to remove it.... they use that set of keys, set the security system off and now when I got home it wont do anything. I mean nothing, not even crank.
Dash lights up, PATS still does the 1 second illumination then goes out.
Obviously they have tripped the aftermarket security system up, and now instead of a timely "when I can find the install guide" correction it is an emergency "fix it now the truck wont run" issue.

No point asking them what they did, their answer is "I dunno I just punched some buttons on the remote to shut the alarm off, jacked it up and it isn't getting power to starter".

After he's poked and played around some more parts of the aftermarket are hanging down and their is a rythmic relay clicking coming from the dash. Exact same frequency as hazards or turn signals....
Hazards and turn signals work independently of the clicking and no issues with those..

I pull the rest of the aftermarket system down and find a box marked "Audiovox" that is the source of the clicking... pull a fuse (add a fuse inline obviously not factory) and the clicking goes away and the truck starts now.

Now before I take a pair of wire cutters and just butcher the thing out, can anyone tell me what all of this might be factory wiring that I shouldn't touch... it is a ball of crap with what looks like add a relays, and even multiple 'add a' taps onto add on wires.

I searched the FCC info on the back of the fob, and all I can find is "how to program" guides, nothing about install.... and I generally think my google-fu is unmatched so I think that is a dry well trying to hunt the install sheet. If someone has installed this system or can beat my google-fu I gratefully appreciate.

There's even a push button momentary switch ran into the kick panel at the drivers big toe.

Pix all attached as thumbnails...

 

[RobbieD]

Most of that ball of confusion you'll find, is interconnected to itself.

First let's cover the alarm wires which will be connected to OEM Ford wires. I'm going to use the most typical aftermarket wire colors here.
1) A/M alarm Red wire- constant power; we used to recommend splicing into the main constant power at the ignition switch (should be Yellow).
2) A/M alarm Yellow wire- ignition (or "switched") power; again we used to recommend splicing into the main constant power at the ignition switch (could be any of several colors, Red/Lt Green being the most common [true ignition]).
3) A/M alarm Brown White* wire- flashing light output; we used to recommend splicing into the parking light circuit at the light switch (should be Brown).
4) A/M alarm door trigger- Violet for positive, Green for negative. Older Fords are positive-switch dome lights, so A/M alarm Violet to a Black/Lt Blue, usually in the kick panel, but this could be at the light switch or at a courtesy ("dome") light.

Second, let's address the starter interrupt. It LOOKS like you actually have TWO external starter interrupt relays in that mess, taped to the alarm harness. These are the relay sockets with the white and red wires. At least one, or likely both of these sockets are interrupting cut factory wires, one being the starter circuit- old Ford Pink or Pink Lt Blue, with A/M socket Red being upstream, A/M socket White downstream. I don't know why two relay sockets were used; but, you'll have to trace the aftermarket Red and White wires to the connection points, and then restore (reconnect) any cut factory wire.

Third, there will be at least one A/M alarm Black ground wire, which should be attached to chassis ground.

I would work in that order.

There will be a A/M Brown wire, which typically would go to an electronic siren under the hood, but later A/M alarms (especially of the vintage you're working on), may have a output which can be connected to the OEM horn. You'll just need to look at that one, and it may be one final wire that connects to an OEM wire.

The rest of that crap should be interconnected to itself; sensor modules, the status LED, and the valet switch.

I searched the FCC info on the back of the fob

The FCC website, if you drill it real good, should have had a schematic and manual on file. Otherwise, I can probably walk you through everything, and as a disclaimer, I'm working from memory on the stuff I used to do for a living 30 to 40 years ago. Fun fact- most all of the aftermarket alarms from back in the day were basically made in the same factory.


* edit- A/M alarm flashing output should be a White wire, not Brown.

 

[Brain75]

Many many thanks, and deepest apologies for not untaping that mess before pix. I was asked to "do something about it" 5 minutes before it was time to start cooking dinner (I cook for the seniors 99% of the time), and after 20 minutes of checking battery level, corrosion on terminals, hunting for the relay clicking and just general getting started troubleshooting I was ready to just take a couple quick pix and go cook.

Once I got to the point where I was sure it wasn't just aftermarket RKE (remote keyless entry), and that there was indeed a start kill switch then I decided not to screw with it till I had more time, and could document entirely on paper before moving any wires.
I topped the battery up tonight and am gonna leave all of it till tomorrow.
Again, many thanks - will report back if I have any further confusion.

 

[RobbieD]

If you have any questions, or run into anything, just post and tag me so that I see it.

It should be pretty straightforward, to get all of that crap removed and the truck back to stock.

Good luck, Sparky!

 

[Brain75]

Misson accomplished. 90% of it was add a taps, and it looks like some PO at some point decided to remove the siren under the hood - green wire going to nowhere under the hood. Not sure which wired did what as they were tapped into all kinds of places, with a lot more buried in inaccessible places I couldn't see - barely reach, and I have small hands even.
Anyhow, it starts, it runs, the A/M remote does nothing now all the RKE and such work fine.

Again many thanks for the help.