Crown Vics..are they still being made?

[RICH MUISE]

Last fall we talked about the last of the rear wheel drive cars...the Crown Vic... rolling off a North American assembly line. Earlier this week on our way back from Oklahoma, I saw 2 transport trucks with nothing but white Crown Vics on them. Are they still being made, and if so, are they front wheel drive now?
Also..there's a "0" something Crown Vic in our local salvage yard with a 4.6POL in it. Only 107K mileage, but unfortunatly on the windshield was painted "bad motor". LOL...was wondering if the police vehicles had the pats system in them.

[Zapato]

Rich, best of my knowledge no more crown vics or Ranger pickups.

Zap-

[JPotter57]

Police cars do not have PATS.  When you find them in the yards, check to see if ithas a key.  You will find a regular, old style,  small key.  F250 and up fleet trucks also do not have PATS.

[Ford Blue blood]

Could it be that they are still making them (CVs) for "fleet" use like the last year of the Taurus?

[RICH MUISE]

After I posted this I googled the CV and came up with an interesting article. The CV's are not being made, as sales were down to 80K units a year out of a factory that is capable of producing 250K units a year....leading to the decision by Ford to terminate production. Fleet users like police and taxis are scrambling to find replacements...with no clearcut choices available at the time the article was written. Last production was in sept, 2011...so I'm guessing the new units I saw on the transport trucks were "leftovers".

[Zapato]

Not to sound stupid but just what is "PATS".

Zap--

[RICH MUISE]

Passive anti theft system. I sure had never heard of it until I started looking into the 4.6 dohc conversion, and everyone was saying if you get a post '96 engine, the computer will have to be reprogrammed because of the pats. (Now it's one of those things I throw out there once in a while so people will think I'm smart, but I still don't know what it actually involves).
Anyway, that's why I thought it was kinda funny about being in a police car.

[57 imposter]

Cars with the pats system have an ign. key with a chip. the  engine will not run without the matching key. 
when I installed the 4.6L crate motor in my uni-body, I had to send the computer in to be flashed to remove the pats software.

[JPotter57]

Most of the time, aside from the key chip, you will need the instrument cluster, as that is where the receiver for the PATS transmitter is.  If the key cant communicate with the instrument cluster, then the fuel pump (most of the time) will be disabled, causing the car to not start.  If you can get a shop to disable the PATS function for you, and most will, it will start with a standard recut key versus having to have one of those $75 key blanks cut, which will then need to be programmed, at a cost of around $100 or so.  At least that's what the Ford dealership I worked for 7 years ago charged.  So, prob more now.  Some cars use a different receiver, which may be in the steering column, cant really remember which models did that though.  Mustang, Crown Vic, and Explorer use the instrument cluster.