98 3.0 Duratec engine starting

I've got a chance to get a duratec engine out of a 98 taurus to put in a 99 taurus dirt cheap, only problem is the 98 which the engine would come out of has a computer key to start it and the person that has it doe NOT have the key only a dummy key so he can't start it. ANyone know how I can get the engine started so I can hear it run before buying and going thru all the work of swapping engines??? I don't want to swap engines and then find out this also has a problem.

thanks for any advice

You could check with some of the local locksmiths, find one that has the ability to make and program the Ford keys and will come to the car's location to do so. If the engine is such a good deal, the $150 or so for the locksmith may be worth the cost. The VATS/Securilock system is integrated with the PCM in that the PCM communicates with the passive anti-theft system before allowing the engine to start. If the passive anti-theft system is disconnected the PCM will not get the proper signal and therefore will not start. By design, these systems are not easily bypassed.

-Rod

thanks shorod, I thought of that also but if I spend the money for a key and engine knocks or any other problem I am out the cost of getting the key. The vehicle was towed from a city lot and the people could not afford to pay the tow bill plus storage so this guy bought the car for transmission. He claims the car was out of gas.

Yeah, but that should also make it seem like a bargain since it saved you hours of work swapping engines only to find the problem later. I'm not aware of any other way to get around it short of finding a wiring harness and PCM for a car that didn't have PATS and would hook up to the sensors already there. There may be some aftermarket "offroad" chips that would bypass the PATS, but I'm sure they'd cost more than getting a new key made.

-Rod

Yeah, but that should also make it seem like a bargain since it saved you hours of work swapping engines only to find the problem later. I'm not aware of any other way to get around it short of finding a wiring harness and PCM for a car that didn't have PATS and would hook up to the sensors already there. There may be some aftermarket "offroad" chips that would bypass the PATS, but I'm sure they'd cost more than getting a new key made.

-Rod