Ford Probe Immobiliser and Distributor Fact Sheet

Immobiliser fault and distributor fault

Ford found that the engine cutout problem stems from either an immobiliser fault or a distributor fault. Both can produce similar symptoms, and the replacement cost is roughly the same too, at around £500 each.

What do we do about this then? Well, you could take your Ford Probe back to a Ford main dealer. They will more often than not be surprised to see you, and not really understand your vehicle. The main reason for this is that your Ford Probe is actually a Mazda MX6 in a Ford body shell.

Just about everything electrical or mechanical on your car is built by Mazda. The 2 litre 16V Probe shares the same engine as the 2 litre 16V MX6 (this was never launched in the UK) and the 2.5 litre V6 24V Probe has exactly the same engine as the 2.5 litre V6 24V MX6 (available in the UK). They simply have a different logo on the top of the engine.

Since the Probe was so alien to the rest of the Ford range and built in such small numbers, very few Ford dealerships actually sent their staff on training courses when the Probe was launched. If you take your Probe there, they more often than not, will tell you that you need to replace both units, and charge you a cool £1000 for the privilege. As the second hand car prices continue to fall, this option is not cost effective.

So, I bet you're expecting me to advise you to take it to a Mazda dealer, aren't you! ...... well... no.

For just about anything other than this problem, Mazda would be a far better option than Ford, but this is an exception. The immobiliser you have on your Ford Probe was never fitted to the Mazda range. In fact, technically speaking, it wasn't fitted to the Probe range either! According to the Ford customer care department, all Probes that arrived in this country prior to the 1996 facelift were immediately fitted with an aftermarket style immobiliser. They did this to meet the UK legislation at the time in order to gain Thatcham approval. This is why the pre 1996 Ford Probe carries an imobiliser key fob remote unit.

So, what do we do? Well, two things really. These two things need to be done at the same time, otherwise it is quite common for the fault to re-occur quickly after the fix. You need to repair the distributer, and repair the immobiliser.

In most cases
THERE IS NO NEED TO REPLACE EITHER THE IMMOBILISER OR THE DISTRIBUTOR

If you know how to use a screw driver, and a soldering iron, then the chances are you can repair your Ford Probe for less than £200. There is a fact sheet available to guide you through repairing the immobiliser fault & distributor fault of the Ford Probe built (not necessarily registered) prior to 1996. It contains detailed instructions guiding you through the location and repair of the immobiliser, and also details the part codes that most Ford Dealers are not aware of for repairing your distributor.

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Ford Probe cut-out fact sheet
Lindaven Services Ltd.
143 Tamworth Road
Long Eaton
Nottingham
NG10 1BY

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