1995 Duetto : What locks/keys originally?

Hello everyone,

I have just acquired my first camper, a 1995 (M reg) Duetto based upon a Mk5 Transit. While I can currently more or less gain access and lock everything, I feel that this requires more keys than it should. I suspect that the van has had a bit of history in this area! My question is, originally, how many "car" keys were required to access the doors (front and back), ignition and fuel cap?

Currently I have :

• a Ford "tibbe" key which operates both front doors (no obvious immobiliser chip)
  
• a Ford "tibbe" key which operates the ignition (no obvious immobiliser chip)
  
• a Ford "tibbe" key which operates the fuil cap (red insert on end of the key handle immobiliser chip???)
  
• a Ford "tibbe" key which appears to do nothing (no obvious immobiliser chip)
  
• I cannot unlock the rear and side doors with the keys I have (NOTE, research and slightly bitter experience   shows that any key *locks* any tibbe lock)
  

Currently, I have the following in mind

• I would like to relationalise the number of keys required back to how it was originally
  
• I have seen complete lock sets on ebay starting at £20ish
  
• I am wondering if there are more secure solutions
  

Many thanks in advance

Cheers

Sean

My last Transit-based A/S was '99, but I suspect that what was supplied with it was completely standard, and had been for some time.

The van was supplied from the factory with two identical "tibbe" keys (I have never seen them called that before!), both with the small red insert at the top where the immobiliser chip is held, which opened all doors - driver's, passenger's, sliding side door and tailgate, and also the ignition and fuel cap.

A third key was provided from the factory which was intended for programming the lock system (e.g. adding new keys) - though from memory this aspect of the locking system changed at least once around that time. I ~think~ this key was red rather than black, but I may be remembering that wrong.

During my 10 years ownership I had one lock failure - the fuel cap - which meant that, at the time I sold it, that lock had its own separate key which would open nothing else.

[Edit: I don't ~think~ the sliding door on a Mk5 has a lock!]

Thank you Roopert,

That is all inline with my expectations....

Currently, the van appears to start without any key with the small red insert (just the fuel cap key currently) being anywhere near the van (i.e. as a test, I left it well away in the house).

Thanks again

Sean

If you haven't already done so, it would be worth checking on the UK Transit forum. I can vaguely recall that some mods can have an impact on the immobiliser, and that for example replacing an EPIC injection pump for a Bosch one results in a non-functional immobiliser system. So it's possible that it has had that mod, though I don't think there is any requirement to change the locks/keys - the chip can stay but just no longer does anything.

Have you checked the van's history on the .gov.uk website?

Roopert,

Yes, I have started to look at the UK transit forum. It's interesting what you recall about the effects on the immobiliser. 

I did check the car's history on the gov website. It looked OK, all the MoTs were there back to the first and the mileage lined up.

Thanks for your reply again.

I just have 1 key that fits all.  No immobiliser 

Kind regards
Malcolm
Autosleeper  Duetto Ford 1995

surfcornwall wrote:I just have 1 key that fits all.  No immobiliser 

Kind regards
Malcolm
Autosleeper  Duetto Ford 1995

Welcome along to the forum with your one key

Please introduce yourself here

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M reg is the first of the Mk5 smileys.  Its possible you have a mk4, (same as surfcornwall) - as autosleeper converted them before registration and that takes time!.  Based on your van starting without a chipped key being present that seems fairly likely?

The base vehicle would have been supplied with a one key fits all approach.  a mk4 would have been supplied with a pair of non immobiliser tibbe keys.  An early mk5 would have been supplied with 2 black keys (with a red chip) and one fully red key.  This was changed in 1997 to drop the all red key.

Mk5s were also available without immobilisers in some markets - and they kept the non chipped mk4 keys.

Mk5 transits do not have a lock on the side door if they were supplied with central locking.  If they did not have central locking, then they have a lock on the side door (like my duetto).

The £20 lock sets work (but arn't great) - but make sure it has the right side loading door barrel - the RHD ones need the blue arm type.  If you fit the pink any key will unlock but only the right one will lock it!  

Transits of this era are my specialist subject, and I keep many spares in my workshop