Shake

I did a search on this before posting. My '95 has got the basket handle, and the immobilizer system, but the previous owner didn't give me a keyless entry remote. Should there be one? In essence, does the immobilizer and keyless entry go hand-in-hand?

bart1

gahh!!! (see my post from just a bit ago)

Shake

It's okay, take a deep breath, think of a happy place...

I just would like to have some kind of keyless entry on my car, and want to know if my car has it already installed.

bart1

Hopefully you will never have the occasion to harbor a deep hatred for yours like I do.

TheOtherEric

If you don't have a remote, how do you know you have an immobilizer?

I always thought that if you have a 1995 with a remote, then you have an immobilizer. And vice versa.

I have neither, but installed a RKE per the long DIY thread a few years ago.

Black993

Anyone have a link to the DIY? I'm dying for keyless entry.

I'm also on the same page as Eric. If you had the key fob, you have an imobilizer, if not then you dont. My old man's 95 has the imobilizer, mine does not and is an earlier build than his. Both have the basket handle

nile13

I wrote the DIY a few years ago. It's not really long or complicated, we were just discussing various little improvements and details after the initial post. BTW, my cheap JC Whitney remote still works today, 5 years down the road. Probably the best $30 I've spent on this car.

Here's the post: https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...-95-993-a.html

Here's a discussion on whether all cars with immobilizer have remotes (the short answer is "No"): https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...mobilizer.html

TheOtherEric

I don't see how you concluded "No." Boris seemed confused between the difference between "immobilizer" and "alarm". So it's not clear he had an immobilizer.

Plus, I can't see how a 993 immobilizer could work without a remote, since you need the remote to disable the immobilizer.

Shake

I must have been mistaken then, I assumed because I had the flashy LEDs and the sticker that says "Alarm System Porsche", I had the immobilizer, sounds like maybe I don't...

haygeebaby

I'm pretty sure my car has an immobilzer - I don't have a keyless entry remote as well.
I tested by locking the doors with the key. Then I waited for the alarm/immobilizer to arm (wait till red LED lights flashes slowly). Then I tried to start the car with the key. The car would not start and the alarm would go off. The car was definetly immobilzed.

TheOtherEric

Nope, the alarm is different from immobilizer. All 993's have alarms, but not all have immobilizers.

I'm pretty sure you don't have an immobilizer. The behavior you described is typical of a 1995 without immobilizer. Mine does the same. Note that it seems to disable the fuel pump (the engine still cranks), whereas the Immobilizer disables the starter completely (engine does not crank).

In general, if you're not SURE you have an immobilizer, then you don't. The immobilizer is a fairly big annoyance; after a minute or so, it immobilizes the car whether or not you've locked the doors. You insert the key, turn it, and nothing happens until you notice the immobilizer light is on. Then you have to press the button on the remote to turn off the immobilizer. Kind of annoying. If you haven't experienced that, then you don't have an immobilizer.

Shake

Well I guess that solves the mystery, case closed! From the sound of it, I guess I should consider myself lucky. Looks like I will be installing "el cheapo wireless receivero"

nile13

Eric, I was also surprised that the car with immobilizer could function without a remote. But I did speak to Boris back than and he seemed to have been pretty adamant that this is the case for his car (this is from fading memory, of course).

With the sorry state of searching here I can't confirm.

In either event, I'm happy I definitely don't have one in my car.

TheOtherEric

Well I suppose it's feasible but I've never seen it. If true, then I wonder what happens if you shut the car down, remove the key, and simply wait a few minutes. I guess 2 possibilities:

1. The immobilizer activates like on 1996+ cars. If so, you'd have to find a way to turn it off (so you could restart the car) without using a remote control, and I don't know how you'd do that.

-or-

2. It DOESN'T activate, meaning the "immobilizer" is completely invisible to the user. That being the case, how would you even know you have an immobilizer?

nile13

Eric, it's actually an interesting qustion.

At some point in time I was replacing the security box under the passenger seat. The first one I got was, apparently, from an immobilizer car. No matter what we did with it, the car just would not start. Played with the Hammer and it still didn't. The car, however, did crank, so it might not have been immobilizer related if you are saying that immobilizer kills the starter completely.