JPP

OK ... I've done my research through old threads here on the subject for several months and have been chasing the gremlins .. here's the re-cap:

1. Car started randomly not starting .. I thought it might be the battery because it was fairly old .. so I replaced it, and for a time, that seemed to fix the problem.

2. Around May, the passenger door stopped unlocking when I pushed the remote button .. and then the car wouldn't start until I opened the door manually from the inside and closed it. So, I replaced the door actuator and that fixed the problem .. all was good! ... or so I thought.

3. Took a drive out to lunch, parked in sun, set immobilizer using the remote button .. came out an hour later, unlocked car, get in .. turn key, no immobilizer light, car won't start. I get the 'click' of the solenoid but starter won't engage. So .. I try a few more times .. lock the car, unlock the car .. and finally it starts.

4. So, I put the car on trickle charger to see if the battery was getting too drained from the car sitting in the garage with the immobilizer set. And, for a long time, I had no problems .. as long as I was using the trickle charger.

5. I left the trickle charger off .. car sat for a few days in the garage without it, then the next time I was out in the car .. same scenario as #3. Came back after parking .. about half an hour .. unlock car, won't start. Lock/unlock car several times, try and try ... and finally, after about 10 minutes, car starts.

3. So, I decide to take Andreas' sage advice and look into my battery ground cable. Sure enough, I have the original factory stranded copper cable that's crimped and not soldered .. so I replaced it over a week ago. I left the car off the trickle charger and let it set in the garage with the immobilizer set for a few days now .. and today I took it on an errand. Park, set immobilzer .. came back in about 15 minutes, unlock car .. won't start. ugh.

4. So .. after several attempts at lock/unlock .. etc. car starts and I drive to my next destination ... but this time, I park and don't set the immobilizer ... and just walk away, letting the car set itself after a few minutes. Now, the way I understand this is, the 'drive-block' system sets itself after 3 minutes of no activity, but doesn't lock the doors ... at least that's what mine does ... correct me if I'm wrong here. I come back, turn key, immobilizer light comes on, push remote button, car starts.

5. So .. I drive to gas station, fill tank .. get back in, turn key, immobilzer light comes on, push remote button, car starts.

6. I get home .. park in garage, don't set immobilizer ... and I've done this test several times now .. light comes on, push button, car starts.

So .... I do some more research .. and it seems the logical next culprits in the chain are the ignition switch and/or the immobilizer unit itself. What do you guy's think? Am I reading this correctly?

mike cap

JPP,

Others that are brighter will chime in I'm sure, but is there any chance the problem you're experiencing is not immobilizer related?

I had a similar problem with intermitent starting (no crank) and I thought it was the immobilizer as well. Turned out to be the clutch pedal microswitch (interlock) was going bad. It took me forever to sort it out. Just a thought for you and probably off base.

RodKnock

That's a smart thought and a possible solution.

pp000830

Could it also be some other electrical drain when you voltage is a little low like a trunk light that stays on when the trunk is closed??

JPP

I eliminated that possibility when the car never failed to start after just sitting without the immobilizer set. The clutch microswitch is still in play under those circumstances ...

tcsracing1

I hate the immobilizer.

Would love to delete it from both my cars.

TheBen

The immobilizer can be deleted easily (and with some $) if you have a '97 or '98 ECU...

JPP

I think if it was a light, over a weeks time the battery would be very drained and that's not the case. When it starts, it starts strong .. 1/4 crank and bam, it's up.

TMc993

JPP,

From what I understand, locking the doors activates three systems:
1. Central locking system.
2. Alarm System.
3. Immobilizer

Your assumption in #4 is correct. The doors do not lock and the alarm system does not arm when the Immobilizer activates itself after the key has been removed for 3 minutes.

What happens if, after you unlock the car and it fails to start, you remove the key and wait three minutes for the Immobilizer to arm? If you can start the car after you disarm the immobilizer, then I would start looking at the central locking system and central alarm.

The fact that when you originally had a problem, replacing the the door actuator fixed the problem for a while would lead me to look at that system first.

All guesses here...Good luck.

Terry

Stealth 993

I would monitor battery drain with the car off. You might have high current draw somewhere and it's messing with the system and/or battery. Also check to see what the battery voltage is with the car off and sitting.

You know if an interior light does't go off, or if you are having CCU issues it will mess with the immobilizer system.

My point is, this could be something very simple.

bcameron59

Great tip to keep in mind!

Another one:

My keychain remote battery was getting low, sometimes had enough juice to talk to immobiliser, but just once... Then had to sit for few hours to catch its breath before it worked again.

If you don't see the red light when you push the button, might be time to replace the battery.

JPP

Thanks for the input Terry. The car will start if I let the car sit and arm itself so that eliminates a lot of other things I think.

Thanks Mike ... all good points, but if I let the car arm the drive-block itself, it has no problem starting after I push the button on the remote to turn out the dash light... that leads me to believe that it's the ignition switch sending some false signal to the box when the immobilizer is armed.

Yeah, when the problem first started, I replaced the batteries in my key remotes and the car battery all at the same time .. so they are fairly fresh (less than one year ...)

993/907

Does jiggling/wiggling the key have any effect?

Gordo

JPP

Doesn't help .. I've tried every combination of key insertion/wiggling, door locking/unlocking by remote, by console button etc. if i let the car arm itself, it starts ...

AOW162435

9M should fly Mark over STAT to sort through the issue. Is that not part of your 9M warranty?





Andreas