Crozzer

I think the ecudoctor.com referral from the other thread is the jam.

if this continues, cut out the whole thing, send it to them for diagnosis. Hell, they only want $300 for a 2nd key which is a $400 savings over local options. It kind of pays for itself (other than being down a car, again).

cheers, and hoping not to get stranded!

Crozzer

Update, when this happens the steering wheel is not free.

here is what is happening, in a video.

still zero codes (when it does work, I can get a tool on it).

is there an easy diagnosis here, or is this a scenario where it is best to rip it out and send out for a fix?

GaryC88

did you solve this? I am having the exact same issue on mine. Its happened a few times now. I have solved by disconnecting the battery, connecting back up and it works.

Thanks!

Crozzer

I did! (And am feeling guilty for not closing out this thread, thanks for the nudge).

https://www.ecudoctors.com/

this company fixes these issues. When I showed them the video, they said they see this all the time and it is the ELV (steering lock).

while I’m delighted they have fixed the issue, I’m going to leave a bit of a review.

they are incredibly polite, kind, and helpful. However, in my case the repair took 2.5 weeks or so door to door which was unexpected. When you buy the service, they send a shipping label. But they do not tell you that and it comes from UPS. So I paid my shipping (you should use their label with their insurance). They did comp me rush return, but then failed to do it and I got it back slowly. I think this was an honest mistake.

I bought a 2nd key. It is kind of cheap (different materials), and in my case does not reliably lock and unlock the car remotely. It mostly works if I’m using it directly next to the driver door. But I’ve had to use the physical key for lock/unlock several times, so have moved back to using my old key. Apparently this is not common and they will fix it but I’ll have to take the kessy etc out and send them along so the car will be down. Again.

i also got the ELV emulator and the ECU tune up. I can’t for the life of me figure why the emulator needs to make any noise at all, but it does make a little whirring noise on key turn. I wish it would be silent.

so overall I’m glad I found them. I had some issues, YMMV. I would use them again, unless they had a competitor with faster turn around and better keys.

if you do go to use them, you’ll need to remove the ELV, kessy, and ECU. Not hard, just fiddly. Three quick tips: 1) The ECU can be removed without removing the cowl. Just bend it up a bit and you can do it. 2) Also, in their video about removing the Kessy, they leave the aluminum knee guard just hanging under the dash. Just use a long torx bit to remove the last screw so the hanging thing doesn’t rip the last screw out or break the plastics. 3) pay attn to the orientation of the kessy and wires duringremoval. It’s going to be a week or two until you are back in here. Take pics or video.

good luck!

GaryC88

thanks for getting back to me! Interesting, so your fault was on the ELV?

its interesting as I would be more inclined to say ignition switch, as the ELV would be getting some sort of signal as when you tun key left it disengages the lock.

I am in the UK and we dont have many people who offer this service to check or indeed repair!

I have just purchased a new ignition switch, hoping it works. But my problem is very similar to yours, however I was able to get around it by simply disconnecting the battery, but it is becoming a pain in the *** now!