- Thread starter
- #101
Sorry guys - real nice of you all to carry on without me, thanks for all the responses so far.
I really thought I was onto something today, but hopes have been dashed I'm afraid and I'm now getting ready to start pulling my hair out! But I really need you guys to stick with me in my hour of need if at all possible.
I was lying awake last night thinking about all the things we'd discussed, and I had an inspiration (or at least, it seemed like one at the time): I thought that, what if I had a new key made to the same mechanical spec as mine, but without a chip in it, but it would operate the ignition lock mechanically? My logic was that this wouldn't be expensive, and if I could produce the same symptoms of starting and cutting out with a key that's known to have no chip, then that proves that the immobiliser will indeed allow the engine to run for a few seconds. If, on the other hand, I couldn't make it run at all with the chipless key, then maybe this debunks the faulty key theory.
So, today, I went back to the local locksmith to see if he had suitable non-chip key blanks. He did, and I got him to make me a key. Came back, tried it in the ignition, and got exactly the result I was expecting - the truck behaved exactly as before - start, run & cut out after a few seconds. Aha! I thought - this, combined with the other evidence (the code 99, the fact that no one has been able to find any discernible signal from my original key) proves that it is indeed simply down to the fact that my original key has died. There was another guy working in the locksmith's today, and he sounded fairly knowledgeable, and told me that if I took him my immobiliser ECU, he would be able to read the chip and program a new transponder key to work in conjunction with it and end my woes.
So, after finding the immobiliser ECU, just where Dave 2000 said it would be - only, for me, that's the driver's side (RHD, but I hadn't seen Dave's post at that time, so was lucky to find it), I duly removed it and took it to the locksmith. Wasn't expecting to get a call from them until at least Monday, but was surprised to get a call a couple of hours ago saying it was done and I could pick it up along with a new transponder key programmed to suit.
Great news I thought to myself... but you all know where this is going don't you? Yep, sure enough - plugged everything back together, connected the battery, put my shiny new transponder key in, turned it, and... exactly the same as before! Starts, runs for a few seconds, cuts. Tried a few times, same result each time. To say I'm p*ssed off would be an understatement. £70 spent, no closer to a solution. But it's not the money, it's just the sheer disappointment of having that expectation that it was going to burst into life, only to hear it cut out just as before.
So I'm back to square one. Where the hell do I go from here?
To clarify a few points raised since my last post: Dave 2000 - contacts on the immobiliser ECU are squeaky clean, no signs of anything that would cause a problem. The locksmith said the ECU checks out as far as he can tell, but I don't know his level of expertise. Yes, it does behave inconsistently - doesn't start every time, but when it does, it's the same thing each time. For example, there was a whole day earlier in the week where it barely started at all, despite many attempts. But the day before, it had started maybe 30 times in succession, barely failing to start at all until eventually, it stopped firing and that was it for the rest of that day.
sbman - my immobiliser ecu is just like the yellow one in your pictures - appears identical in fact. You are a font of information on these things, and it was as a result of our discussion that I came up with the idea to try a known non-transponder key to test for the same results and therefore confirm our immobiliser theory. I thought the theory that my original key had died was sound...
Cruiser Dan - I am indebted to you for trying the same tests on yours, it provides as close to a like-for-like comparison as we're likely to get with this system not being in use on U.S. models. However, from what you've said, it sounds like mine is behaving pretty much the same as yours, so I'm left scratching my head. I too, have tried starting mine with the MAF unplugged again today (using the new transponder key), and it sounds similar to what you're getting: no MAF and mine starts, runs for maybe a second, dies. Doesn't sound quite as clean as when the MAF is plugged in. So, MAF plugged back in, starts and runs, but this time for maybe three or four seconds, and in any case, much longer than with no MAF, then dies. As mentioned previously, I can get it to run for maybe another couple of seconds if I have an assistant turn the key the instant I reconnect the battery after a period of disconnection. The behaviour does not appear to have changed in any way whatsoever with the new transponder key, as I've just done all this with the new key.
What the hell now guys?
I really thought I was onto something today, but hopes have been dashed I'm afraid and I'm now getting ready to start pulling my hair out! But I really need you guys to stick with me in my hour of need if at all possible.
I was lying awake last night thinking about all the things we'd discussed, and I had an inspiration (or at least, it seemed like one at the time): I thought that, what if I had a new key made to the same mechanical spec as mine, but without a chip in it, but it would operate the ignition lock mechanically? My logic was that this wouldn't be expensive, and if I could produce the same symptoms of starting and cutting out with a key that's known to have no chip, then that proves that the immobiliser will indeed allow the engine to run for a few seconds. If, on the other hand, I couldn't make it run at all with the chipless key, then maybe this debunks the faulty key theory.
So, today, I went back to the local locksmith to see if he had suitable non-chip key blanks. He did, and I got him to make me a key. Came back, tried it in the ignition, and got exactly the result I was expecting - the truck behaved exactly as before - start, run & cut out after a few seconds. Aha! I thought - this, combined with the other evidence (the code 99, the fact that no one has been able to find any discernible signal from my original key) proves that it is indeed simply down to the fact that my original key has died. There was another guy working in the locksmith's today, and he sounded fairly knowledgeable, and told me that if I took him my immobiliser ECU, he would be able to read the chip and program a new transponder key to work in conjunction with it and end my woes.
So, after finding the immobiliser ECU, just where Dave 2000 said it would be - only, for me, that's the driver's side (RHD, but I hadn't seen Dave's post at that time, so was lucky to find it), I duly removed it and took it to the locksmith. Wasn't expecting to get a call from them until at least Monday, but was surprised to get a call a couple of hours ago saying it was done and I could pick it up along with a new transponder key programmed to suit.
Great news I thought to myself... but you all know where this is going don't you? Yep, sure enough - plugged everything back together, connected the battery, put my shiny new transponder key in, turned it, and... exactly the same as before! Starts, runs for a few seconds, cuts. Tried a few times, same result each time. To say I'm p*ssed off would be an understatement. £70 spent, no closer to a solution. But it's not the money, it's just the sheer disappointment of having that expectation that it was going to burst into life, only to hear it cut out just as before.
So I'm back to square one. Where the hell do I go from here?
To clarify a few points raised since my last post: Dave 2000 - contacts on the immobiliser ECU are squeaky clean, no signs of anything that would cause a problem. The locksmith said the ECU checks out as far as he can tell, but I don't know his level of expertise. Yes, it does behave inconsistently - doesn't start every time, but when it does, it's the same thing each time. For example, there was a whole day earlier in the week where it barely started at all, despite many attempts. But the day before, it had started maybe 30 times in succession, barely failing to start at all until eventually, it stopped firing and that was it for the rest of that day.
sbman - my immobiliser ecu is just like the yellow one in your pictures - appears identical in fact. You are a font of information on these things, and it was as a result of our discussion that I came up with the idea to try a known non-transponder key to test for the same results and therefore confirm our immobiliser theory. I thought the theory that my original key had died was sound...
Cruiser Dan - I am indebted to you for trying the same tests on yours, it provides as close to a like-for-like comparison as we're likely to get with this system not being in use on U.S. models. However, from what you've said, it sounds like mine is behaving pretty much the same as yours, so I'm left scratching my head. I too, have tried starting mine with the MAF unplugged again today (using the new transponder key), and it sounds similar to what you're getting: no MAF and mine starts, runs for maybe a second, dies. Doesn't sound quite as clean as when the MAF is plugged in. So, MAF plugged back in, starts and runs, but this time for maybe three or four seconds, and in any case, much longer than with no MAF, then dies. As mentioned previously, I can get it to run for maybe another couple of seconds if I have an assistant turn the key the instant I reconnect the battery after a period of disconnection. The behaviour does not appear to have changed in any way whatsoever with the new transponder key, as I've just done all this with the new key.
What the hell now guys?