Immobilizer problem

[dom14]

Hey Guys,

My RB30 Patrol after market immobilizer stopped working.
And it happened after disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it while the
ignition is on.
Did I kill it?
It sounds like bad news to me when the immobilizer can be easily bypassed that way.
Because I have no problems with starting the vehicle.
It goes like there's no immobilizer/alarm now!!!
And that should be a worry, should it not?!

What should I do? What are my options?

Thanx in advance for any help.

[dom14]

Hmmmm.......!!!
I'm pretty unpopular by the sound of it.
My ratings have dropped significantly.
Not many have even bothered to read the post.

[4bye4]

Hmmmm.......!!!
I'm pretty unpopular by the sound of it.
My ratings have dropped significantly.
Not many have even bothered to read the post.

Hi Dom - no your not unpopular, at least not with me, its just that I have no idea what you should do. :smile:

[dom14]

Yeah, hopefully I will get few more hits later. :)

I'm bit bothered with an alarm and immobilizer dying after battery disconnection, without killing the ability
to start the car. Pretty worrying.
I need some answers from an experienced bloke.

[Clunk]

snip

What should I do? What are my options?

Thanx in advance for any help.

Stop tinkering with elektrikery bwahahahaha

[jack]

Sorry not much help but I'd be checking with the aftermarket immobiliser manufacturers. This may be something they know about.

[dom14]

Useless and dodgy immobilizer IMO. If it dies, it should die while disabling the engine start.

[dom14]

Stop tinkering with elektrikery bwahahahaha

I didn't do anything. Just disconnected the stupid battery to swap the starter motor & charge the battery with the smart charger, something I've been doing for years.
Immobilizer solenoid is obviously stuck in on position. Not a good outcome, as far as security concerns.

[dom14]

Sorry not much help but I'd be checking with the aftermarket immobiliser manufacturers. This may be something they know about.

I've already bought another aftermarket immobilizer and alarm ages ago. I've never bothered to fit it, 'cos the existing one has worked ok so far. I've never thought it could be this dodgy. It's a bit PITA to install them(I meant bit of time consuming for me).
Now, it looks like I don't have much of a choice.

[dom14]

The immobilizer and alarm started working again, on it's own.
It's a mystery!
A mystery that's being replaced with a new one. :)


P.S.
Hey, you blokes only posted few posts for me after I start whinging about not getting any hits. :D

[GeeYou8]

I only venture down to the mechanical/electrical section if I have read all the general discussion bits.
I would have suggested disconnect the battery for a few hours & reconnect with the ignition off.
Graham

[mudnut]

I have had a run in with a an after market immobiliser / alarm once before, on my brother in law's car. I ended up having to replace the whole front and under-dash loom as it was all burnt to a crisp.

So not a real fan of buying a vehicle with one fitted. If you do end up wiring one up, make sure you strip the old one out completely.

[Clunk]

The immobilizer and alarm started working again, on it's own.
It's a mystery!
A mystery that's being replaced with a new one. :)


P.S.
Hey, you blokes only posted few posts for me after I start whinging about not getting any hits. :D
I wouldn't take it to heart mate, more than likely to do with the right people not coming across your post yet...... not sure where Yendor is but ET would have been travelling over to SA, then making his way over to the weekends festivities at ABs place for Roothys Donk party

[Bigcol]

and I have only just got back from my sojourn to the Goldfields


as GeeYou8 said, I would have turned ignition off, un-plugged battery, and re-connected to try that

sounds like a "sticking" solenoid

but if you have already removed it, make sure you remove ALL the old wiring so there is no "loose" wiring laying around inside your car








PS......... most people dont give a shyte who you are, they answer if they can have a positive input





PPS....... you would have been just as pissed if you had 20 posts saying "sorry mate - cant help - dunno..............."

[GeeYou8]

Yeah, hopefully I will get few more hits later. :)

I'm bit bothered with an alarm and immobilizer dying after battery disconnection, without killing the ability
to start the car. Pretty worrying.
I need some answers from an experienced bloke.

I was disconnecting the battery on the mother o laws car to stop the immobiliser flattening the battery & you could start it after reconnection without disarming the immobiliser, in fact the LED didn't blink until a few min after reconnection.
I think this is a design feature, if you disconnect for X amount of time & reconnect, you can start the car, that way you can rescue a car when you have lost the plug/remote/RFID tag. It also means that if you hit a big bump and lose power to the immobiliser for a moment it does not shut down the engine. On some you turn the ignition on for 15 or 20 min then you can start.
The immobiliser will only slow a car thief down.
Graham

[Yendor]

I dunno.............. What to say :)

When an aftermarket alarm plays up normally it's

1. The alarm goes off randomly for no reason, normally in the early hours of the morning,

2. It drains the starting battery, preventing the vehicle from starting.

3. Or it just prevents the vehicle from starting.

I haven't heard of one playing up like yours before but then I guess most people won't know if it was doing this.

I'm not a big fan of aftermarket alarms especially in 4WDs. The environment is just to harsh for them.

If yours is playing up I would replace it now.

[dom14]

and I have only just got back from my sojourn to the Goldfields


as GeeYou8 said, I would have turned ignition off, un-plugged battery, and re-connected to try that

sounds like a "sticking" solenoid

but if you have already removed it, make sure you remove ALL the old wiring so there is no "loose" wiring laying around inside your car








PS......... most people dont give a shyte who you are, they answer if they can have a positive input





PPS....... you would have been just as pissed if you had 20 posts saying "sorry mate - cant help - dunno..............."

True. :D
One post wouldn't piss me off though. ;)

[dom14]

I was disconnecting the battery on the mother o laws car to stop the immobiliser flattening the battery & you could start it after reconnection without disarming the immobiliser, in fact the LED didn't blink until a few min after reconnection.
I think this is a design feature, if you disconnect for X amount of time & reconnect, you can start the car, that way you can rescue a car when you have lost the plug/remote/RFID tag. It also means that if you hit a big bump and lose power to the immobiliser for a moment it does not shut down the engine. On some you turn the ignition on for 15 or 20 min then you can start.
The immobiliser will only slow a car thief down.
Graham

Ok, cool mate.
I thought immobilizer is meant to stop a thief. :1087:
If every thief knows this, they would simply disconnect the battery to stop the alarm/immobilizer and reconnect the battery to get it started.
It's a wonderful design. :icon_bonk:
So, my auxiliary security measurements are far more reliable. :)

[dom14]

I dunno.............. What to say :)

When an aftermarket alarm plays up normally it's

1. The alarm goes off randomly for no reason, normally in the early hours of the morning,

2. It drains the starting battery, preventing the vehicle from starting.

3. Or it just prevents the vehicle from starting.

I haven't heard of one playing up like yours before but then I guess most people won't know if it was doing this.

I'm not a big fan of aftermarket alarms especially in 4WDs. The environment is just to harsh for them.

If yours is playing up I would replace it now.

But, aftermarket one is the only solution for an ancient 4WD like mine. :D

Yeah, I'm replacing it.

I'm glad it happened. Now, I know I can't count on the immobilizer to prevent the car from getting stolen.

[GeeYou8]

Ok, cool mate.
I thought immobilizer is meant to stop a thief. :1087:
If every thief knows this, they would simply disconnect the battery to stop the alarm/immobilizer and reconnect the battery to get it started.
It's a wonderful design. :icon_bonk:
So, my auxiliary security measurements are far more reliable. :)
All you can hope to do is make it harder to take, if they really want it they can hook it up to a tow truck or tilt tray.
It took me about 10 minutes to remove the immobiliser from the Excel when fault finding (crank angle sensor was stuffed).
Graham

[dom14]

All you can hope to do is make it harder to take, if they really want it they can hook it up to a tow truck or tilt tray.
It took me about 10 minutes to remove the immobiliser from the Excel when fault finding (crank angle sensor was stuffed).
Graham

I'm thinking of making a wheel lock using my welding skills and scraps in my backyard. ;) :D

[PeeBee]

I'm thinking of making a wheel lock using my welding skills and scraps in my backyard. ;) :D

DOM, where did you end up with the immobiliser issue? I have an aftermarket immobiliser that was fitted by Nissan and linked to a central locking system. This worked well until the lock plungers starting getting clogged with dirt and grit, and then I put the vehicle into a river and had water running thru the vehicle over the windows - yes I was stuck and made a dumb mistake. Anyway, the replacement immobilizer supplied, again by Nissan, was an aftermarket unit, and does not work the central locking as thats rooted. This one is so good it even has a visible red button on it to over-ride it - what a piece of crap. I am looking for a replacement, so am keen to see if you have gone the electrical or mechanical path
Phil, ps how did that alternator project pan out for you?

[dom14]

DOM, where did you end up with the immobiliser issue? I have an aftermarket immobiliser that was fitted by Nissan and linked to a central locking system. This worked well until the lock plungers starting getting clogged with dirt and grit, and then I put the vehicle into a river and had water running thru the vehicle over the windows - yes I was stuck and made a dumb mistake. Anyway, the replacement immobilizer supplied, again by Nissan, was an aftermarket unit, and does not work the central locking as thats rooted. This one is so good it even has a visible red button on it to over-ride it - what a piece of crap. I am looking for a replacement, so am keen to see if you have gone the electrical or mechanical path
Phil, ps how did that alternator project pan out for you?

Hi mate,

After it started working on it's own, I just left it is as it is.
It is an old aftermarket immobilizer unit. I can't expect too much from it and obviously a dodgy unit.
I still have the NEW(unused, but over two years old) aftermarket immobilizer+central locking kit.
I'm planning to fit it in sometime in next two weeks.

What happens with the old unit is that if I disconnect the battery while the ignition is on, that upsets the old immobilizer
relay and switched the immobilizer unit into bypass mode automatically. Dodgy thing, obviously.
It will be replaced soon.

Cheers
Dom

[kbchez]

I dont even know if mine in my 97 gq works or not.. A small red light flashes all the time engine running or not... I wounder if it has one..lol

[dom14]

I dont even know if mine in my 97 gq works or not.. A small red light flashes all the time engine running or not... I wounder if it has one..lol

If it flashes when the engine's running, then probably it's not working properly.
Oh......I get it, obviously yours got a a flashing LED on the dash to mimic an immobilizer alarm. :)

[kbchez]

give me a few clues, where is the immoboliser??? where do I find it. just another issue to resolve..

[dom14]

give me a few clues, where is the immoboliser??? where do I find it. just another issue to resolve..

Well, in my case, which is an after market unit, it's installed under the bonnet. Little black box with wires going and out of it. wires should lead to a relay under the bonnet as well.

[kbchez]

any ideas where the original nissan would be.?????????

[dom14]

any ideas where the original nissan would be.?????????

No idea. I've never had a Patrol with factory immobilizer thingy.
PM Yendor. He knows all about this stuff, or PM Evil Twin. Both of them are good with these stuff. :)

[Throbbinhood]

snip...

I'm not a big fan of aftermarket alarms especially in 4WDs. The environment is just to harsh for them.


This. I do enough big water crossing etc, last thing I want is an immobilizer getting a splash and deciding the car is better off floating down the river somewhere.

Decent club lock, some alarm/gps tracking stickers, and a fuel cut off switch or similar. Granted mine is parked behind locked gates at night, and they'd need to move three cars first to get it out.

Keep your insurance up to date too, just in case :P

[mudnut]

This. I do enough big water crossing etc, last thing I want is an immobilizer getting a splash and deciding the car is better off floating down the river somewhere.

Decent club lock, some alarm/gps tracking stickers, and a fuel cut off switch or similar. Granted mine is parked behind locked gates at night, and they'd need to move three cars first to get it out.

Keep your insurance up to date too, just in case :P

I had a fuel cut off switch installed, but it was bloody dangerous because if the driver forgot it the engine would run just long enough to get you into traffic before the carby would run out of petrol. I have a flashing LED to install to avert that scenario, but will have to wait until I pull the centre dash console apart to fit it and re-connect the switch.

[Throbbinhood]

I had a fuel cut off switch installed, but it was bloody dangerous because if the driver forgot it the engine would run just long enough to get you into traffic before the carby would run out of petrol. I have a flashing LED to install to avert that scenario, but will have to wait until I pull the centre console apart to fit it and re-connect the switch.

Ahhh yep. Wonder if you can have a switch cut power to the coil? Just wouldn't let it start so no worry about your situation.

[mudnut]

I already have that, but have had some problems with it. Some of the relays I used have started playing up. I designed the system that if it fails I can still drive with after performing minor mod.

[dom14]

This. I do enough big water crossing etc, last thing I want is an immobilizer getting a splash and deciding the car is better off floating down the river somewhere.

Decent club lock, some alarm/gps tracking stickers, and a fuel cut off switch or similar. Granted mine is parked behind locked gates at night, and they'd need to move three cars first to get it out.

Keep your insurance up to date too, just in case :P

Hmmmm....it makes perfect sense.
I haven't installed the new centrelocking & alarm unit yet. Centrelocking is not a bad thing though.
Too much use of the key has already caused wear of the keyholes. More wear, easier to open the door with any key.

I'm not too worried about getting the unit stolen right at my joint. It would be pretty impossible to steal mine
I'm more worried about losing it when I leave it parked in the middle of nowhere, while doing treks on foot or bike.

I'm thinking of fabricating a driveshaft lock, so the tow truck thieves can't steal the old troll either. :D

[dom14]

I had a fuel cut off switch installed, but it was bloody dangerous because if the driver forgot it the engine would run just long enough to get you into traffic before the carby would run out of petrol. I have a flashing LED to install to avert that scenario, but will have to wait until I pull the centre dash console apart to fit it and re-connect the switch.

Yeah, that won't be a good thing on the freeway or highway.
What you can do is to wire a single switch for both fuel cut off & ignition coil cut off.
That way, you won't have to worry about forgetting to switch it on.
I basically did that with mine. It was too easy since mine's dual fuel.

You can install a break-in alarm & not worry about the immobilizer part.
I think, I might do that with my new after market alarm/immobilizer/central locking unit.

[Throbbinhood]

I'm thinking of fabricating a driveshaft lock, so the tow truck thieves can't steal the old troll either. :D

They can still do that. Either drag it up dry, or if they have the time, they lift the wheels up onto some rollers and roll it up.

[dom14]

I already have that, but have had some problems with it. Some of the relays I used have started playing up. I designed the system that if it fails I can still drive with after performing minor mod.

Why do you have to use relays for that?

[dom14]

They can still do that. Either drag it up dry, or if they have the time, they lift the wheels up onto some rollers and roll it up.

Dragging it up dry would be tough call with a heavy Patrol, wouldn't it(I hope)?!
All that trouble probably wouldn't worth it for the pro car stealing crooks with an old troll like mine.
The lower end bum crooks don't have the brains to stuff around to find a way to steal an old troll. They prefer quick & easy ones.
They probably prefer to break in steal my food and other supplies(if they are hungry enough :) )
And of course, few tools I carry inside the troll.

I've noticed stealing of Patrols have increased recently, particularly around Melbourne.
I bet most of those stealing were easier one for the thief 'cos the guy probably forgot to lock the vehicle, left keys in the vehicle, no alarm/immobilizer, key barrel was worn out, etc situations.

[mudnut]

Why do you have to use relays for that?

The relays switch a high current. The system not only cuts the power to the coil but the dash, Alt and lights. I figured if they want to steal my Trol, they'll have to bring torches to drive with too.

[mudnut]

Yeah, that won't be a good thing on the freeway or highway.
What you can do is to wire a single switch for both fuel cut off & ignition coil cut off.
That way, you won't have to worry about forgetting to switch it on.
I basically did that with mine. It was too easy since mine's dual fuel.

You can install a break-in alarm & not worry about the immobilizer part.
I think, I might do that with my new after market alarm/immobilizer/central locking unit.

Ah yes but I had another switch that is not easy to get at for parking in the city.

[dom14]

'Cos of the popularity of the Patrol, there's huge black market for parts.
Once the Patrol is stolen and stripped into pieces for parts, there's no way tracing it from parts, 'cos
they won't sell any traceable parts.
I'm sensing there's an increase in Patrol theft in Melbourne, 'cos I hear more and more about stolen Patrols.

[dom14]

I'm thinking of fabricating a driveshaft lock, so the tow truck thieves can't steal the old troll either. :D

I'm thinking, a single driveshaft lock won't cut it as a deterrent for towing thieves. I need two, don't I?!! :)

[dom14]

https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/blog/the-state-of-car-theft-in-australia.html

[Throbbinhood]

Dragging it up dry would be tough call with a heavy Patrol, wouldn't it(I hope)?!


I wouldn't think so. My 11,000lb winch will drag my patrol along with all wheels locked up. A tow truck would make mince meat of it. Can only imagine some of the wrecks they'd pull out of places/apart.

[mudnut]

I wouldn't think so. My 11,000lb winch will drag my patrol along with all wheels locked up. A tow truck would make mince meat of it. Can only imagine some of the wrecks they'd pull out of places/apart.

Really? After a rebuild, I tested my Aldi winch and it can drag my Patrol (never tested how far) across concrete with the hand brake on in 4wd and in gear.

[Throbbinhood]

Really? After a rebuild, I tested my Aldi winch and it can drag my Patrol (never tested how far) across concrete with the hand brake on in 4wd and in gear.

Have I missed something or are you agreeing with me? Just confused with the 'Really'.

[mudnut]

Ha, ha. My pea brain put a random "not" in your post. That was what the "really" was for. It was disbelief that the Aldi winch could do it when a better one couldn't.

[kbchez]

After locking my self out of my GQ, when I was installing a centeral locking system. The Keys where in the ignition.It only took me about 60sec with a coat hanger wire. The drivers door.. I have not done this for many years so I thought it would take ages . But no The door lock just popped and I was in. never work on car with all windows up...lol.

Just make sure you all have enough insurance to cover all the goodiees on and in ya trollllllssss.

[Throbbinhood]

Ha, ha. My pea brain put a random "not" in your post. That was what the "really" was for. It was disbelief that the Aldi winch could do it when a better one couldn't.

Oh haha.. Yeah, so much of it has to do with the gearing too. A lot of 'faster' winches will struggle more when really loaded up etc.

[dom14]

I wouldn't think so. My 11,000lb winch will drag my patrol along with all wheels locked up. A tow truck would make mince meat of it. Can only imagine some of the wrecks they'd pull out of places/apart.

Yeah, but we are talking about dragging it for some distance though. :)
What kind of tow truck equipped thief wanna drag a heavy Patrol all the way? :D

[dom14]

After locking my self out of my GQ, when I was installing a centeral locking system. The Keys where in the ignition.It only took me about 60sec with a coat hanger wire. The drivers door.. I have not done this for many years so I thought it would take ages . But no The door lock just popped and I was in. never work on car with all windows up...lol.

Just make sure you all have enough insurance to cover all the goodiees on and in ya trollllllssss.

Or you could install iron grills behind windows as I'm planning to do, combined with extra padlocks on each door. ;)