2011 st wont start

Need Help, Car wont start. When I pulled the bottom shroud off (to disconnect the ignition warning beeper) I noticed the plastic ring around the end of the ignition barrel was slightly broken. it has copper wire coiled around it and the wires were nearly touching the ignition barrel, I used a small screwdriver to put the exposed wires back in the plastic ring that runs around the barrel. then I disconnected the small brown plug which I think is the 'key in ignition' warning wire, tried starting the car and it just kept turning over. So I plugged brown plug back in and still car wont fire.?? The brown plug is the 'key in' wire as the beeping stops when I have it unplugged. Plugged or unplugged the car just turns over without firing. The red light on the dash still flashes when key is out so I guess I haven't tripped the immobiliser. Any ideas?? Have checked fuses and all ok.

3l 2011 st patrol wagon

Yendor or ET would be who you seek, not much help but have you tried disconnecting the battery for a while

No but will disconnect it now, thanks.

It's sounds like the NATS antenna (ring around the ignition barrel) has been damaged. The antenna receives the signal from the ignition key chip and tells the ECU it's ok for the vehicle to start.

The antenna is a coil of very fine wire. It sounds like this coil of wire has been broken. When the engine is cranking is the security light on or off?

If you have a second key try using that.

Also when you turn the ignition on does the glow plug and check engine (MIL) warning lights come on in the dash?

Thanks Yendor, the NATS is damaged as the fine wire is broken on one side, tried to twitch it together but bit fidly and didn't seem to work anyway. Glow plug light comes on as normal not sure on other lights. I will need a new NATS antenna, but can they be installed at home or will I need to take it to a dealer? Any idea what they might be worth?

I did try my other key but didn't work.

I did read a thread where someone claimed they were able to solder the wires together. You would need to gentle scrape the protective coating of both ends of the wire first. You would also need a steady hand and good eyesight.

Unfortunately you are unable to just replace the antenna, you need to replace the whole unit (IMMU) that mounts to the ignition barrel.

I think the new IMMU then needs to be programmed to ECU and I think that only Nissan can do this.

Send a PM to Nizzbits and ask Gary for a price and if the new IMMU will need to be programmed to the vehicle.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dougy

I did try my other key but didn't work.

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Yeah if the wire is broken in the antenna then the second key won't work either. I was just trying to cover all bases in my first post.

Yeah ok thanks Yendor, was thinking I may be able to solder it to get it to the dealer without a tow. Will send Nizzbits a pm.

I had the same problem with my car, I would have tried to fix it myself but could not find the break so had to get Nissan to replace it.
It took Nissans 3 days to get the part for mine and I ended up with an $800 bill for the fix and supply of another key.
The really annoying bit is when they fixed it they reconnected the stupid beeper and I am now to afraid to pull it apart again in case I damage the antenna ring again.

Right so I soldered it back together, end up having two breaks in it, bit fidly to do and had to scrape the insulation off wire first. Put it back on and still wouldn't start. The wires weren't quite in the plastic ring properly so I tucked them back in a bit better and it started! I unplugged the IMMU while the car was running to make sure I can drive it to Nissan without the car stopping if my soldering falls apart. Nothing happened when I unplugged it so I guess it wont hurt for the wife to drive it to the dealer as long as she doesn't turn it off! Thanks TPC, im hoping it wont cost me that much but I guess i'll prepare myself now for the bill.

Thanks for the update Dougy,

Once the ECU have received the signal from the IMMU that's is ok to start and the engine has started the NATS has no affect on the engine running. The worst that might happen is the security light comes on or starts flashing.

Can you let us know when you hear back from Gary regarding the programming of the IMMU.

Cheers Rodney

Yeah Gary thinks it doesn't need programming, but hes gonna check it out for me

That would be great if it doesn't, you could easily replace it yourself.

Nizzbits says the new unit shouldn't need programing, so hopefully 10 min after I get the part I will be back on the road!!

Back on the road!! Got the new IMU, bolted it on and plugged it in and it started straight away. Thanks everyone for all the help!

Goos stuff mate, glad you got it sorted.

If you don't mind me asking, how much was the new IMMU?

That's real handy knowing it doesn't need to be programmed.

X2 ^^^^^^^^^^

X 3 good result.

Not sure if I want to know how much it was after how much Nissans charged me to fix it.
I suppose I should always check if I can do something myself cheaper.

$255 for the new IMMU, pretty good price I thought, considering I was expecting it to cost a lot more to get the car on the road again!

So in the end I got the annoying key beeping sorted, but now the wife tells me the car locks itself when she is driving. I guess its not registering that the key is in the ignition, it will lock itself normally if you unlock it and not put the key in the ignition after a certain time, any ideas?

I know this post was almost 8 years ago but hoping someone could help me track down where to get a new IMMU from? I’m in this exact situation and can’t find one anywhere