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jazzdevil

ignition problem?

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hopefully this is a relatively easy one... but for a non-electrically minded chump like me, it's presenting problems

 

when i turn the key to ignition, the engine fires, starts and the rev counter clocks about 1100/1200rpm as the needle peaks... then after about a second it drops back to zero and cuts out as if it has been switched off again.

 

any ideas??? it's especially embarrassing as the car is in for an annual service today and the garage can't even start it to get it into the workshop...

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Sounds like some sort of immobilizer to me, the one on my car does exactly that if it doesn't read the key in the ignition correctly!

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all the vac hoses and crank beather pipes properly connected? leaving off the crank breather hose to the air box will cause this.

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He has a 96 VR6, so almost certainly Immob related.

 

Have you got VAG-COM? Or access to it? I'll lay down my last dollar that in the fault codes it will say "Engine start blocked by immobiliser".

 

The usual cure is to get a new transponder coil, which sits around the ignition barrell and reads the key. The permanent cure is to remove the sodding thing altogether and use your alarm's immob instead. Call Vince at Stealth Racing to discuss.

 

Also, check your spoiler and sunroof still work (fuse 15 or 14 I think) as the immob shares the same circuit.

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Kind of related.. when I plug VAG-COM in, then start the car, it does the exact same thing

 

fires, runs for a second, then says 'nah, not today sir' and the error is Engine start blocked by immobiliser!so the orical that appears to be cheesewire is going to be right :lol:

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LOL!

 

You could try reseating the control box connections as they're renowned for getting a bit messed up. Remove the lower half of the steering column cowling and find the transponder ring wrapped round the ignition barrel. Follow that wire to a black and brown box. Pull out the connectors (2 of them IIRC), spray with WD40, then reconnect.

 

If that doesn't help, you'll need to replace the transponder, but in the immobiliser's own VAG-COM area, there's some tests you can do and it will tell if you can't read the key properly.

 

I think the transponder coils are £25 from the dub ya dealers...

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I bought a new transponder coil about 2 years ago, fixed my starting problems

 

Only thing is the connector at the end of the new wire isnt exactly like the original - the new one has a bit of plastic on it which you need to grind off (it's just there to stop you attaching the wire the wrong way up)

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The usual cure is to get a new transponder coil, which sits around the ignition barrell and reads the key. The permanent cure is to remove the sodding thing altogether and use your alarm's immob instead. Call Vince at Stealth Racing to discuss.

 

Also, check your spoiler and sunroof still work (fuse 15 or 14 I think) as the immob shares the same circuit.

 

Cheers for the info folks...

 

Yup, spoiler works fine... sunroof works in theory, but mechanism broke last Sept.

 

Based on the above I suggested to the Specialist about removing the transponder and he pretty well told me where to get off - charmed i'm sure! Lost the car for the night while they look into it :(

 

To add to the issues, I had asked the guys to look at the ABS on VAG-COM too as my intermittently flashing ABS light has been staying on of recent and the car is due an MOT in a fortnight... let's just say that having read this thread http://www.the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=57087, i am now off to have a beer and fergeddaboutit?!?! :shock:

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The usual cure is to get a new transponder coil, which sits around the ignition barrell and reads the key. The permanent cure is to remove the sodding thing altogether and use your alarm's immob instead. Call Vince at Stealth Racing to discuss.

 

Also, check your spoiler and sunroof still work (fuse 15 or 14 I think) as the immob shares the same circuit.

 

Cheers for the info folks...

 

Yup, spoiler works fine... sunroof works in theory, but mechanism broke last Sept.

 

Based on the above I suggested to the Specialist about removing the transponder and he pretty well told me where to get off - charmed i'm sure! Lost the car for the night while they look into it :(

 

Check all your fuses, this happened to me last friday, totally out of the blue (warm start) it turned out to be Fuse 16 (Which is one of the lighting circuits I think).

 

It had a 15 amp fuse in(original factory style fuse) which baffles me slightly because exactly the same thing happened to the previous owner two years ago, for which the cure was to replace the fuse... yet it doesn't have a replacement-style fuse in there? Could there be more than one fuse in the immobiliser circuit?

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same problem has happened to me again in the last two weeks, randomly and twice in 10 minutes one day! my sunroof and spoiler are both on fuse 16, so i'm tending to think its the spoiler blowing the fuse when it retracts (I notice now and again that the spoiler doesnt retract fully.) The spoiler moves quietly & smoothly in manual though, so not sure why it would stop moving.

 

My old '92 G60 had a spoiler which was noisy and would stop half way up, but it did this without blowing the fuse (overload protection device maybe, that resets after a couple of minutes?)

 

EDIT : The spoiler is DEFINATELY causing the fuse to blow. After stopping the car, if the spoiler is still up(or part way up) the fuse has already blown, hence when I start the car up again, the Immobilser cuts the engine. At least It can't happen when the car is moving, the engine still runs with fuse 16 blown, its only a problem when re-starting the engine.

 

Next plan of action is to get lubricant for the spoiler and hope that it will be a permanent cure, just hope its not some other problem with the mechanism/motor......

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The spoiler is DEFINATELY causing the fuse to blow. After stopping the car, if the spoiler is still up(or part way up) the fuse has already blown, hence when I start the car up again, the Immobilser cuts the engine. At least It can't happen when the car is moving, the engine still runs with fuse 16 blown, its only a problem when re-starting the engine.

 

I have just cleaned the spoiler struts and lubricated with some spray graphite lubricant (it evaporates to leave a dry film) but the movement felt pretty smooth when turned by hand anyway. I then tried it several times on the button, it will work perfectly several times then occasionally slow down when coming down, and then cut out (but now at least without blowing the fuse) then after a few secs it can be lowered again on the button. Then it will work fine again for a bit? wondering if there's issues with the motor or mechanism?

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Sadly my car has developed this starting and cutting out issue. If VAG Com does show the transponder coil to be at fault, do you know if I need to get my key/s recoded if I fit a new transponder coil, or is the code in the ecu?

 

The fault occured just after I fitted a stereo, but I imagine it's just coincidence.

 

Why aren't these cars ever simple?

 

Cheers.

 

Tom.

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