Jump to content

Cold Starting Issue? (Immobilizer?) Advice Needed

craig46

By craig46,
in Engine Maintenance and Problems

 Share Followers 0

Recommended Posts

craig46

craig46 0

Posted
Posted

Hi Guys,

After 4 months of aggro when starting the vr from cold i think it's time to sort it out!

Well, firstly upon starting in a cold morning the engine will turn over and run for about a second fine, but then it seems maybe the immobilizer kicks in and stops the fuel so the engine dies instantly. What is curious though is that it only does it when cold, and I do notice the oil can flashing when it cuts out or before i turn ignition to fully on to start the motor, then stops flashing, but whether it is flashing or not doesnt usually make a difference as to whether it decides to cut out. However i have heard if the oil is too low there is a starting overide which cuts out, is this true? could the pressure sensor (or any other oil measuring sensor) be faulty? I check the oil weekly so there is always a healthy amount of oil in there, although i am putting in about 1/2 a litre to a litre a month! Any advice is appreciated.

Also i have a non factory alarm fitted (cobra) which I presume should be the first thing to remove but if any body else has some advice to share i would appreciate it. By the way the engine can sometimes start first time, second time, or max about 8th time with this problem.

Cheers in advance,

Craig.

Link to post
Share on other sites
thegoth

thegoth 5

Posted
Posted

Does sound like the inbuilt ecu immobiliser. Or more specifically the transponder coil near the ignition switch which is supposed to read the chip in the key.

how many miles to you do a week? 1L per 1000 isn't unusual, and is fact mentioned in the owners manual.

Link to post
Share on other sites
craig46

craig46 0

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for your reply. So do you think there is no link with the oil can flashing then? And do you know if the symptoms of the failing transponder coil do worsen when the engine is cold? Because if i run the car and then go back an hour or two later when it might still be a little warmish it will start with no problems. Cheers

Link to post
Share on other sites
thegoth

thegoth 5

Posted
Posted

nope, the flashing oil can is oil pressure and if the engine isn't running neither will the oil pump.

a joint / junction which is poor when cold can often improve when warm due to slight expansion / drying out sort of things.

the problem is quite common but not one applicable to my old VR so my help can only be limited. Have a look through the electrical problems section, or wait for somebody with more knowledge/experience to come along.

One drastic solution is to have Stealth or United Motorsport, or whatever Matt is now trading as, remove the immob function from the ECU.

Link to post
Share on other sites
craig46

craig46 0

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I think i will leave deactivating the immob as a very last resort because i wouldnt like leaving it that vulnarable.

One thing to note is that this morning it took 3 attempts before the immob didnt kick in, then i drove it 20 seconds down the road to the shop (come on, dont judge its sunday and i got a bit lazy!) then went to restart and no drama, is twenty seconds of driving enough to warm anything up to a point where connections are bettered? I am really baffled.

Also, i am using what i think is the spare key, because the other key i have is the one with the push button and the small led type light, this key does not activate the central locking but im just wondering if it is the battery, does the small infra red light flash when the button is pressed? mine doesnt so im just wondering if its the batttery or a very dodgily wired alarm system.

the car also doesnt start using the main key, reacts exactly same as the spare key i use primarily.

Sorry for the whaling posts im just trying to provide plenty of info so that hopefully i can get this problem sorted.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Smurf

Smurf 0

Posted
Posted

Try checking the oil pressure, Not sure about what model you have but mine has 2 oil pressure switches 1 low 1 high. The low 1 cuts the engine if no oil is present on start up this maight be faulty - they cost about 6 quid , make sure you get the right colour though !! as this dictates the range blue = 30 psi etc. Normally the diaphragms go cause theyr'e in a stupid place !! and the housing corrodes through.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Smurf

Smurf 0

Posted
Posted

Try checking the oil pressure, Not sure about what model you have but mine has 2 oil pressure switches 1 low 1 high. The low 1 cuts the engine if no oil is present on start up this maight be faulty - they cost about 6 quid , make sure you get the right colour though !! as this dictates the range blue = 30 psi etc. Normally the diaphragms go cause theyr'e in a stupid place !! and the housing corrodes through.

Link to post
Share on other sites
p0u1

p0u1 14

Posted
Posted

i think the vr6 will start regardless of how much oil you have ( i have a oil leak), also i read a while back about someone asking if his engine will be ok because he started it without oil, also it would be harder to start the secound time round as the oil level would of droped a tine bit, also the imobiliser would not be effected by the heat as its all in behind the dash and the ecu, but it sounds the same as a imobiliser the way it staarts and stops affter a like 3secs, have a good look at the grounds around the engine, also have you tryed using the other key the chip might be damged in your key, and that key only has a light on it, its only a light, i know disapointment

Link to post
Share on other sites
craig46

craig46 0

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ok, well I have two contradicting posts, can anybody else shed some light on the oil pressure switch mentioned by smurf because that to me sounds the most plausible due to the cold issue and then once its started it can be cut off by myself and then started with no drama, which could be because the oil has circulated making the pressue easier to build up, which i think could have the same effect as firing the starter motor a couple of times.

However if like p0u1 said, this may have no effect but I would really like to know... Hoping to get it hooked to vagcom though soon enough.

As for the key, I have tried both, and it does it with both, however I was asking about the light because it didnt unlock my car (i have separate alarm fob) but was wondering if the light is supposed to shine when depressed so I can just put that down to the battery, 'cos when i press it i dont get a light ;)

Cheers guys,

Craig

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
craig46

craig46 0

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Right, well got the local mechanic to put it through the diagnostic, came back with something that i havent heard before about intermittent ecu, he seems to think that isnt an issue as he has seen that many a times, however another problem that came up was the crank sensor. Now does anybody know if this can cause starting issues with an immboliser like symptom?

P0i1 - I am going to check the earth you mentioned today, is the ground lead just under the upper steering column surround?

Link to post
Share on other sites
craig46

craig46 0

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Right, well i'm unsure whether the crank sensor is causing this.

The past 3 days I have held the black wire inwards (sort of pushing in to better the connection) coming from the coil reader (brown) and not had a starting issue. Is this the earth lead that you are on about? Is there anyway of improving the connection if it is? Or do I have to buy a new one?

a60601d2a30edb56a234f7129a5314c0.jpg

Thanks

Craig

Link to post
Share on other sites
 Share
Followers 0
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...