Hi everyone
I am really sorry that my second post on your forums is a cry for help, but i am really stuck at the moment and am getting conflicting information.

My problem is my immobiliser has now locked me out from starting the car.
I will explain the lead up to this in as much detail as i can.

Something has been happening for the last few months, but it wasnt until today that i realised it was the start of my problem.
Whilst driving i have on odd occasions heard a "ding" from the dash, i didnt notice any lights come up, nor did it seem to affect the drive, so i ignored it as one of those odd things.

So, Monday of this week i went out to do some shopping, a little way up the road the engine and electrics cut out for no longer than a second and then with no input from me (apart from normal driving) the engine kicked back in and carried on. After about 5 minutes this happened again, this time for slightly longer and enough to cause the car to "kangaroo" a bit, again the engine kicked back in again.

I then decided as i was close to home that i should park up and take a look.
Once parked outside my house i tried to start the car again, it fired up and then cut out after approx 5 seconds, started the car again and the same happened, did this once more and that was it, i could not start the car after that. I had no glow plug lamp, nor did the fuel pump run.
So, i could put the key in, the dash lit up as per usual, the dials moved to where they should be, but the last turn of the key did not click any relays nor would it even turn the car over, just nothing.

At this point in time i did not realise that my alarm light was permanently lit and also the small round skim/immobiliser warning lamp on the dash display was also lit.
So what happens now, key in ignition, turn too on and dash and instruments are ok, car will not start or turn over. The "skim/immobiliser" lamp on the dash flashes once then a few seconds later i get the "ding" that i have been hearing for the last few months.

I have taken the battery out to recharge it, this was for about 15 hours and according to a few threads i have read this should reset the alarm/immobiliser, this has not been the case for me.
I have taken the IOD fuse out overnight for at least 12 hours, which again is said to reset the alarm/immobiliser, again this has not worked for me.

I have taken the climate control and radio panel off to check for the burnt out earth, which again is said to possibly cause my problem, all looks ok and clean.
I have thumped every part of the dash to see if i can get something to twitch, again nothing....

I have had 2 mobile mechanics out, but their hand held code readers will not talk to my chrysler.
My nearest dealer is over 100 miles away, and when i did phone them they told me it was probably my fuel pump. This did not fill me with confidence and i think the price of transporting my car over 100 miles will be an absolute fortune, coupled with dealer labour prices, i dont think i can afford this option.

So, first of all taking everything into account do you guys think my immobiliser has been acting up for the last few months and has now decided to go pear shaped?
If so if i could find a good auto electrician can he bypass/disable the immobiliser?
I know chrysler say you cant but i have seen on the web there are companies who will take your immobiliser box and fit it with something that will allow it to be bypassed.

I know the best solution is to use good chrysler qualified engineers but they seem few and far between, and with all my searching i have been doing recently "merlin" seems to be honest and knows his onions...

Sorry for the wall of text but i thought it best to try and explain everything in the first post, then answer any other questions as they come...

Thank you very much in advance for any help on this issue.

PS: all but one of my local garages have insisted i get the car to them before they will take a look, the one guy that did come out is trying to get in contact with a auto electrician that he has used for 15 years and trusts, but it appears he is on holiday for a further 3 weeks from today.

 

Just a couple more things
I have tried the key trick to get the p codes, on,off,on,off,on, but i get no codes doing this.
I press the trip reset button and i do get e100.1,5,6, these seem to be communication errors.
I only have 1 key and fob, the key is a grey one so i presume its a skim key?
When i use the fob to lock the car i do not get a warning sound if a door is still open, nor do the indicators flash to indicate the car is now alarmed.

 

Where abouts in the country are you?, I can read the codes for you - if it's not too far.

I'll have to re-read the manual to confirm but I'm sure the alarm/central locking is a separate system to the immobiliser function. The fob disarms the alarm and unlocks the car, but it is the RF ID chip in the car that disarms the immobiliser.

I'll have a look at the docs in the morning

Regards
Richard

 

docs here
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw65...it?usp=sharing

and

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw65...it?usp=sharing

but without the fault codes you are a bit buggered. From experience I know that Auto Enginuity and a Launch X431 can talk to the SKIM.

Regards
Richard

 

Hi Richard, thanks for the reply...
I am in Somerset, near Glastonbury.
Yes i am beginning to learn that chrysler make it very difficult for independant mechanics to be able to read the cars....
I have an Auto electrician coming on Friday.
Looking at my thread i can probably see why i didnt get lots of replies about whether i can bypass the immobiliser, it would be silly to give out instructions on the net.....

But a simple yes you can get rid of the immobiliser would have sufficed, as then i could have found someone with the tools and skill to do the job.
In the 6 years i have owned this car this is the first big thing that has gone wrong, and with only 68k on the clock i hope it remains worth repairing.

 

see #23

 

Bypassing the immobiliser requires the ECU to be reprogrammed so that it doesn't expect a data message from the SKIM. Possible to do for most cars. It's something that requires the right software and electronics so there is no big secret that needs to be hidden - just impossible to do without the right stuff and not something I'd attempt to try.
If either the ECU, SKIM or Body control module are replaced they'll need to be programmed to match each other. The instrument cluster also throws an error when one of them is changed, but it still seems to work fine.
You could try getting a complete ECU, SKIM, BCM, ignition barrel and key from a breakers yard and replace the lot - but you are better off diagnosing it first.
I'm afraid Somerset is a bit out of my way, I do head down to Weston at times, but I'm not going there for a good while.


Regards
Richard

 

Just an update.
Managed to find a garage that would come and look at my car and recover it.
They transported it to a Chrysler dealer and their machine said the key had lost its code.
New key coded and it still wont do anything.
The car says its happy with the key codes, but the immobilisor light still stays lit, and the car will not crank, nor will the fuel pump will run etc....
They are now saying its an after market immobilisor and we are waiting for an auto electrician to come out and hopefully disconnect it.
He is on holiday till next week, so another week without the car.

If anyone has any cunning ideas on here i would gladly listen to them.....

 

Hi Blackadder - Looks like I now have the same issue as you... Did you get your car fixed ?..

Glad of any help

Neil

 

Hi neil
It turned out the previous owner had fitted another immobilisor to go with the one that chrysler fitted as standard
The chrysler one flashes the light on the radio, the after market one has its own light fitted near the dials, and that for me was the one that had locked me out.
It turned out to be a broken wire that was traced and fixed.

So, if you dont have the extra little light fitted then it will be your chrysler immobilisor that is broke. That often indicates that the key has lost its code and needs to be recoded.

After market immobilisors are often fitted because our insurance companies insist on it.....
Hope this helps you...