My Problem

- parked up last night, car alarmed and dead bolts on, no problems, everything as usual
- the the Theft Alarm / Immobilizer Light did it usual thing

- went out tonight, none of the buttons on the 5 button transmitter would work at all, nothing, ziltch
- Immobiliser light was flashing as expected
- opened the door with the key, alarm went off as expected, put the key in the ignition, car started, alarm stopped sounding
- drove it around my house [ block] for 10 minutes to make sure it did not cut out [ immobilise ]
- so I took the grand-kids home and it drove about an hour, no problems with the running
- arrived home none of the buttons on the 5 button transmitter would work at all, nothing, ziltch
- I locked the 3 internal doors with the internal power door lock switch, and the drivers door with the key
- no dead bolts on, no Theft Alarm / no immobiliser / no Immobiliser deterrent light flashing
- so any 10 year old muppett with a screwdriver could have it away in minutes

I've tried both 5 button transmitters, checked the LiIon batteries, both are 3v+, and read the threads in the Voyager section of this forum and can't find the answer, so my 'head~is~in~the~shed' and I'm out of ideas. Have you folks got any ?

NOTE : a five button transmitter is identical to the normal 6 button except here in the UK there is no 6th Panic button.

The reason I'm out of ideas is everything works other than the transponders, the key is accepted by the ECU as genuine and will lock / unlock / start the car. I've trawled the previous threads / posts on this forum about why the car [ ECU ] does not communicate with previously working transponders.

.Q. would something as simple as taking the battery of for 30 minutes kick the ECU into a re-think and reset all values ? and would that have unseen consequences like wiping the radio code etc ?

Sorry its a long first post, but the value of any answers is only as good as the information given.

Regards, Richie

 

Not quite. The immobiliser works by reading a chip in the actual ignition key and as such is seperate from the alarm/central locking system. If you or a 10 year old deliquent broke the barrel and tried to start it with a screwdriver it would not start!

I'd try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes or so and see if that cures it.

Your problem sounds similar to the body control module crashing issue which is very common on that era of Voyager, whereby the remote keyfob functions all stop working for no reason. Battery disconnect resets the BCM and it all works again until it randomly stops working again some day. It happens to my Voyager on average every couple of months. There is a software upgrade available from the dealer to cure this, but I just live with it.

 

Bloomin' ek! that's a fast response, and gives me hope. .. .. thanks booke23. It's gone midnight, chucking it down and winds of 70MPH here at the moment. I'll take my chances and back my luck for one night only and do as you suggest in the AM.

I do have the full US workshop Manual which includes diesels and it makes many mention[s] of the BCM communication / timings / etc but no mention as to whether or not pulling the battery offline will help ..

 

Took the NEG off the battery for an hour while I had brekkie, after which I replaced the NEG terminal. Nothing .. .. ziltch! just the same, the car started and ran ok, the radio has not lost its code and worked but as would be expected had lost its settings / stations.

At that point switched off and got out of the car, none of the 5 buttons on the transmitter worked as in #1 above so back to square one.

Sat in the car, started it, and pushed each of the buttons on the transmitter in turn in a haphazard manner while the key was in the IGN, in PARK position, and the car was running. After a dozen or so button presses the car doors started to lock and unlock. I switched off and got out of the car and used the transmitter to lock the car doors and ziltch nothing happens.

Went to the front of the car and pointed the transmitter directly at the front of the [ SENSOR ] rear view mirror and lo and behold the doors lock, deadbolts go on, alarm activates, and the immobiliser deterrent light flashes. Everything with that one of two 5 button transmitters works if pointed directly at the SENSOR.

What will happen in a couple of hours when I go out and try it again ? - Who knows - I hope this helps someone who has a similar problem - my thanks to booke23

 

changed the battery in the fob?

 

HiYa pestilance, no my friend, just have not got around to it, yet, but I will. The thing is both of the fobs are Panasonic [much better quality than I can get round here] and both read 3v+ on the meter so I'm convinced replacement will be a waste of coin .. .. but I'll do it anyway.

UPDATE :

Since my 12:46 AM post I checked again all / everything is back and the fob works the way it should at the drivers door without the need to point it through the front windscreen, even the radio has REM all its previous setting even though the battery was off for over an hour. Talk about a 'Lazarus' moment, everything is back to normal including my twitching wallet

- its like it never happened - take the car battery NEG off folks and make the EERROM driven BCM phreak out - seemed to do the trick for me!

 

i just pull the IOD fuse for about 20 secs then pop it back in,turn ignition on 2 clicks the indicators gives 2 flashes then all is reset

 

- thanks for that pestilance,

Can I assume its Fuse F14 - 20 Amp Yellow - in the 'fuse & relay box' ?

 

Thats the one.

Curiously this does not work in my car, I have to disconnect the battery.

 

- thanks for the confirmation update !

I'll give it a go next time .. .. hope there isn't one .. .. but evidence from this forum [ and your good self ] says there will be one [ BCM EEprom fart ] without a 'stealer' software update.

- thanks, booke23