Nick Woods Posted May 11, 2003 Share Posted May 11, 2003 After a period of playing up my immobiliser now appears to have stopped working altogether, albeit in the 'unlocked' position. Its a 1996 1.6K supersport with the MEMS ecu and the Rover two-button 'plipper'. It started when I couldnt disarm it, after a lot of fiddling it began to work intermittently when the wiring connector plug and immobiliser 'box' were squeezed together at the top, but even that doesnt work now. As far as I can tell the wires that connect into the plugs do so without any breaks in the connection, so I'm beginning to suspect a dry joint, a crack in the PCB or some other fault inside the unit although I cant see anything obviously wrong with it. Before I go to a Rover dealer and hope that they can take a lot of money off me in order to fix it , can anyone suggest either some more checks I can do and/or an alternative course of action and/or an alternative immobiliser which would be plug-compatible with the MEMS ? Nick P8MRA - Red and Black 1.6K supersport, back on the road at last. See pictures of it being rebuilt here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiddy1 Posted May 11, 2003 Share Posted May 11, 2003 Nick I had a problem where I checked all the voltages/continuities at the 12 pin connector to the immobiliser and they were all fine but they wern't actually getting through teh connector, open op the box and check teh voltages/continuities are getting to the circuit board, if they are not then some adjustment of teh connector pins slowed the problem Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 Nick I don't believe you can use a substitute immobiliser to check if yours is faulty, as your ECU "learns" the pin code from the immobilser with which it is first set up and will not therefore operate with any other immobiliser. You would have to have the ECU reprogrammed with the new immobiliser which I believe can only be done by CC or a Rover dealer. (although I stand to be corrected by someone with more intimate knowledge of the immobilser) Chris 1.8K SV 140hp see it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-B Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 you're right chris w only cc or rover can reprogram for a new immobiliser... Steve 210Bhp Sinister Version-VHPD here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Woods Posted May 12, 2003 Author Share Posted May 12, 2003 Thanks Simon - I handnt thought of trying that. Chris & Steve - Thansks for the info, I thought that was the case but I wasnt really sure Nick P8MRA - Red and Black 1.6K supersport, back on the road at last. See pictures of it being rebuilt here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Woods Posted May 12, 2003 Author Share Posted May 12, 2003 double post Edited by - Nick Woods on 12 May 2003 10:41:15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Woods Posted May 12, 2003 Author Share Posted May 12, 2003 I have found the problem I took the immobiliser circuit board out of the black box its in (its a Lucas 5AS unit). There is a small 'riser' board about 1.5 cm high and 4cm wide attached to the main PCB and four of the joints which hold it in place have become unsoldered. When I held the joints together the immobiliser works, when the joints are apart it doesnt. All it needs is a bit of solder and I think it will be sorted - I'm going to get someone who knows what they are doing to fix it as soldering isnt one of my strong points. Nick P8MRA - Red and Black 1.6K supersport, back on the road at last. See pictures of it being rebuilt here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dent Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 I've had this problem as well. Some fresh solder joints soon fixed it. It would also be worth while supporting the riser board with some hot glue. Anything to stop the vibrations getting at teh solder joints. does it hurt when you hit 40? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Woods Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 I had it soldered up yesterday by a local TV repair shop and so far its been behaving itself Nick P8MRA - Red and Black 1.6K supersport, back on the road at last. See pictures of it being rebuilt here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-B Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 excellent nick, far cheaper than a new one ❗ well done, you should be ever so chuffed ❗ Steve 210Bhp Sinister Version-VHPD here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Woods Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 I am indeed chuffed . It only cost me a tenner to get it fixed (I'm not experienced at soldering such small joints) , compared to £35 per hour plus god knows how much for a new one at my local MG Rover dealer. All I have left do now now is fix the misfire (replace gunged up distributor cap and plugs), fix the dreaded K-Series starter click (remove solenoid and get it rewired) and stop the heater from dripping dirty water on my legs (take the damn thing off) 😳 Nick P8MRA - Red and Black 1.6K supersport, back on the road at last. See pictures of it being rebuilt here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Nick Before you rewire the solenoid at presumably some expense, it would be worth trying the addition of the additional starter relay (well-documented in these archives) to bypass the MFRU starter realy which seems to get contact problems. More often than not, this cures the click problem. Chris 1.8K SV 140hp see it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Woods Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 Chris - Mine is the top-mounted solenoid with a (very) wobbly connector post - prodding it with a stick while turning the ignition key results in a few sparks and a running engine. I keep a stick in the passenger footwell for this purpose and explain to everyone [norfolk accent]thass my ol' starrter stick, that is [/norfolk accent] 😬 I have bookmarked and printed all the related threads, its just a case of getting round to doing it , either when it becomes a real nuisance (it does it about once a month at the moment) or I get the time. I'll probably do both the internal rewiring and the extra relay trick on the basis that thw two together ought to fix it for good Nick P8MRA - Red and Black 1.6K supersport, back on the road at last. See pictures of it being rebuilt here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S4 SuZI Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 when you have fixed it , fill it full of SILICONE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-B Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 not unless he's NASA and has millions to waste on spare kit. hot glue or a dab of silicone sealant between the boards will work a treat.... Steve 210Bhp Sinister Version-VHPD here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 If you do use a sealing type compound to act as an anti-vibration buffer, make sure you let it dry thoroughly first before reconnecting the immobiliser to power. Some sealants are quite conductive (due to their liquid content) till they have cured. Chris 1.8K SV 140hp see it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Nick have you got much of that tanker load of silicon sealent left 🤔 😳 😳 😳 😳 😳 flares n, flames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Woods Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 Oi Hicksy - shoudlnt you be in the workshop and/or replying to all the emails I've sent you recently . Still, as you asked, I've nearly run out of silicone now and I have also run out of places to stick it (suggestions not required thankyou ) Steve - the reference to silicone is a because of the amount of it I have used to try and stop rainwater getting into the cockpit via the heater inlets. I also have some remover now and plan to reverse the process because its still leaking Seriously I decided not to silicone it (although I did think about it) because I didnt want it to cause the circuit to overheat (although I doubt it gets very warm) and if it ever came unsoldered again it can be a sod to get off. I might try to get some very soft foam to stick under the lid of the box and see of that will gently hold it in place. Nick P8MRA - Red and Black 1.6K supersport, back on the road at last. See pictures of it being rebuilt here Edited by - Nick Woods on 14 May 2003 16:59:45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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