Discussion
My immobiliser has decided to become permanent rather than optional. Luckily it did it at home so I didn't get stranded.
The light goes off with the fob as usual, but the car makes a whirring sound at the back rather than turning over (just as if it's immobilised).
I have two boxes next to the fusebox clipped together labelled "GM2-T" "mod 25/GEM", with a couple of connector blocks, and spade connected wires disappearing into the loom, could this be it? The alarm works and unlocks as usual.
I have stuck it on charge for a bit to see what happens. Have also left the earth lead off for 10 minutes. No dice.
The light goes off with the fob as usual, but the car makes a whirring sound at the back rather than turning over (just as if it's immobilised).
I have two boxes next to the fusebox clipped together labelled "GM2-T" "mod 25/GEM", with a couple of connector blocks, and spade connected wires disappearing into the loom, could this be it? The alarm works and unlocks as usual.
I have stuck it on charge for a bit to see what happens. Have also left the earth lead off for 10 minutes. No dice.
Edited by adam quantrill on Sunday 5th March 16:06
adam quantrill said:
Could be quite risky as there are 8 individual wires into each block either red or blue.
Here's what it looks like anyone recognise this?
Apologies for the blurry pics! The warranty sticker says 1990.
Disconnect battery and touch live lead on the earth to discharge every thing and try that then Here's what it looks like anyone recognise this?
Apologies for the blurry pics! The warranty sticker says 1990.
A similar thing happened to me on an S2 TVR except in my case the remote was missing and I disconnected the battery so the immobiliser was activated. I called the AA and they couldn't help but they recommended an auto electrician. He couldn't remove the immobiliser as he didn't have the wiring diagram but he managed to bypass the immobiliser by grafting in a couple of extra wires in the right places. It cost me a ton. Sorry can't help but just thought I'd share my experience of a similar problem.
Tony. TCB.
Tony. TCB.
Yeah I expect that the thingy inside it (maybe a transistor or relay) that enables the starter solenoid, and maybe the ignition, has failed.
The immobiliser is being defeated by the fob, but it's not switching.Quite possibly I can bridge a few terminals to remove it, and it's a question of determining which ones.
The immobiliser is being defeated by the fob, but it's not switching.Quite possibly I can bridge a few terminals to remove it, and it's a question of determining which ones.
That dates from around the time I was in car security but despite leafing through reams of old installation notes and circuit diagrams I can't find anything that even remotely resembles what you have there Adam.
I'd be snipping cable ties and slitting tape to get back to the main loom, you'll soon find what needs to be bridged... but if you wait long enough, some internet expert will be along to tell you to connect all the blue wires to the demister and all the reds to the cigarette lighter
Unfortunately, despite my 37 years in electronics I still haven't worked out how to repair things from 200 miles away
I'd be snipping cable ties and slitting tape to get back to the main loom, you'll soon find what needs to be bridged... but if you wait long enough, some internet expert will be along to tell you to connect all the blue wires to the demister and all the reds to the cigarette lighter
Unfortunately, despite my 37 years in electronics I still haven't worked out how to repair things from 200 miles away
Unless you can find out what make the immobiliser is and get replacement parts, I would be looking at bypassing the immobiliser. You have to think in the lines of what's needed from the ignition electrics to make the car run. From memory, and I'm not too sure about this, I think he ran a wire from the ignition to the coil and another to a wire connected with the fuel pump somewhere near the fuse box. I know it's a bit vague but it was a long time ago and I wasn't watching too carefully.
Tony. TCB.
Tony. TCB.
ElvisWedgeman said:
Unless you can find out what make the immobiliser is and get replacement parts, I would be looking at bypassing the immobiliser. You have to think in the lines of what's needed from the ignition electrics to make the car run.
Most electronics kit pre-2000 was free from dedicated ICs and the like (ignoring Clive Sinclair and his ilk); 999 times out of 1000 it'll be a 3p component failure, dry joint or similar poor connecction.You don't need to know make, model or even have a circuit diagram most of the time, you just need to know what a fault might look or smell like
Wedg1e said:
That dates from around the time I was in car security but despite leafing through reams of old installation notes and circuit diagrams I can't find anything that even remotely resembles what you have there Adam.
I'd be snipping cable ties and slitting tape to get back to the main loom, you'll soon find what needs to be bridged...
yes I spotted something on ebay which is obviously from te same manufacturer, but unfortunately not much of a clue as to who that manufacturer is, see item number 152390611850, I'd be snipping cable ties and slitting tape to get back to the main loom, you'll soon find what needs to be bridged...
Alfa Romeo 164 2.0 Turbo relay GM24 Mod.25 / GEM
Next stage is to label all the wires so I don't lose track of what goes where and take a few more photies.
My main suspicion is that just the starter motor circuit is not being powered - this is quite heavy duty. So if I identify the two wires that interrupt that al least I can get it to turn over. I'll start by seeing what goes live when I turn the ignition round to start, then work out which one to enliven to enable the starter, then hopefully bridge them and job's a good'un.
I expect there are either bipolat trannies or FETs inside the thing, one I know which two wires are not connecting it should be reasonably easy to identify an equivalent+uprated part and replacing it, then I can go back to the status quo.
OK so I've labelled up all the wires into these two boxes and identified a permanent live feed into each box.
However I'm now not so sure they are the immobiliser - maybe they are to do with the alarm.
a) There are two live feeds one into each box. When both are disconnected, the flashing LED on the immobiliser fob socket (the one that goes out when plugging in the fob) continues to flash.
b) when the ignition is on, the LED on the socket stays off. However there are no other wires into these boxes that go "on" with the ignition.
So my next theory is that the immmobiliser symptoms are a red herring and I have to trace back the starter motor circuit in case something is broken (e.g. a fuse or relay or similar).
However I'm now not so sure they are the immobiliser - maybe they are to do with the alarm.
a) There are two live feeds one into each box. When both are disconnected, the flashing LED on the immobiliser fob socket (the one that goes out when plugging in the fob) continues to flash.
b) when the ignition is on, the LED on the socket stays off. However there are no other wires into these boxes that go "on" with the ignition.
So my next theory is that the immmobiliser symptoms are a red herring and I have to trace back the starter motor circuit in case something is broken (e.g. a fuse or relay or similar).
adam quantrill said:
My main suspicion is that just the starter motor circuit is not being powered - this is quite heavy duty. So if I identify the two wires that interrupt that al least I can get it to turn over. I'll start by seeing what goes live when I turn the ignition round to start, then work out which one to enliven to enable the starter, then hopefully bridge them and job's a good'un.
I expect there are either bipolat trannies or FETs inside the thing, one I know which two wires are not connecting it should be reasonably easy to identify an equivalent+uprated part and replacing it, then I can go back to the status quo.
Hmmm, the actual crank wire to the starter solenoid is not usually particularly heavy. I've had a recurrent starting issue with the 390 where you turn the key but nothing happens; turned out to be a crusty Lucar connector on the solenoid.I expect there are either bipolat trannies or FETs inside the thing, one I know which two wires are not connecting it should be reasonably easy to identify an equivalent+uprated part and replacing it, then I can go back to the status quo.
First time I had half the car to bits, whenever it happens now it's the first place I look! You can reach the solenoid via the O/S wheelarch, might be worth wiggling your wires.
As you say, the electronics will be simple componentry. Even the Vecta immobiliser (which was the darling of the insurance world for a while in the 90's hot-hatch theft epidemic) was a really simple circuit surrounded by lots of hype
It was basically a quad op-amp chip and one transistor.
I think the red+white wire is fairly heavy - mainly because it has to work near the manifold where it's already quite hot and you don't want ohmic heating melting the insulation.
Yeah I've also had this wire go on a previous wedge - but earlier I didn't hear the starter relay clicking so I'll start there first.
Yeah I've also had this wire go on a previous wedge - but earlier I didn't hear the starter relay clicking so I'll start there first.
adam quantrill said:
Also found a couple of these buggers...
When doing BDR (Battle Damage Repair) in the RAF you could use absolutely anything, from broom sticks to tin foil and everything in between, to get the aircraft back in the air except SCOTCHLOCKS!!gmw9666 said:
don't get me started on scotch locks ahhhhh
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