Immobilizer / Alarm fault?

[LLantrisant]

after my first "eletrical-issues" as described here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

i managed to get the door/wndow opening function working again.

what does not work is cental-locking the car and arming/disarming the alarm.

what i remember from the past is, that i never could see the indicators flashing once i pressed the key-fobs....so maybe this never worked. but at least the car could get started.

ok...lets describe the actual situation:

i´m entering the garage. i press the mirror button on drivers side. window moves down quite low, door solenoid get powerd and doors opens.
i´m entering the car. the small led on the centre-console is blinking. i can switch on the ignition, but fuel-pump does not prime, neither i can start the car.
i can exit the car, close the door, window gets closed, interior light will get switched off once the window is closed.

i can repeat the entry / exit of the car multiple times....no problem.

but it seams that i cannot disarm or de-immobilize the car. i can here some relais clicking inside the alam/immobilizer ECU

i found a invoice from meta-alarms in my folder:

key-fob battery in both fobs are new and have been only changed as pre-causion.








i also checked the connectors shown in above pics...unplugged them, replugged them, sprayed them with contact cleaner, even the pins were perfectly clean and corrosion-free

Edited by LLantrisant on Monday 27th December 15:06

[p4cks]

I might be wrong but I'm sure that that's a similar alarm to one fitted in a VX220 and if my memory serves me correctly, is not related to the immobiliser at all so it sounds like your root cause is not the alarm itself

[Davo23]

So do the red lights in the centre console area remain flashing at all times?

If so it sounds as though you are stuck in the armed mode and the fob is not working.

The alarm is from meta.

You could try a new fob from abacus alarms in London. I think this is the only place to do them.

Otherwise it sounds like you need to rectify the root cause which appears to be the alarm and immobiliser itself. The key people to sort this issue are Carl Baker or Dave at HF solutions. They are the best.

[LLantrisant]

The red LED in the center console has a constant low-frequency blinking. This afternoon it happened once that the LED what constantly on. The immobiliser is the slim black box left side on above picture?
https://lnx.pixelbitstudio.it/e-commerce/open2b/va...

Edited by LLantrisant on Monday 27th December 22:46

[Byker28i]

Have you got the USB stick style key you can put into the slot to turn the immobiliser off? Tried that?

There's a copy of my owners handbook here:
http://tvr-cerbera.co.uk/OwnersHandbook/Cerbera-ow...

Details on page 22 onwards

Edited by Byker28i on Tuesday 28th December 08:20

[Byker28i]

Davo23 said:

Otherwise it sounds like you need to rectify the root cause which appears to be the alarm and immobiliser itself. The key people to sort this issue are Carl Baker or Dave at HF solutions. They are the best.

Carl replaced my Alarm, I went to him when he was in the UK but I think he's in France now?. Dave at HF replaced my immobiliser when it became intermittent at really awkward times (like cutting the fuel pump in the outside lane of the M4 at rush hour). Dave came to me to do this.

[Martin_MUC]

I had alarm/immobliser/key fob not talking to them type problems. Gave Carl Baker a ring and he did some trouble shooting via WhatsApp video. Carl identified the problem, sent me the necessary bits and talked me through the installation again via WhatsApp.
All went well, I learnt a bit about the Cerb electrics and how to solder. Although I needed a couple of attempts to get the wiring position and storage/ fixing to Carl’s satisfaction.

[LLantrisant]

I have 2 black fobs for immobilizer and 2 remote fobs for the alarm. I´m not able to de-immobilize the system with my black fobs. It looks like there is missing one step before. It seems that the immobilizer does not know if the car has been opened and alarm disarmed.

What I forgot to mention and I think this is very important: before all those problems suddenly popped-up, the battery went flat and until I recognised it, the car stood like that minimum 2 weeks in my garage until I recharged the battery. So I guess the alarm or or the immobiliser lost its memory? Could this be?

Edited by LLantrisant on Tuesday 28th December 13:25

[Martin_MUC]

As my car is hibernating till April I remove the battery and keep it in the cellar. I have not had a problem with the alarm or immobiliser when reconnecting it. For me this kind of replicates a drained battery ie. no power, although I am a long way from being profficent in anything electrical I would give one of the aforementioned experts a shout.
You seem to have the same alarm and immobilizer as I had before Carl got hold of it. I also have 2 fobs and 2 usb style immobilizer keys. My alarm was the original, so 21 years old and had given up the ghost.

[Flatplane8]

Hi,

I've just gone out to start my car after two weeks and the battery is flat. The alarm kept going off when I put it on charge despite repeated pressing of the key fob. I needed to re-sync the fob to the car. I disconnected the positive terminal of the battery, and then reconnected it whilst holding the key fob button down. After a few seconds I got four flashes of the indicators showing that the car was locked. I could then use the key fob button as normal to unlock and un-immobilise the car.

Simon

[Davo23]

Byker28i said:

Carl replaced my Alarm, I went to him when he was in the UK but I think he's in France now?. Dave at HF replaced my immobiliser when it became intermittent at really awkward times (like cutting the fuel pump in the outside lane of the M4 at rush hour). Dave came to me to do this.

Yep he lives in France but comes over from time to time to do some work, he goes to Taylor TVR in Kent and is stationed there for a bit.

[Davo23]

LLantrisant said:

I have 2 black fobs for immobilizer and 2 remote fobs for the alarm. I´m not able to de-immobilize the system with my black fobs. It looks like there is missing one step before. It seems that the immobilizer does not know if the car has been opened and alarm disarmed.

What I forgot to mention and I think this is very important: before all those problems suddenly popped-up, the battery went flat and until I recognised it, the car stood like that minimum 2 weeks in my garage until I recharged the battery. So I guess the alarm or or the immobiliser lost its memory? Could this be?

Edited by LLantrisant on Tuesday 28th December 13:25

I'm not sure but I really would call the experts, they might be able to just give you the advice you need if nothing else

[Byker28i]

LLantrisant said:

I have 2 black fobs for immobilizer and 2 remote fobs for the alarm. I´m not able to de-immobilize the system with my black fobs. It looks like there is missing one step before. It seems that the immobilizer does not know if the car has been opened and alarm disarmed.

What I forgot to mention and I think this is very important: before all those problems suddenly popped-up, the battery went flat and until I recognised it, the car stood like that minimum 2 weeks in my garage until I recharged the battery. So I guess the alarm or or the immobiliser lost its memory? Could this be?

Edited by LLantrisant on Tuesday 28th December 13:25

Somethings not right there, you should only have fobs that do both (I only have two) and the square keys.
I would seriously recommend you get the professionals mentioned in.

[LLantrisant]

I call them both "fobs"...the rectangular black ones for the Immo...and the round ones for the Alarm / Central locking.

I realy would prefer to do as much myselves...Car is not in uk anymore....so anyway difficult to bring it to an expert

Edited by LLantrisant on Tuesday 28th December 22:54

[Penelope Stopit]

LLantrisant said:

I call them both "fobs"...the rectangular black ones for the Immo...and the round ones for the Alarm / Central locking.

I realy would prefer to do as much myselves...Car is not in uk anymore....so anyway difficult to bring it to an expert

In which case the best solution might be to replace the faulty security system with a modern one, the cost of a Thatcham Category 1 system may be around the same price as the cost of someone fixing the faulty system

Wiring in a new system isn't difficult because much of the original wiring can be used

[LLantrisant]

just to clarify above misunderstandings:i have two M2500 tansmitters, i have the red code cards for the alarm and i have 2 black key-fobs for the immobilizer.

also needs to be said that according to the service history of the car the alarm system has been been already seviced End of 2018:

october 2018:
retification of alarm /immo system:

- recoding of M99T Alarm ECU, 2 x M2500 Transmitters
- Replacement M36T2 immo, pinned to TVR Trident

November 2018:
-supply and instalation of Siren-pack, removal of M11A siren
-Progamming M36T2 to M99T

al this has been done by HF Solutions.

so the car has a quite "new" Immobilizer fitted.

i guess my problem is realted to my recent flat-battery.
the question is now, if the Alarm system cold be reset by myselves or if i need so sent it to someone for re-programming.

this said: what happens with such a freshly restored system when it will be off-power again during shipping?



here a (maybe) helpfull pdf which i found today:

https://tvrcarclub.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/M...

Edited by LLantrisant on Wednesday 29th December 10:19

[Byker28i]

OK, so two fobs, which work the alarm and immobiliser normally, and two square keys that turn off the immobiliser only. What happens when you use the square key?

Is it just the fob has lost connection?

Gazzab did a post about reprogramming/relinking the remotes
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...


Or Abacus Alarms do a service where you send it in and they'll sort it
https://abacusalarms.co.uk/alarmshop/reprograming-...

[Martin_MUC]

LLantrisant said:

I call them both "fobs"...the rectangular black ones for the Immo...and the round ones for the Alarm / Central locking.

I realy would prefer to do as much myselves...Car is not in uk anymore....so anyway difficult to bring it to an expert

Edited by LLantrisant on Tuesday 28th December 22:54

As mentioned Carl Baker worked remotely via WhatsApp video as he is in France and I am in Germany - I think three sessions, one to find the fault/troubleshooting, and two more for taking the old stuff out and putting the new stuff in.

[LLantrisant]

Byker28i said:

OK, so two fobs, which work the alarm and immobiliser normally, and two square keys that turn off the immobiliser only. What happens when you use the square key?

Is it just the fob has lost connection?

Gazzab did a post about reprogramming/relinking the remotes
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...


Or Abacus Alarms do a service where you send it in and they'll sort it
https://abacusalarms.co.uk/alarmshop/reprograming-...

none of the 2 round remote fobs for the alarm system are having an effect on the car at the moment.
also both black square fobs are not able to de-immobilize the car.


this said: i think there is missing 1 step before: as long as the alarm does not know its condition, he will not enable the immo to do his job.

is my assumption correct?

[LLantrisant]

yesterday i had a chat with a specialist for Alarms and Immobilizers for TVR´s:

Transmitter not responding: -
• Often the case when the vehicle battery has gone flat. Open the drivers door. Disconnect the car battery, or alarm ECU if accessible, then reconnect after a few minutes. Have a transmitter to hand on reconnection, as the alarm will come on in the armed state. Cancel the alarm with the transmitter. Often works to free up transmitters.
The operation of the alarm, should now switch off the immobiliser.

The led on the rear screen denotes alarm status and will also mimic the led flash of the immobiliser receptacle below the radio.

When i went to my Garage to peform above Tests i was surpirsed that the vehicle´s battery went completely flat overnite, even with tickle-charger connected. the day b4 the battery was completely full (i always test it using the push-button on the steering for the high-beam--> if the light is bright its a good indicator for a well-chaged battery)

so Alarm/Immo must have "worked" constantly over night and fully dis-charged the battery.

yesterday afternoon i connected my "oldschool" charger to bring back some life into the battery.
now i will go out to check the charging status and in case its ok, i will do some further tests.