Immobiliser on

[plangston]

I have replaced my veneer dash on my 1999 Chimaera, no the car will not start.on goes the ignition, you push the button on the key fob and the led next to the radio comes on while the key fob is pressed and then goes out. No fuel pump prime and no started. I know I might of disturbed something while changing the dash.
I have no idea where to start fault finding.Can anyone help please.

[Belle427]

Don’t know how much you took off but try removing the dash top again and try to locate the alarm module.
Check the wiring connector to it, maybe even give the box a few taps to see if that helps. (May help or not if a contact is dodgy).

[Steve_D]

You don't say if the engine is cranking. You also need to report if the normal lights come on with the ignition.

If it is try resetting the inertia switch. This is mounted above the passengers right knee. Unscrew and drop down the map pocket under the dash. The switch is forward and to the right. press in the rubber part on the front of the switch.

If you have had the dash out then logic says this is most likely where the problem is. Good search for something you have forgotten to plug back in.

Steve

[plangston]

hi Steve no the engine does not crank, I will have a look for the inertia reset button.
Cheers
Pete

[plangston]

Hi Steve, found the button, pressed it and still nothing,
Cheers
Pete

[Steve_D]

So what about dash lights etc ?

Steve

[plangston]

Everything appears to work fine, ignition light comes on. I can lock the car and the alarm in set, the led next to the radio flashes, you unlock the car and the led next to the radio goes out, you turn the key within the 8 seconds and no fuel pump priming and no turn over. I can push the little fobby thing in next to the key and the led next to it does not flash. press the fob and the led comes on next to the radio and then goes out.

Pete

[Steve_D]

The fact you have both elements of immobilisation in play does point to that system and having had the dash apart makes me think you have missed plugging something in behind the dash or in the footwell.

Steve

[Penelope Stopit]

As above, it worked before a strip and now doesn't

[plangston]

I know but I have read this:-

Alarm disarms but car will not start:

If the battery has been disconnected for long periods of time can cause the immobiliser to fail, usually indicated by the LED found on the touchkey receptacle not flashing, if the immobilser fails to recognise the touchkey this is a sign the immobiliser has failed.

[Steve_D]

plangston said:

I know but I have read this:-

Alarm disarms but car will not start:

If the battery has been disconnected for long periods of time can cause the immobiliser to fail, usually indicated by the LED found on the touchkey receptacle not flashing, if the immobilser fails to recognise the touchkey this is a sign the immobiliser has failed.

This may be true but...our business is TVR body off chassis restorations so cars are without electrics for extended periods of time and we have never had this happen. In fact we have never had a Meta alarm/immobiliser fail on our or a customers car.

Easy enough to test. PM ChimpOnGas and get his immobiliser bypass instructions which will prove it one way or another.

Steve

[s p a c e m a n]

On the left side of the dash behind the heater controls there's a single wire with a push fit black connector on it that I always forget when refitting the dash, Its possibly purple or some bright colour but it's been ages since I've been behind there. I don't think you have to unplug the immobiliser wires to remove the dash.

[plangston]

Thanks Steve, I am talking to Dave.

[blitzracing]

Drop me an email, I have a really quick way to test it.

[plangston]

All sorted, thank you very much for all your help.
Until next time x

[ChimpOnGas]

plangston said:

All sorted, thank you very much for all your help.
Until next time x

Great news, glad I was able help getting you back on the road

Judging by the hundreds of TVR owners who've approached me for my immobiliser bypass instructions and have had the same positive result, if TVR had just followed Meta's own instructions on how to correctly install their system a good element of the TVR's reputation for poor reliability could have been avoided. The Chimaera and Griffith were the last of the TVR's using the tried and tested Rover V8 where they also didn't try to get too clever with the electrics, its a simple car and the last in the long line of TVRs where the recipe was to use well developed components from large manufacturers with a proper development budget and these 90's icons are all the better for it.

Being the final development of this simple recipe a Chimaera or Griffith stands to be the least problematic of all the TVRs that came before, and especially after. Generally the wiring loom on these cars was fine although TVR really should have used heavier gauge cable in places and the mistake they made when installing the security system was a shocker, the rats nest of relays and wires that hang in the passenger foot well isn't exactly great either and as any Lotus owner will tell you the earthing on fiberglass cars is often marginal too.The good news is, like most things on these essentially very simple cars, it's all easy to sort, what you're left with is actually a very robust back to basics analogue sports car more akin to something from the 1960's that was improved for the 1990's.

I hate the American term 'resto mod' but a well sorted Chim/Griff really is a fantastic resto mod for more or less the same money you might pay for a standard MGB, a car that sports an asthmatic four cylinder engine, poor brakes and very basic handling. A sorted Chim/Griff therefor has to be the best value usable classic available and by a huge margin, yes they have their little issues but it's all so easy and inexpensive to put right it's definitely well worth spending the time and a few quid in the right areas to get these great cars in the condition they really should have left the factory in.

When they conceived the Chimaera & Griffith TVR came up with a great recipe, the Chimaera is especially practical and usable which is why they outsold every other TVR model three to one. OK so they were built down to cost and some mistakes were made, but it's all so easy to put right if you're looking for a classic traditional British open sports car you can actually use and enjoy on modern roads, what other options are there for less than £20k?

[Riff Raff]

ChimpOnGas said:

I hate the American term 'resto mod' but a well sorted Chim/Griff really is a fantastic resto mod for more or less the same money you might pay for a standard MGB, a car that sports an asthmatic four cylinder engine, poor brakes and very basic handling. A sorted Chim/Griff therefor has to be the best value usable classic available and by a huge margin, yes they have their little issues but it's all so easy and inexpensive to put right it's definitely well worth spending the time and a few quid in the right areas to get these great cars in the condition they really should have left the factory in.

When they conceived the Chimaera & Griffith TVR came up with a great recipe, the Chimaera is especially practical and usable which is why they outsold every other TVR model three to one. OK so they were built down to cost and some mistakes were made, but it's all so easy to put right if you're looking for a classic traditional British open sports car you can actually use and enjoy on modern roads, what other options are there for less than £20k?

Never mind B's, I've been looking to add a Midget to the garage, as I had one nearly 50 years ago when I were a lad. They are asking over £13k for ones that have had the amazingly rust prone shell sorted out. Needless to say I haven't bought one yet.

You can buy a lot of Chim for that sort of money!