help please,non start

[GOLD4.3]

thought I would take car out,nice day,turned key,no ignition light,nothing,completely dead,immobiliser light flashing,battery fully charged,looked at fuses in footwell seem ok,can someone point me in some direction please,thanks

[antonyj]

Immobiliser light shouldnt be flashing surely.

Have you tried locking the car , unlocking and trying again?
Or do you have a manual overide "thingy" for the immobiliser?

[GOLD4.3]

high,thanks for reply,car wont lock with key fob,nothing happening at all,would you know where ignition fuse located?

[antonyj]

If the key fob wont lock the car then maybe it isnt de-arming the immobiliser.
Have you got a spare fob?

[griffter]

GOLD4.3 said:

high,thanks for reply,car wont lock with key fob,nothing happening at all,would you know where ignition fuse located?

The ignition fuse is one of the ones on the fusebox; I can't remember which from memory - it'll be in your handbook. I don't think that's the problem though. It sounds more like the alarm/immobiliser's in a tiz. If you've got a spare keyfob try that. If that doesn't work, tape over both courtesy light switches to keep them depressed (doors open) and try locking the car, then unlocking it. If it locks/unlocks try starting it.

The alarm relies on the doors being shut to lock them. If one or other of the courtesy light switches is not opening when the door closes funny things can happen. The usuals cause is a rubber pad on the door which should press the switch when the door's closed falling off - or a broken switch.

[GOLD4.3]

tried taping switches still nothing,did used to be able to get all the dash lights,radio,and driving lights on with turn of key with out having to use immoboliser,but even clock has stopped,have been painting chassis all morning,could I have knocked something underneath?

[griffter]

does sound like a supply problem then - or an earth. did you undo any earths while painting? otherwise could you have left the lights on?

are the battery terminals tight?

[GOLD4.3]

did not undo any bolts,do you know where the earths are fixed?battery terminals tight enough,can't understand it,
fired up fine last weekend

[griffter]

GOLD4.3 said:

did not undo any bolts,do you know where the earths are fixed?battery terminals tight enough,can't understand it, fired up fine last weekend

There are several - but for the whole electrical system to be dead, you'd have to lose the one under the centre console (pig to get at), or on the battery terminal. There's another main one in the driver's front wheel arch to the chassis diagonal behind the wheel, and a third under the driver's side radiator on the end of the rectangular section chassis rail. There are other minor ones, but they're earthing individual components rather than earthing the chassis per se.

If the last time you fired it up was last weekend, it might be the battery. When mine went it literally seemed to go overnight. Would hold hardly any charge and even trickle charging wouldn't bring it back.

If you're still stuck, it's looking like a fuse/wiring problem. The loom to ignition live runs from the battery to the starter (thick red cable), from there to the alternator (heavy brown cable), then back through the bulkhead, behind the dash, to the fusebox (more brown cable). There are bullet style connectors in the cable hidden behind the dash but I can't see how you could disturb these. The fusebox splits the 12v supply; the ignition feed is red and runs in the loom behind the dash to the ignition switch. I suggest you take the steering column cowl off and check for 12v, but if the alarm's not responding it sounds as though even the fusebox isn't live. Test for 12v at the alternator, and then at the starter. If the wiring has been disturbed it might give you a pointer as to where...but it does sound like a puzzler. Good luck, and do post back with updates.

Further thoughts:

Has a previous owner fitted a battery cut-off which you haven't found yet?

The alarm install will almost certainly interrupt the ignition supply (although your previous post I think contradicts this). If the alarm has wholly or partially packed up, the ignition supply may not be connecting as a result.

You could try running a wire direct from the battery to the ignition switch terminal live, but best fuse it just in case.

Maybe your ignition switch has spontaneously packed up? Or it could even be as simple as the terminal connector having come off the ignition switch? (Remove steering column cover to inspect).

Finally, I discovered on my car that when building the car someone had drilled through the scuttle by the left bottom corner of the wondscreen. The drill had gone into the loom almost entirely severing the ignition live...

Well that's your Sunday sorted anyway...

[GOLD4.3]

Just want to say thankyou grifter & antonyj for your time and advice,guess what, f***ing battery!Only three months old!Even though my charger was saying fully charged,decided to test it and only 6v which decreased to 2v as i whatched,anyway have got new one,still on guarantee,thanks once again