Immobiliser Key

[v41ley]

Would appreciate any help on this one.
When pressing the immobiliser key into the slot it only
seems to work about every 1 in 10 attempts. Does it sound
like the battery is on the way out ?
Must be a co-incidence but has only started happening since I
put the ignition key, fob and immobiliser key onto a TVR keyring !

[zumbruk]

v41ley said:

Would appreciate any help on this one. When pressing the immobiliser key into the slot it only seems to work about every 1 in 10 attempts. Does it sound like the battery is on the way out ? Must be a co-incidence but has only started happening since I put the ignition key, fob and immobiliser key onto a TVR keyring !

Why are you using it? It's for emergencies when the fob doesn't work!

(At which point, it'll be at home...)

[blujay10]

Check out the website below - He'll know

www.tvruk.tv/index.cfm

[v41ley]

[quoteWhy are you using it? It's for emergencies when the fob doesn't work!
[/quote]

Eh ! The car won't start if I don't. I'm talking about the push type fob
to disable the flashing red light. Have I been misinformed ?

[tvrbob]

Some confusion here. This may help.

Yours will be a Meta T1 or T2. Both are disarmed by depressing the door lock button on the key fob. If the ignition key is inserted and turned to ignition within 20 seconds of depressing this button the engine will start. If 20 seconds have passed then the immobiliser will rearm. Either depress the key fob button again or use the emergency chip key in the socket behind the ignition lock. If the immobiliser has been worked on then the immobiliser disarm function from the key fob may no longer work and you'll only have the emergency chip key option.

[v41ley]

tvrbob said:

Some confusion here. This may help. Yours will be a Meta T1 or T2. Both are disarmed by depressing the door lock button on the key fob. If the ignition key is inserted and turned to ignition within 20 seconds of depressing this button the engine will start. If 20 seconds have passed then the immobiliser will rearm. Either depress the key fob button again or use the emergency chip key in the socket behind the ignition lock. If the immobiliser has been worked on then the immobiliser disarm function from the key fob may no longer work and you'll only have the emergency chip key option.

Thanks TVRBob. Just been out to the car, opened up with the key fob, put key straight in ignition, car starts. All those hours wasted fiddling in the dark ! How stupid is that.
I'll change the battery in the emergency chip anyway. Thanks all.

[mongoose]

v41ley said:

The car won't start if I don't. I'm talking about the push type fob to disable the flashing red light. Have I been misinformed ?

Have you tried holding the button in a tad longer each time you press?,ie press for a second or so,rather than a quick press and release.

[blujay10]

v41ley said:

All those hours wasted fiddling in the dark ! How stupid is that. I'll change the battery in the emergency chip anyway. Thanks all.

Dont worry you are not the only one, I didnt know either.......and yes i have been wasting loads of time fiddling about in the dark too!

[Red V8]

Me too... as told by previous owner... on the odd occasion when I did put the key straight in and it started, I'd put it down to one of those TRV things that work sometimes and don't others... Well there you go

[v41ley]

Red V8 said:

Me too... as told by previous owner... on the odd occasion when I did put the key straight in and it started, I'd put it down to one of those TRV things that work sometimes and don't others... Well there you go

Yup exactly the same. Previous owner info which was probably what he was told and so on. On the few occasions I forgot the meta alarm thingy car would'nt fire up. Sometimes when the evidence is staring you in the face (eg the red light is not flashing) you totally ignore it.

[Dutchone]

Does the 'emergency' immobiliser key referred to by TVRBob i.e. the black stick that fits the slot behind the ignition key have a battery? I assumed it worked without batteries. The last thing I want to do is go to use it in anger and it will not work!

[v41ley]

Dutchone said:

Does the 'emergency' immobiliser key referred to by TVRBob i.e. the black stick that fits the slot behind the ignition key have a battery? I assumed it worked without batteries. The last thing I want to do is go to use it in anger and it will not work!

I haven't tried yet but from memory it looked like the thing was made of two halves.
Must be a small battery though - if there is one. Anyone know for sure ?

[tvrbob]

v41ley said:

Dutchone said: Does the 'emergency' immobiliser key referred to by TVRBob i.e. the black stick that fits the slot behind the ignition key have a battery? I assumed it worked without batteries. The last thing I want to do is go to use it in anger and it will not work! I haven't tried yet but from memory it looked like the thing was made of two halves. Must be a small battery though - if there is one. Anyone know for sure ?

There's no battery. This device simply completes a circuit with a unique set of connections.

[tvr+bubblecar]

When I got my Chim the young salesman told me to use the slot if I didn't start the engine straightaway.

Fortunately another chim owner put me straight when he saw me fiddling around with the slot

[v41ley]

tvrbob said:

v41ley said: Dutchone said: Does the 'emergency' immobiliser key referred to by TVRBob i.e. the black stick that fits the slot behind the ignition key have a battery? I assumed it worked without batteries. The last thing I want to do is go to use it in anger and it will not work! I haven't tried yet but from memory it looked like the thing was made of two halves. Must be a small battery though - if there is one. Anyone know for sure ? There's no battery. This device simply completes a circuit with a unique set of connections.

Thanks for clearing that up and saving me the task of dissecting it ! Going back to my original query - when I have used it, it takes several goes to extinguish the flashing red light even holding it in for 5 - 10 seconds. Do the terminals that create the circuit get dirty ? or will the problem lie in the 'female' connector ? Interestingly, you can rotate the barrel through 360 degrees with the meta stick inserted.

[tvrbob]

v41ley said:

Going back to my original query - when I have used it, it takes several goes to extinguish the flashing red light even holding it in for 5 - 10 seconds. Do the terminals that create the circuit get dirty ? or will the problem lie in the 'female' connector ? Interestingly, you can rotate the barrel through 360 degrees with the meta stick inserted.

Could be loose connections but more likely to be dirty worn contacts. As said this key was not intended for everyday use. Try some contact cleaner, WD40 type with a lint free cloth. It may be difficult to get into the socket but the key part should be simple to clean.

[v41ley]

[quote=tvrbob It may be difficult to get into the socket but the key part should be simple to clean.[/quote]

I reckon a cotton bud will do the job.