Interesting moment!
Discussion
On Wednesday morning I left a customer in Northern Germany to drive back to the UK in the S. I was accelerating hard down a cloverleaf type slip road to join an autobahn, and had just reached 100 when the engine stopped! Oh b*gger - I coasted to a stop on the shoulder of the A'bahn and pondered what the problem might be. No cranking, but still got electrics (warning lights hazards etc.), so I suspected the problem might be the immobiliser. Sure enough no tell-tale LED on the key socket. Now what!
Undid the 2 screws at the back of the centre console and lifted it enough to get my hand in and feel around the rats nest of wires that lurk behind the radio and suddenly - bleep the immobiliser came back to life. Engine cranked and started and all seemed OK. I put the console back together and gingerly set off, glad to be off the hard shoulder and away from the buffet of trucks belting past inches away. The car seemed fine and even what passes for a road surface on the Belgium motorways didn't cause the problem to recur.
I can only surmise that the G force of the cornering on the slip road caused the mass of the wiring to exert enough force to dislodge a connector and cause the immobiliser to operate. Anybody else had a similar problem?
Another interesting point about the drive back was I hit a torrential rain squall near Calais, and couldn't find a service area pull off the road so I could put the roof on. As long as I kept the speed above 60, no rain got into the car - did get some funny looks though. Mad Brit in open topped motor boat
Cheers
Graham
Undid the 2 screws at the back of the centre console and lifted it enough to get my hand in and feel around the rats nest of wires that lurk behind the radio and suddenly - bleep the immobiliser came back to life. Engine cranked and started and all seemed OK. I put the console back together and gingerly set off, glad to be off the hard shoulder and away from the buffet of trucks belting past inches away. The car seemed fine and even what passes for a road surface on the Belgium motorways didn't cause the problem to recur.
I can only surmise that the G force of the cornering on the slip road caused the mass of the wiring to exert enough force to dislodge a connector and cause the immobiliser to operate. Anybody else had a similar problem?
Another interesting point about the drive back was I hit a torrential rain squall near Calais, and couldn't find a service area pull off the road so I could put the roof on. As long as I kept the speed above 60, no rain got into the car - did get some funny looks though. Mad Brit in open topped motor boat
Cheers
Graham
Yup - but not in an S. A couple of years back I was on my way back from Le Mans with the TVR City crew. A couple of times the Griff went dead for no reason for a second or two - then burst into life again - 'odd' I thought.
Then, whilst I was cornering at about 70ish the car died which wasn't very good for oversteer! Once I'd got the car to stop and had a look to find nothing visibly wrong. Ended up trying everything I knew and then some only to resort to a low-loader recovery 8(
5 hours later having tried loads of stuff and been stranded twice more (replaced coil, HT leads and dizzy cap) the immobiliser was torn out in a fit of despair. Car ran fine from then on and I drove back to the UK.
Took it into the place that had fitted the unit (only 2 weeks before Le Mans) and they replaced it. Believing the unit to be faulty I asked them what they'd found. Apparently when they fitted the original unit they'd taken the earth from the steering column. When they replaced it, there was no longer an earth there!!!! So somewhere along the way a connector had gone astray. What was annoying was that everything else was working fine!
Then, whilst I was cornering at about 70ish the car died which wasn't very good for oversteer! Once I'd got the car to stop and had a look to find nothing visibly wrong. Ended up trying everything I knew and then some only to resort to a low-loader recovery 8(
5 hours later having tried loads of stuff and been stranded twice more (replaced coil, HT leads and dizzy cap) the immobiliser was torn out in a fit of despair. Car ran fine from then on and I drove back to the UK.
Took it into the place that had fitted the unit (only 2 weeks before Le Mans) and they replaced it. Believing the unit to be faulty I asked them what they'd found. Apparently when they fitted the original unit they'd taken the earth from the steering column. When they replaced it, there was no longer an earth there!!!! So somewhere along the way a connector had gone astray. What was annoying was that everything else was working fine!
Sounds interesting, but not suprising, as having had a 'peak' at the wiring in my S, it looks like a 12 year old has installed it 
I have a few minor electrical glitches on the car but I'm leaving well alone until absolutely necessary
Re this weekend I will say, almost definately, certainly, most probably I will see you at the Dorset gathering on Sunday, subject to the weather allowing the 50 mile drive from the other side of Southampton to be a safe one
I understand this Sundays theme is Wedges hope to HEAR a few whilst there.
Harry
I have a few minor electrical glitches on the car but I'm leaving well alone until absolutely necessary
Re this weekend I will say, almost definately, certainly, most probably I will see you at the Dorset gathering on Sunday, subject to the weather allowing the 50 mile drive from the other side of Southampton to be a safe one
I understand this Sundays theme is Wedges hope to HEAR a few whilst there. Harry
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