martyuk
Well-Known Member
If the passive immobiliser has been turned OFF in the BECM then the key WILL NOT flash when you put it in the ignition.. The coil around the ignition is disabled when passive immobilisation is turned off, so this in turn disables the friendly sync. So putting the key in the ignition and not having it flash is perfectly normal if the passive immobilisation has been disabled, as he says it has.
If you then cannot sync the key in the drivers door, then I would be testing the microswitches in the door latch. Whilst it sounds like they are working as they should, if you can't sync then key then maybe on of them is intermittent. It could also be the RF receiver has been unplugged at some point in the past (either antenna or to whole unit completely) to try and combat RF issues, or battery drain - who knows without a bit of checking.
If you are getting ENGINE DISABLED PRESS REMOTE, then the BECM hasn't shut the immobiliser off (NOTE even with the PASSIVE immobiliser disabled in the BECM, the vehicle is still immobilised when it is locked with the key. However, when the vehicle is unlocked, it is mobilised again until locked, unlike with the passive immobiliser which will automatically disable the engine after a timeout period).
If you have locked the vehicle with the key, and then unlocked it with the key and got ENGINE DISABLED then I would again suspect the microswitches in the door latch, as without a working remote, the vehicle relies on these working properly to tell it if it has been locked/unlocked with the key. If the key switch has failed, then it will assume the vehicle has been unlocked by the sill lock (which would normally trigger the alarm when the door is opened, and also give ENGINE DISABLED). But then I would expect only the drivers door to unlock - not all of them.
Without actually being there and seeing your vehicle/being able to diagnose it, I can only guess - but if the remote doesn't work and you/previous owner(s) have been relying on the key in the door to lock/unlock the vehicle, then I would be checking the microswitches very carefully - they are known to fail, and will cause all kinds of problems. Once that's checked out, then you can start working on the other things - like seeing if the RF receiver is plugged in and getting the fob to sync.
I would also try to get the EKA for the vehicle if you don't already have it - if it is a later model, then you should be able to disarm the BECM using diagnostics, which might get you back into a state where you can start/run the vehicle and be able to diagnose some of the other issue easier.
A lot of the time locking/immobiliser issues all come down to simple faults which then cause the BECM to react in certain ways - it's easy to get mislead or confused by things like engine disabled, remotes not working etc, when the issue is something simple (though it can cause a lot of headaches along the way!)
I hope this helps,
Marty
If you then cannot sync the key in the drivers door, then I would be testing the microswitches in the door latch. Whilst it sounds like they are working as they should, if you can't sync then key then maybe on of them is intermittent. It could also be the RF receiver has been unplugged at some point in the past (either antenna or to whole unit completely) to try and combat RF issues, or battery drain - who knows without a bit of checking.
If you are getting ENGINE DISABLED PRESS REMOTE, then the BECM hasn't shut the immobiliser off (NOTE even with the PASSIVE immobiliser disabled in the BECM, the vehicle is still immobilised when it is locked with the key. However, when the vehicle is unlocked, it is mobilised again until locked, unlike with the passive immobiliser which will automatically disable the engine after a timeout period).
If you have locked the vehicle with the key, and then unlocked it with the key and got ENGINE DISABLED then I would again suspect the microswitches in the door latch, as without a working remote, the vehicle relies on these working properly to tell it if it has been locked/unlocked with the key. If the key switch has failed, then it will assume the vehicle has been unlocked by the sill lock (which would normally trigger the alarm when the door is opened, and also give ENGINE DISABLED). But then I would expect only the drivers door to unlock - not all of them.
Without actually being there and seeing your vehicle/being able to diagnose it, I can only guess - but if the remote doesn't work and you/previous owner(s) have been relying on the key in the door to lock/unlock the vehicle, then I would be checking the microswitches very carefully - they are known to fail, and will cause all kinds of problems. Once that's checked out, then you can start working on the other things - like seeing if the RF receiver is plugged in and getting the fob to sync.
I would also try to get the EKA for the vehicle if you don't already have it - if it is a later model, then you should be able to disarm the BECM using diagnostics, which might get you back into a state where you can start/run the vehicle and be able to diagnose some of the other issue easier.
A lot of the time locking/immobiliser issues all come down to simple faults which then cause the BECM to react in certain ways - it's easy to get mislead or confused by things like engine disabled, remotes not working etc, when the issue is something simple (though it can cause a lot of headaches along the way!)
I hope this helps,
Marty
