problem w e36 immobiliser

[sheewei]

i am a newbie in this forum. my ride: e36, 320i, red. did some mods on the engine, suspensions, exhaust, bodykits. small timer, nothing fantastic.

i have a problem, my e36 occasionally will go into an immobilised mode and disallow me to start my engine. it normally happened between 30min - 90mins of parking. sometimes it happened, sometimes it didnt. but when i park more than 90mins, it will start very well, no problem.

when it happened, i will need to close up and lock up the car, wait for 15-30mins, then it starts like a charm.

any advice on how to sort this out ? i went to 2 car accessories shop. the first one turned off my alarm system, but still the same. the second one said he cannot do anything about immobiliser logic, and told me to go performance motors (which i really would like to avoid).

thanks in advance.

sw

 

[yendor]

Re: problem w e36 immobiliser

SW, does the problem occur with both keys? If it does than you are having issues with the reciever unit near your steering column. Either the unit will need to be changed or disabled. I am not sure if Ah wee from BVO can help you there.

Paging for E36 owners...

Cheers

 

[piggyboyz]

Re: problem w e36 immobiliser

U mentioend u have a aftermarket alarm, is that the cause of it ?

The other thing, when u said cannot start, does it mean u turn your key and all the warning lights on the dashboard did not come on ? Or turn to the "start" setting and there is no cranking at all ?

Coming from the E36, it may be your ignition switch that is the culprit. The ignition switch for the E36 has got some problem when it age and will either refuse to start, or worst, refuse to shut down. This is due to corrosion. I got a friend calling me at 3am in the morning with the car refusing to shut down ! Well the easiest solution i told him... Take out the Neg connection of the accumulator...

There is an article on E36 guide on the "BMW CAR" magazine 2 issue back where they highlighted this problem. It may or may not be this problem but any regular BMW workshop will be able to trace this problem instead of accessory shop.

Cheers...

 

[jawzsg]

Re: problem w e36 immobiliser

Assuming that your engine doesn't crank at all. If you're an auto, try wiggling the shift knob while attempting to crank. Sometime the micro-switch when warm doesn't connects properly, thus preventing the circuit to your key switch. If this the case, then things is easy, just take out the transmission gate cover and clean the contacts. can liao.

 

[Ronkovic]

Re: problem w e36 immobiliser

I had the almost exact problem on my E34 previously and actually thought that the fault was attributed to the immobiliser. Usually no problems, then all of a sudden when you turn your key, your car just doesn't start or crank. Lock everything, come back 5 minutes or 10 minutes later, and it starts. Sometimes it even took as long as 45 minutes of trying.

One day, the car failed to start for more than an hour after I pumped fuel at a station. My mech was nice enough to drive down to the station even though it was after-hours. After checking, it turned out that it was actually the starter motor and sollenoids. Once that was sorted, never had that problem again. So you may wanna check on those. In the meantime for temporary measure, grab a small ball hammer with you and give the starter motor a knock if it fails - It actually does work!

 

[jawzsg]

Re: problem w e36 immobiliser

Ronkovic, that happened to my E30 as well after I got the gear shift micro-switch sorted out. It happened at Sentosa and as it was getting dark, out of desperation, I shorted the starter solenoid with 2 spanners and it works.. however, my problem is not with the starter thingy but the grounding cable where the lugs was seriously oxidized. Plonk in a new thicker cable and it serve me well for the next 2 years till the car was scraped.

 

[sheewei]

Re: problem w e36 immobiliser

thanks all for your quick replies and eagerness to help a newbie. this forum is quite cool.

i think my problem is really very much like those of Ronkovic. ie, when i crank, all electronics, lights, radio gets turned normal, but just no crank. everything else looks normal. i have tried moving my AT up and down, but never worked.

the only consistent way out is lock-up and wait a while. hence me jumping to conclude that it is the immobiliser. i even pull out the immobiliser fuzes i found at the fuze box, but no change though.

i will check out my starter/solenoid and the elec contacts of my gear and starter ground lugs.

thanks a lot guys. more suggestions are definitely welcomed, in case the above still can't solve the problem.

cheers
sw