Car immobilisers (a bit long)
 

Excuse the background, but I'm always complaining about posters who
never provide enough detail.

I have a second-hand ten year old ATV (Cub Cadet). It came from the
Surrey/Hampshire border, in the stockbroker/pop-star belt and came with
an (apparently simple) Sterling Touch immobiliser. I've been using a
detachable battery terminal because there's a bit of battery drain, and
sometimes I don't use it for a month. Recently this terminal has been a
bit flaky so I decided to clean up the terminals and put in a "proper"
isolator like this (except that I think that mine is rated 300A, which
should be OK for this 300 cc diesel).

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Battery-I...AOSw8NVaato u

Unfortunately, after doing this at the battery end (the terminals were
very corroded and needed a lot of cleaning up) I found there was no
power getting through to the isolator "touch point" on the dashboard
(which should "flash" when it is disabled even with the ignition off).
Also the glow plugs and the electric fuel pump don't kick in when you
switch on the ignition, as they normally do, provided the immobiliser is
disabled. (There's a glow plug light).

So I expose the back of the dashboard so that I can see if power is
coming through to the ignition switch, etc.

After taking out the radiator to get access, I discover that I have a
full blown Thatcham-rated aftermarket alarm and tracker system suitable
for a Lamborghini, not just a simple immobiliser. This includes a box
with an IMEI (so presumably used to be able to "phone home" on theft),
plus an alarm sounder, plus (by the look of it) an FM transmitter for
the police to track. All professionally fitted to a high standard, as
far as I can see. It's quite difficult to see what might have been the
original wiring, and which the "aftermarket". The "touch sensor" seems
to be connected to a relay which is connected by fairly fat wires to the
back of the fuse box. It's a diesel BTW (Japanese "Caterpillar", fairly
"low tech"), with an electrical fuel pump that supplies the mechanical
fuel pump.

I suppose the immobiliser could disable the starter solenoid, or the
electric fuel pump, or the glow plugs, or enable the engine cut-off. The
Sterling Touch web site suggests they currently provide two lines of
protection, perhaps the starter solenoid and something else.

The vehicle is still worth £5k or more if only I could get it working,
and lives behind locked gates at an unoccupied but not isolated stables,
but really doesn't need all this protection. But of course it only has
scrap value unless I can get it running again.

Do you think I need to go to an immobiliser specialist (there seem to be
a couple withing 20 miles, but I'd need to get it trailered to them) or
might I be able to unravel it myself? If so, where should I start?

It lives outside, so connectors and spade terminals are beginning to get
a bit corroded. I suppose this might actually be the problem.

TIA!

Car immobilisers (a bit long)
 

On Tue, 30 Jan 2018 23:09:37 +0000, newshound
wrote:

Excuse the background, but I'm always complaining about posters who
never provide enough detail.

if your address works you should have mail (as I'm not sure how much
reply detail we should post here) ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Car immobilisers (a bit long)
 

In article ,
newshound wrote:
I suppose the immobiliser could disable the starter solenoid, or the
electric fuel pump, or the glow plugs, or enable the engine cut-off. The
Sterling Touch web site suggests they currently provide two lines of
protection, perhaps the starter solenoid and something else.

IIRC, Thatcham standard immobilisers work on two separate things - like
say the fuel pump and starter.

--
*Husbands should come with instructions

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Car immobilisers (a bit long)
 

On 30/01/2018 23:54, T i m wrote:
On Tue, 30 Jan 2018 23:09:37 +0000, newshound
wrote:

Excuse the background, but I'm always complaining about posters who
never provide enough detail.

if your address works you should have mail (as I'm not sure how much
reply detail we should post here) ;-)

Cheers, T i m


Tim

Thanks.

Appreciate your caution.

I seem to have lost the password for the AC and don't currently have it
set up in TB. Could you fire the email to please?

Many thanks....Steve

Car immobilisers (a bit long)
 

newshound has brought this to us :
I suppose the immobiliser could disable the starter solenoid, or the electric
fuel pump, or the glow plugs, or enable the engine cut-off. The Sterling
Touch web site suggests they currently provide two lines of protection,
perhaps the starter solenoid and something else.

Usually, add on immobilisers are wired in parallel (shorting out) and
series (isolating) with the various circuits, to prevent a vehicle
being started. That being the case, it should simply be a case of
removing the isolating series connections and rejointing the parallel
ones - checking the colour codes and joining identical coloured wires.

Car immobilisers (a bit long)
 

On Wed, 31 Jan 2018 01:25:01 +0000, newshound
wrote:

snip

if your address works you should have mail (as I'm not sure how much
reply detail we should post here) ;-)

Cheers, T i m


Tim

Thanks.

Appreciate your caution.

I seem to have lost the password for the AC and don't currently have it
set up in TB. Could you fire the email to please?

Done.

Many thanks....Steve

You are welcome. Good luck with it (and I'm happy to discuss any
further bits if I can help).

When I removed a GPRS alarm / immobiliser from a scooter I bought
because it was killing the battery in a few days, I re-wired it using
a hidden multi-pole key-switch using the similar process re the
'hidden / merged' wiring.

Cheers, T i m

Car immobilisers (a bit long)
 

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
newshound has brought this to us :
I suppose the immobiliser could disable the starter solenoid, or the electric
fuel pump, or the glow plugs, or enable the engine cut-off. The Sterling
Touch web site suggests they currently provide two lines of protection,
perhaps the starter solenoid and something else.

Usually, add on immobilisers are wired in parallel (shorting out) and
series (isolating) with the various circuits, to prevent a vehicle
being started. That being the case, it should simply be a case of
removing the isolating series connections and rejointing the parallel
ones - checking the colour codes and joining identical coloured wires.

Unless it's a model-specific one that hooks into ECUs. But that would seem
unlikely in this case.

Can you find a wiring diagram for how it's supposed to be wired without the
immobiliser?

Theo

Car immobilisers (a bit long)
 

On 31/01/2018 13:49, Theo wrote:
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
newshound has brought this to us :
I suppose the immobiliser could disable the starter solenoid, or the electric
fuel pump, or the glow plugs, or enable the engine cut-off. The Sterling
Touch web site suggests they currently provide two lines of protection,
perhaps the starter solenoid and something else.

Usually, add on immobilisers are wired in parallel (shorting out) and
series (isolating) with the various circuits, to prevent a vehicle
being started. That being the case, it should simply be a case of
removing the isolating series connections and rejointing the parallel
ones - checking the colour codes and joining identical coloured wires.

Unless it's a model-specific one that hooks into ECUs. But that would seem
unlikely in this case.

Can you find a wiring diagram for how it's supposed to be wired without the
immobiliser?

Theo

Yes, found one thanks. Confirms there is no ECU on this engine (which
removes one big worry).

Car immobilisers: all fixed!
 

As others suggested, very straightforward once I gathered up the courage
to break into the loom. It basically interrupted two of the live
supplies associated with the ignition switch and didn't in fact do
anything unpleasant behind the fusebox, as I first feared.

Still took half a day to expose all the wiring, and half a day to
reassembly the radiator and the rest of the stuff that had to come out.

Fortunately not an engine with an ECU.

Car immobilisers: all fixed!
 

On Wed, 31 Jan 2018 18:29:45 +0000, newshound
wrote:

As others suggested, very straightforward once I gathered up the courage
to break into the loom.

Often the biggest hurdle with many jobs, making that first step. ;-)

It basically interrupted two of the live
supplies associated with the ignition switch and didn't in fact do
anything unpleasant behind the fusebox, as I first feared.

Excellent.

Still took half a day to expose all the wiring, and half a day to
reassembly the radiator and the rest of the stuff that had to come out.

That was basically the extent of it's 'defence' then (or less as you
were doing a good job).

Fortunately not an engine with an ECU.

Excellent.

Was the electric fuel pump an addition or was it standard OOI?

Cheers, T i m