I'm having some intermittent issues with my immobilizer system on my '99 EX. Years ago, I used to think it was one of the keys that was flaky, but now it seems to have problems with all keys and appears voltage related.
Does anyone have any info on the voltage-related aspect here? Like what particular component could be failing and what a fix could be (both long term and emergency)?
I'm well aware of how the immobilizer is supposed to work, I watch the green light, etc. There is no problem at all with battery voltage to crank the engine. It is just the immobilizer that prevents starting.
For example, recently, after the car had been sitting for a while, I went to go and start it. After turning the key to ON, the green light was flashing so I knew it would not start. Tried anyway = strong crank but no start. Changing keys made no difference. All accessories turned off. Measured voltage at the battery posts and the cables and it was 12.0V. Yes, a little low, fitting this pattern I have been noticing. I put a charger on it, and it did not start immediately, but after getting up to 12.3V the immobilizer let it start.
This sort of thing (not always measured carefully, though) has been happening more often lately. I expect things will continue to get worse until it just won't start at 12.6+V.
I'd of course be happy with a solution that completely removed the immobilizer system. I'm kind of like this guy:
Does anyone have any info on the voltage-related aspect here? Like what particular component could be failing and what a fix could be (both long term and emergency)?
I'm well aware of how the immobilizer is supposed to work, I watch the green light, etc. There is no problem at all with battery voltage to crank the engine. It is just the immobilizer that prevents starting.
For example, recently, after the car had been sitting for a while, I went to go and start it. After turning the key to ON, the green light was flashing so I knew it would not start. Tried anyway = strong crank but no start. Changing keys made no difference. All accessories turned off. Measured voltage at the battery posts and the cables and it was 12.0V. Yes, a little low, fitting this pattern I have been noticing. I put a charger on it, and it did not start immediately, but after getting up to 12.3V the immobilizer let it start.
This sort of thing (not always measured carefully, though) has been happening more often lately. I expect things will continue to get worse until it just won't start at 12.6+V.
I'd of course be happy with a solution that completely removed the immobilizer system. I'm kind of like this guy: