my 360 wont start

I have 2004 360 today it did not start it just cranked . All lights work except trunk . Is it my battery and do I have to replace it or can I charge it.

 

From what I understand, you can charge a battery. Welcome to f-chat and fill out your profile of you want.

 

If it is cranking it probably isn't a battery. Two simple ideas:

Did you deactivate the imobilizer? You have to push the button on the alarm before you start the car.

Is the car in Neutral? F1's won't start in gear. Push on the brake and shift to N. Then try it again.

If you have run the battery down there are several threads on chargind the battery. Rifledriver posted on this subject several times. NOTE: you will have to turn off the battery switch or risk electronics damage. Once you do that you have to follow the startup proceedure outlined in the manual. Basically turn the key to position II for 10 seconds (I think that is right amount of time) before you start the car.

 

You'll want to know if it isn't starting because you have no spark, or if it isn't starting because you have no fuel.

The easiest way to do that is to spray some $2 starter fluid into your engine air intake.

If the car starts with the starter fluid, then you have a fuel problem, not a spark problem.

 

If it's cranking then it's not the battery. It most likely has something to do with the immobilizer (alarm on your fob). Either you're not deactivating it or something is wrong with the unit itself.

 

I'll bet the immobilizer isn't deactivated. The same thing happened to me the first day I bought my car and it freaked me out for a couple seconds until I realized what was going on. If the car sits unlocked for more than 120 seconds it will automatically activate the immobilizer.

 

according to what you guys are saying, maybe it couldnt be the battery, it could just be the alarm.

 

When the immobilizer is activated, the car will not crank.

 

Besides the immobilizer, the car also won't start if the battery was previously dead or disconnected via the trunk switch, unless the key is in the second position for at least 10 seconds before cranking. This info comes from the manual.

 

Correct me if I am wrong. If I hear 2 chirps on the imobilizer the car should start. Is that correct. I have the car for two years and never had this issue. Am I missing something simple. The lights are all bright the radio plays.

 

You are correct. Your problem is not with your key fob.

 

This is not true. It will crank, just won't start.

Jack is correct, you have to leave in II for 10 seconds. Then idle for, as I recall without looking it up, 15 minutes. Don't touch gas or anything, just idle.

 

This is incorrect. It will crank. I have done it with my car, so I think I should know.

 

Both are correct. I think it depends on the year. My 360 does not crank if the immobilizer is activated.

 

I stand corrected, sorry for stating so emphatically. I learned something new but should have guessed that there was that much variability. After all, the alarm has 3-4 different chip/flash options depending on what region it is configured for.

 

Foot on the brake? as well as the imobilizer off

 

This must be correct and is interesting at the same time. My 360 Spider is an 02, and when the immobilizer is activated, I hold the button on the fob down until I hear 2 chirps, get in the car, put the key in and turn it to the first position, and when I get an "OK" on the dash, I start the car. If the immobilizer is activated and I do not hold the button and get chirps, when I turn the key to start the car, it does not turn over.

 

My 2003 Modena cranks but not start when the immobilizer is activated. This seems like a step backward from the no-crank 2002 since it wastes battery power.

By the way, can an expert car thief start the 360 when the immobilizer is activated?

 

An expert car thief can steel any car that is not chained down.

 

Not to be too much of a smart ass but you will find that if you drive the car the battery will not die

 

Your right on both counts but it is a SA comment I travel a lot customer vists, plant visits and drive at weekends when I can, it does not say I dont want to drive more. I find the Battery Tender avoids the run down of the battery. I had my biggest battery issue after the major service when it was turned off to take the engine out.

 

Not easily. Of course you could use a flatbed but starting the car ... ok, probably not.

The immobilizer is integrated into the ECU. Without the immobilizer code the ECU does ot function so no car. The code is encrypted so you can't just grab it. Also, you can't just buy the parts, a dealer has to purchase the parts from Ferrari and won't do so until you provide proof of ownership.

Besides all of that, where are they going to sell one? There are serial numbers all over the place and a pretty limited market. You can't hardly part it out either.

 

does the car have gas in it?

Ray

 

That's what I think too, but most newer cars have the same type of built-in immbolizer too. Does that mean that a lot fewer cars get stolen nowadays? There is still a popular notion that an expert thief can start any car.