Well, I think the immobiliser has finally started to play up in my '98 F1. Twice in the last two weeks the car has failed to start for no apparent reason. The starter will turn over but the engine fails to fire at all. Both times I have had to leave the car where it was after trying everything I and my mechanic could think of for more than an hour. Frustratingly when I returned to the car the next morning it started first turn of the key! Even more annoyingly the car subsequently started at least 20 times normally before failing again a couple of nights ago. I had to take the train home and then get a friend to take me back to work the next day, where again the car started first go so I drove home and it is now sitting in the garage. My mechanic has suggested replacing the immobiliser control box, but before I do that is there anything else that could be causing this intermittent issue? I don't want to spend the best part of $1k if it could possibly be something else. Please note I am very familiar with the correct disarming procedure with these cars having had mine for five years and hundreds of starts, and have never had this problem until now. Any help appreciated, thanks!
It is getting a little old - was put in new when I bought the car, so five years. However both times this problem occurred I tried to start it at least 10 or 15 times before giving up, and the battery was still turning the starter strongly at the end. It didn't really sound like it was struggling at all. Having said that I'd be happy to put in a new battery and see what happens before forking out for the control box.
Here it is https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/526315-immobilizer-bypass-step-step-photos.html
Its unusual that it started the next day. Any chance you remote is cloned or is it original. If it is original any chance it might be fuel prssure or something mchanical.
The bypass is not an immobiliser replacement, it just bypasses the need to press the fob by replacing the interface ECU. If the immobiliser is faulty the bypass won't fix it. M
Most likely electrical, thermal related as it started the next day, ie when cold. Could be crank angle sensor, cam angle sensor, relay or dry joint in fuse box, F1 transmisson neutral sensor, fuel pump relay, ignition relay, stretched wire(s) on engine wiring harness where it passes through bulkhead, corroded pins on wiring harness, bad grounds, fuel pump intermittent etc. After all it's a F355 so list could be endless I'd start with a multimeter and if available then look for fault codes with and SD 2/3 M
Thanks for all the replies. I'll take it to my mechanic and ask him to check all of the other things Mike has suggested first. It sounds like it probably isn't the immobiliser after all. All my fobs etc. are original. Will post up the results once I've got it sorted.
FWIW I don't think it's likely to be the F1 neutral sensor, because if the car thought it was still "in gear" then surely it wouldn't even crank the starter?
The immobiliser in my old mondial was an after market unit, this interupted the ignition and the fuel pump supplies, hence u could bypass it with 2 bits of wire, then u could look else where. It was better than the modern intrigated units as they are too complicated for their own good.
Or if you have another fob try that one.. my car came with all 3 fobs, 2 black and 1 red. when I first brought my car to my mechanic he noticed I was using the red fob, he suggested not to use it and to store it away.. and just use one of the black ones daily.. since if I recall only the red fob can be cloned... so if you have another fob, switch to that one.. and see if the immobiliser still acts up..
I can't imagine any possible way it could be the fob. I mean he is obviously getting the chirp when he pushed the fob of he wouldn't start cranking. After hundreds of starts you notice if you push the button and it doesn't chirp. You automatically push the fob button again waiting for the chirp you don't think "hey it didn't respond, let me try to crank it anyway" no you imeadiatly know when the fob is not working. If it chirps the it got the signal and disarmed. I personally don't think it has anything to do with the immobilizer from the description of what's going on. It's probably one of the other 92 possibilities mentioned. Hopefully you get lucky and it becomes apparent what's going on and you can get it fixed.
Yep, The alarm siren only chirps if the immobilizer has received the signal from the fob. That means the fob is working and communicating with the immobilizer, so its not a fob issue.
That is interesting Mike as I often need my fob to disable immobilier when alarm is off and never get a chirp then. Also, IIRC, another member was having a similar issue until he replaced the fob battery.
Not every time. I never get a chirp when pushing the button if I've waited more than the requisite time to start the car after unlocking the doors (ie. once the led starts flashing). The only time my car chirps is when originally unlocking or locking the doors, or if it senses something wrong (bonnet open etc.) What I might do later today is go for a short drive but take all of my fobs with me (until now I have only used the red one but I have all the original ones) and see if that makes any difference.
This is exactly why I did the bypass. I hope you figure it out soon. After which, I'd get rid of the ridiculous system once and for all.
Hmm, I almost never locked my car and set the alarm but every time I pushed the button to shut off the immobilizer and start the car I got a chirp. always.
Brian, perhaps it's a year difference. Mine is a 98. I drove it last night. No chirp on disarming immobilizer.
