Hello everyone - I am new to this forum and hope you can help me out with a start up issue. I have a problem with a 360 challenge. A dyno test showed that the car had 20 hp less than other challenge cars. So as to gain hp's I swopped ECU's and TCU with another challenge car. However the car could not start up after this. I have found out, that this is due to the immobilizer unit also installed in a challenge car, that exchanges a PIN-code with the right hand side ECU. So I changed back to the original ECU's and TCU. The problem is that the car won't start up after this. I have used a Bosch EOBD tester that, after the problem occured, only can interface with the left ECU. It is as if the immobilizing unit is activated, and I can't figure out how to deactivate it. Have any of you ever experienced this before, or have knowledge that can shed some light on my problem?
There is no immobilizer system on a challenge car. I suggest you check tires diameter first as it will greatly affect the HP reading on a chassi dyno. As will gearbox and engine oil temperatures. The usual checks of adaptive values, fuel pressure, exhaust backpressure and most likely the cam timing settings are likely the culprit even small adjustments can result in 20-30 HP gains or losses. Off course a compression and leakdown test should be preformed. Good luck. Mark
The car is in fact equipped with an immobilizer installed behind the driver seat. I have found out that this unit interfaces with the right hand side ECU, and only allows startup when the ECU PIN is correct. Thanks for your advise on the missing hp's. However, at the moment I am striving to get the car starting again.
are you perhaps talking about that little pin in the driver's side footwell? It shuts the car off during a hard spin or roll over. I managed to trigger mine a few times when it really should not have. btw this pin is encased in rubber and pops up when active. You have to press it back down. It is about the diameter of a quarter
This is either not a true 360 challenge car or someone has added an imobilizer system too it. The 360 Challenge car does not have any immobilizer on it and there is no immobilizer input or software in either Motronic unit.
All 360C do have immobilizers. Parts manual Table 125 Ref 17 Part #183301. And all 3 of my 360C have them.
If I recall correctly you have to reset the immobilizer with SD2 or SD3 once it's been tripped. For one season I had constant immobilizer problems during race weekends. It was ultimately traced to an intermittent electrical bad connection. Make sure you put the ECUs back to their correct side. I think you can switch LH to RH once but then both ECUs will be coded to the immobilizer. Also make sure the ECUs are properly seated in their sockets. One time we found an ECU not seated properly due to a slightly out of position rubber seal.
All of our Challenge cars have immobilizers, so did all the ones we raced in the 360 challenge. It is factory equipped with an immobilizer ECU and interface module, which in turn sends the correct PIN to the RH ECU for start up. Unplugging and reconnecting should have NO bearing on it operating, IF nothing was damaged and they are replaced on the correct sides. Since you do have communication w/ the LH, I would look closely at the RH side. If all is well and the grounds are installed tightly, I would swap the ECU's RH to LH. You should not have to reset anything if all is correct. The black "pin" mounted by the drivers leg is called the inertia switch, it pops in the event of a collision, cutting fuel supply. What was your HP at the wheel?? What was your reference HP at the wheel? I hope this helps, best of luck!---Kent
Thank you all for your replies. I was surprised too, when I realised that there is an immobilizer in the car. I work with around 7 360ch cars and they are all installed with the immobilizer. I think it is a left over from the road car. I am aware that it is possible to interchange the LH and RH ECU, and that the immobilizer burns a PIN code into the former LH ECU on power up. I have checked the pin connections. Every thing seems to be all right The inertia switch is not the problem. It is working. Friday this week, we will connect a SD2 in order to read out faults from the immobilizer ECU. I have heard that when the RH ECU have been removed more than 3 times the immobilizer enters lock down. This should be possible to remedy with the SD2, I hope! The car has 20 hp less when compared to other challenge cars we have at the workshop. They are all measured with the same tires and setup. We have changed the exhaust system to make sure that the backpressure is ok. When the car starts up again we will take a look at the cam settings and fuel pressure.
Those imobilizers are just crap and cause us all kinds of headaches. Solutions to them are needed. They are a gold mine for ferrari. Anyway did you put in the correct ecu on the correct side when you replaced the old ones back in? If yes the car should have started. It is right for your car to have not started with the new replacement ECU's that probably have been burned with another PIN. The problem gets worse. I think the story goes the alarm ecu burns a PIN to your motronic ECU once. Now it is permenant. You can swap the LH with RH ECU once and then the alarm ecu burns that ECU once. Now both Ecus are destroyed forever and linked to that alarm ecu so that they can only ever be used on the non-alarm side of another engine. The alarm ECU probably did not work with the new ECU if it was actually a used one already burned by another person's alarm ECU. So if you were really out of luck not only would you need to know the alarm ECU PINcode but you could even be forced to buy at least one brand new unburned ECU! I do not understand why your car will not start if you have the proper original ECU's back in the same place.
Hello all. I have found out why the car could not start. The immobilizer was activated as assumed. So with the SD2 we were possible to reset the immobilizer again and the car can start again. In order for this not to happen again I have found out that it is important to turn on the ignition in a few seconds and then turn it off again before disconnecting the ECU's. In this way the immobilizer is deactivated on a challenge car before removing the ECU's. Thank you all for your help and advise.
