[Rick]

Hi,

I have a 98 Range Rover. Occasionally, if I'm parked near a mobile phone tower (eg airport, busy urban areas), my immobiliser refuses to work, leaving my engine disabled. Sometimes, after 20 minutes or so, all will be fine and I can start-up. Other times the vehicle will remain paralysed.

One remedy is to get the vehicle towed away from the area (just a few a few metres) which suddenly fixes the problem.

I've ruled out the handset batteries and the ECU.

Other than avoiding those parking 'hotspots', does anyone have any suggestions?

Cheers.

 

[xboxy]

hi mate,
i get the same problem in the UK in my 96 4.0 se RR
all i do is use the key in the drivers door with my 4 digit unlock code and hey presto engine works fine. :buttrock:

 

[PTSchram]

Supposedly, it is an issue with the receiver for the key fob. There are several part number to deal with this interference issue.

I just ran into this with the Rangie from Hell which required a new receiver and transmitter to finally send it home.

Replacement is fairly simple, pull the trim pieces out on the right side of the loadspace and the receiver is right by the release for the seat.

Peace,
PT

 

[Rick]

xboxy - Apparently that four digit unlock code feature you have in the UK doesn't apply to Rangies in Australia (in that year). Pretty scary, eh? Thanks for your help anyway.

PT - Interesting advice. I haven't heard of that, I'll give it a try. Thanks.

Cheers.

 

[Range Russian]

Hello,

I have a RR 4.6 HSE 1997 and experience the same problem. At work if I park on one side of the road, I will surely get the "engine disabled".
Actually my front doors central lock also burnt at the same time.

My solution to the problem is to open the door with the key, switch ignition on and off, open manually one of the lock of the back doors. Switch again ignition and usually the central lock works and I can start the engine.

Tell me if it also works for you.

 

[shiftech]

Hold your key fob against the the reciever ariel then press the button.
the arial is a single copper strip on the same rear window as the radio arial but more towards the front of the glass :clap:

 

[PTSchram]

xboxy - Apparently that four digit unlock code feature you have in the UK doesn't apply to Rangies in Australia (in that year). Pretty scary, eh? Thanks for your help anyway.

PT - Interesting advice. I haven't heard of that, I'll give it a try. Thanks.

Cheers.

It's called the EKA, Emergency Keycode Accesss. Present on all NBS Rangies.

The issue with the interference came from the Rovacom website.

Peace,
PT

 

[Range Russian]

Hello,

Few days ago, I faced again this "engine disabled" problem. The way I usually deal with it did not work. No way to enter the code either through the radio or the door lock.
I finally decided to tow th car. After 30 metres suddently the car worked!!!!

I found some explanation through some internet sites. To start the engine, a mobilization code must be sent by a radio transmitter from the BeCM to the engine management ECU. If where you are parked there is a transmitter which is sending a signal on the same wave, your BeCM will be busy with the "fake" signal and not accept any code.

You were right the only solution is to move the car out of the range of the transmitter. Owners of MG have also the same problem.

Thanks!

 

[PTSchram]

Hello,



To start the engine, a mobilization code must be sent by a radio transmitter from the BeCM to the engine management ECU. If where you are parked there is a transmitter which is sending a signal on the same wave, your BeCM will be busy with the "fake" signal and not accept any code.

!

This is not exactly correct. The Engine ECU and BeCM communicate directly through a communications buss, not via RF. By virtue of the interference, the BeCM was busy doing other things. Neither the BeCM, nor the ECU have internal RF mechanisms.

Another problem with this interference is that your battery will go dead as the BeCM cannot go to sleep and will continue to draw about 2.5 amps.

 

[Mr Tj]

The actuality lies somewhere in between these 2 statements I believe.

At issue is the behaviour of the BeCM when you use the remote keypad to lock / unlock the a P38A.

Reading between the lines in the service manuals, we find that:

When the keyfob button is pressed, a signal is transmitted that is picked up by a receiver somewhere on the vehicle.

When the BeCM sees this signal, it in turns sends out (through the same antenna) a query signal to the keyfob, which has to respond within a certain timeframe with the correct counter-code. If it does not, then nothing will open, and the car will remain 'super-locked'.

This is one reason why (depeding on the exact part number of your key fob) so many P38As will run down their battery when parked in long-term parking lots (all those other pesky car owners with their remotes activate the BeCM every time they point their remotes in our direction, the slobs).

So it's not implausible that the closeness of a GSM transmitting tower might interfere with the radio reception, causing the BeCM to get stuck in a 'receive' loop as indicated by PTS, and whilst it's busy asking a non-existent keyfob for the return security code, it won't unlock anything I'd guess.

There are various gotchas in all of this, the most embarassing ones being those where the vehicle remains 'super-locked' until cleared through use of the EKA, being towed 25 feet, or somesuch as indicated above.

Hopefully that clarifies things a bit... remember that it's a system designed by Lucas, so don't expect logic.

 

[Range Russian]

Well theproblem is that the EKA does not work in such situation. After 3 trial it even gets lockout.

Does anybody knows if it is possible to disinstall the whole alarm and door locks system and fit another one instead?
When I asked LR dealer he told me that there is absolutely no way! Hard to beleive.

 

[PTSchram]

Well theproblem is that the EKA does not work in such situation. After 3 trial it even gets lockout.

Does anybody knows if it is possible to disinstall the whole alarm and door locks system and fit another one instead?
When I asked LR dealer he told me that there is absolutely no way! Hard to beleive.

The alarm can be disabled through software of the BeCM. The door locks are keyed to the BeCM by the lockset barcode-this is why one cannot simply remove a lockset from one vehicle and place it directly into another. Similar reason for why one cannot remove a BeCM from one vehicle and directly move it to another.

It is not impossible, but not inexpensive to fit an alternatve alarm/locking system in these vehicles. The dealerships are supposedly contractually bound to Rover/Ford to only use new genuine parts and accepted methods of repair.

It took me near eight months to fix a similar problem on a Rangie, eventually replaced two door locks, remote transmitter and receiver, and the BeCM. Surprisingly, the easiest part fo this whole debacle was the replacement of the receiver/transmitter.

 

[Range Russian]

The alarm can be disabled through software of the BeCM. The door locks are keyed to the BeCM by the lockset barcode-this is why one cannot simply remove a lockset from one vehicle and place it directly into another. Similar reason for why one cannot remove a BeCM from one vehicle and directly move it to another.
Does it means that I can go to my LR dealer andask them to disable the alarm? Does it also mean that I will not have this stupid ENGINE DISABLE. I am saying stupid because after leaving my car 2 days in the street I got his message and almost no battery. Start to be tiring.

It took me near eight months to fix a similar problem on a Rangie, eventually replaced two door locks, remote transmitter and receiver, and the BeCM. Surprisingly, the easiest part fo this whole debacle was the replacement of the receiver/transmitter.[/QUOTE]
It seems rather costly as the BeCM is very expensive. Is it always necessary to replace it or the replacement of the transmitter and receiver can solve the problem.

Thank you for your feed back as I really need to do something to be able to get a more reliable car without spending fortune. :bawling:

 

[Range Russian]

The alarm can be disabled through software of the BeCM. The door locks are keyed to the BeCM by the lockset barcode-this is why one cannot simply remove a lockset from one vehicle and place it directly into another. Similar reason for why one cannot remove a BeCM from one vehicle and directly move it to another.
Does it means that I can go to my LR dealer and ask him to disable the alarm? Does it also mean that I will not have this stupid ENGINE DISABLE? I am saying stupid because after leaving my car 2 days in the street I got his message and almost no battery. Start to be tiring.

It took me near eight months to fix a similar problem on a Rangie, eventually replaced two door locks, remote transmitter and receiver, and the BeCM. Surprisingly, the easiest part fo this whole debacle was the replacement of the receiver/transmitter.[/QUOTE]
Your solution seems rather costly as the BeCM is very expensive. Is it always necessary to replace it or the replacement of the transmitter and receiver can solve the problem?

Thank you for your feed back as I really need to do something to be able to get a more reliable car without spending fortune. :bawling: