Immobiliser activated - how do I rest it?

[AndrewS]

Hi

 

Does anyone have any experience about deactivating the immobiliser? I have had the AA to help me, but they have not been able to help.

 

The scenario: I locked the van with my electronic key fob; I stupidly left the lights on and when I returned the key fob didn't work to unlock (though the light on the fob showed it was not the battery); I opened the van using the manual key; AA turned up and recharged the battery; however, the van would not start nor move out of park to neutral; the little-red-car-with-a-key light is flashing, showing that the immobilser is on; the AA guy had a gadget which showed that the key fob was not sending a signal to the immobiliser; the AA tried and tried, but didn't know how to turn off the immobiliser.

 

The van is now on the back of an AA low loader and is being taken to home. It will have to stay there until either 1) I work out how to deactivate the immobiliser (and Toyota and nobody else seems to be able to tell me); or 2) a get it moved to an auto electrician in 2 weeks when they can next look at it.

 

Anyone any ideas?! Surely it must be pretty easy to repreogramme the key or whatever?

 

Thanks in advance.

[pipsyp]

It's a chip in key system on these, unless some sort of 3rd party alarm/immobiliser has been installed on it.

 

A flat battery shouldn't lead to the key being forgotten, my thoughts are that the problem is one of the following:

 

The induction coil for the immobiliser (that's part of the ignition barrel) has gone up the spout, hence why it's not starting

 

The chip in the key fob is possibly damaged/faulty

 

Or the car has forgotten the key from the flat battery (again highly unlikely) and needs to be resyncronised.  Unless you have Toyota Techstream software for windows (the dealer level software) and the appropriate ODB cable, it's a main dealer or car locksmith job I'm afraid.

[AndrewS]

Hi

Thanks Paul. As far as I am aware, it is a factory immobiliser. Until the car battery went flat I haven't ever had a problem with it, including when the battery also went flat about 6 months ago. That time I didn't have to use the physical key to unlock, which is why I wondered if using the physical key this time might have made a difference.

 

I can't rule it out, but it would seem too much of a coincidence that the induction coil has packed up at the same time as the car battery going flat. I wonder if it might be as simple as the key battery being a bit old, but again a bit of a coincidence if it is this. I will try replacing it and see what happens.

 

Resynchronisation might be the solution. I am pleased you think the flat battery is unlikely to have casued this. My problem is that I can't get anyone to be interested: Toyota say Alphards aren't on their system; and the auto electrics garage won't look at it for 2 weeks becasue they are busy. Any thoughts on whether a locksmith would need to have specific skills to deal with this type of thing?

 

Another possibility might be some form of electrical interference. The van was parked next to the electric railway. who knows, but once it is home, everything might work.

 

On one video there is a suggestion that I insert the key and turn on the ignition for several minutes. Ever heard of that? 

[Rojie]

32 minutes ago, pipsyp said:

It's a chip in key system on these, unless some sort of 3rd party alarm/immobiliser has been installed on it.

 

A flat battery shouldn't lead to the key being forgotten, my thoughts are that the problem is one of the following:

 

The induction coil for the immobiliser (that's part of the ignition barrel) has gone up the spout, hence why it's not starting

 

The chip in the key fob is possibly damaged/faulty

 

Or the car has forgotten the key from the flat battery (again highly unlikely) and needs to be resyncronised.  Unless you have Toyota Techstream software for windows (the dealer level software) and the appropriate ODB cable, it's a main dealer or car locksmith job I'm afraid.

 

A Main Dealer is unlikely to agree to work on the car.

Some do, so it is worth checking.

 

Presumably you do not have a spare manual key (just in case the key chip is faulty).

 

An auto electrician is the best bet to start with; a newly programmed or reprogrammed key may do the trick.

 

I have had a flat battery more than once; neither the smart key or manual key were affected.

[pipsyp]

3 hours ago, AndrewS said:

Hi

Thanks Paul. As far as I am aware, it is a factory immobiliser. Until the car battery went flat I haven't ever had a problem with it, including when the battery also went flat about 6 months ago. That time I didn't have to use the physical key to unlock, which is why I wondered if using the physical key this time might have made a difference.

 

I can't rule it out, but it would seem too much of a coincidence that the induction coil has packed up at the same time as the car battery going flat. I wonder if it might be as simple as the key battery being a bit old, but again a bit of a coincidence if it is this. I will try replacing it and see what happens.

 

Resynchronisation might be the solution. I am pleased you think the flat battery is unlikely to have casued this. My problem is that I can't get anyone to be interested: Toyota say Alphards aren't on their system; and the auto electrics garage won't look at it for 2 weeks becasue they are busy. Any thoughts on whether a locksmith would need to have specific skills to deal with this type of thing?

 

Another possibility might be some form of electrical interference. The van was parked next to the electric railway. who knows, but once it is home, everything might work.

 

On one video there is a suggestion that I insert the key and turn on the ignition for several minutes. Ever heard of that? 

Hi Andrew, no problem at all!

 

I came across this chap when I was looking at whether it was possible to code a smart fob to an Alphard.  Might be worth a look!

 

Keys can be associated to a Alphard using a particularly key sequence which I call the Toyota funny handshake (lol) but that only works for the RF remote locking stuff, the immobiliser coding is a different kettle of fish

 

https://www.autolockmaster.co.uk/toyota-alphard/

[Geralt]

 

On 2/12/2024 at 1:52 PM, AndrewS said:

I wonder if it might be as simple as the key battery being a bit old, but again a bit of a coincidence if it is this. I will try replacing it and see what happens.

What did happen?

[AndrewS]

Hi. Just an update and maybe somebody can help. 

I have rung round various auto electricians with very little success. Potentially the best advice is: 1) immobiliser light is flashing without key in the ignition; 2) however with the key in the ignition the light goes off - conclusion: the key is speaking to the immobiliser and so it is not an issue with the immobiliser; 3) perhaps the key is not the issue, but the central locking and some other engine cut out (eg the central locking button isn't working and neither is the key fob); 4) perhaps it is is the fuses which have blown relating to to the locking mechanism?

 

Al sounds plausible. I now have to get at the fuse box in the passenger glove box. My manual says: "Consult your Toyota dealer when you need to check or replace fuses in this box"!

[Rojie]

13 minutes ago, AndrewS said:

Hi. Just an update and maybe somebody can help. 

I have rung round various auto electricians with very little success. Potentially the best advice is: 1) immobiliser light is flashing without key in the ignition; 2) however with the key in the ignition the light goes off - conclusion: the key is speaking to the immobiliser and so it is not an issue with the immobiliser; 3) perhaps the key is not the issue, but the central locking and some other engine cut out (eg the central locking button isn't working and neither is the key fob); 4) perhaps it is is the fuses which have blown relating to to the locking mechanism?

 

Al sounds plausible. I now have to get at the fuse box in the passenger glove box. My manual says: "Consult your Toyota dealer when you need to check or replace fuses in this box"!

 

God luck. 

 

It is difficult to get to. You will need a mirror.

[AndrewS]

Hi

Just thought I would update my experience, which might help someone:

 

1) accessing the fuse box on the passenger side is a nightmare for an amateur like me. However, with a pair of log-nosed pliers, I was able to check the relevant fuse. I am not sure if the difficulties of access were compounded by the additional electrics for the camper conversion. The manual I have says contact your Toyota dealer, so Toyota clearly know there is an issue.

2) I got no help at all from my local Toyota dealer - refused to engage. I suspect it is a bit hit and miss as to whether they can be bothered

3) I found an autoelectrician in Shipley, Luke at Drive in Service Centre on Otley Road. He diagonosed what had gone on in 10 minutes:

a) nothing to do with key or immobiliser

b) when the AA had recharged my flat battery there had been a usual surge as all of the electrics power up at the same time

c) somebody had previously done a repair on the cable from the battery to the small fuse box under the bonnet

d) the battery was fine but the surge had shorted the cable and blown one of the fuses - this accounted for why the dashboard lights were lighting up, but otherwise everything electrical was dead.

e) I was told that UK Toyota diagnostics equipment can read all Toyota vehicles. Toyota could have made this assessment for me.

 

So, back on the road, no issues, but now very careful to turn off lights (and on auto). There is no warning signal if I leave my lights on.

[Rojie]

3 hours ago, AndrewS said:

Hi

Just thought I would update my experience, which might help someone:

 

1) accessing the fuse box on the passenger side is a nightmare for an amateur like me. However, with a pair of log-nosed pliers, I was able to check the relevant fuse. I am not sure if the difficulties of access were compounded by the additional electrics for the camper conversion. The manual I have says contact your Toyota dealer, so Toyota clearly know there is an issue.

2) I got no help at all from my local Toyota dealer - refused to engage. I suspect it is a bit hit and miss as to whether they can be bothered

3) I found an autoelectrician in Shipley, Luke at Drive in Service Centre on Otley Road. He diagonosed what had gone on in 10 minutes:

a) nothing to do with key or immobiliser

b) when the AA had recharged my flat battery there had been a usual surge as all of the electrics power up at the same time

c) somebody had previously done a repair on the cable from the battery to the small fuse box under the bonnet

d) the battery was fine but the surge had shorted the cable and blown one of the fuses - this accounted for why the dashboard lights were lighting up, but otherwise everything electrical was dead.

e) I was told that UK Toyota diagnostics equipment can read all Toyota vehicles. Toyota could have made this assessment for me.

 

So, back on the road, no issues, but now very careful to turn off lights (and on auto). There is no warning signal if I leave my lights on.

 

Most, but not all. Toyota Dealers will not work on grey imports.

[Big T]

I have just had a similar experience and it caused me a panic. I bought this 2005 alphard motorhome ( imported to UK/ converted in 2022) It has been perfect until today. I went out to move it. Got into vehicle with auto unlocking ie hand in through door handle while key in my pocket. I put the key into ignition and turned it. Dash cam started up ( aftermarket plugged into cigarette lighter) and dash board light came on as normal. As I turned the key to start the engine (I think my finger may have pressed the lock button but not 100% sure) Everything went dead, all lights on dash extinguished and radio went off. I turned the key again - nothing. Tried switching on inside lights, again nothing

Got out of vehicle and tried pressing alarm button on key fob nothing. I let things sit for a few minutes and tried  interior lights again. They came on. Great. I put keys in and tried to start again. Dash lit up but then everything went dead again. Panic setting in. I saw something on line about main fuses and green /red indicator on battery. Checked that , everything seemed in order. By this time I'm thinking if ringing my mechanic. Got back into vehicle and tried the interior light again. It came on. Put keys ignition and tried again. Radio came on but all station memory was wiped and date / time reset. The internal clock on the dash was reset also. Turned the key further round and vehicle started this time ( Thank God). I let it run until the engined warmed up a bit. Everything seemed fine but I'm nervous about what went wrong here. I have no clue. Absolutely no indication of anything like this happening up to now.

 

Note This is a motor home ( daily driver) and I did check that the monitor of the leisure electrics showed 70% and did not switch off at anytime during this incident.

 

Has anybody any idea if what happened here and is there anything I need to do? Spent 10 minutes reprogramming the radio stations and the clocks

 

Trevor

 

[Big T]

UPDATE

 

After setting radio back up again the same fault re-occurred. I checked the battery compartment and gave all the terminals a check. Mine had a green knob fitted on the negative wire just beside the terminal. Apparently this is a kill switch that was fitted by the previous owner. It was not fully tight so a gave it a twist. Engine was able to restart. It would appear my initial thoughts about the immobiliser were going down the wrong path. I'll give it a check tomorrow to prove my new theory.

 

Trevor

[BigNev]

AHA!

Hopefully you've discovered the source of the problem!

Earth connections are so important, especially nowadays (all relative) with so much electrical kit on cars!

I'll keep my fingers crossed and await your update!

[Big T]

FINAL UPDATE

The kill switch was, indeed, the source of my "Dead" Alphard. I unscrewed the green thumb wheel that creates the path to the negative terminal of the battery. There was a fine ring of corrosion around both the brass face of the contact and the shoulder of the green thumbwheel. A bit of emery sorted that. Screwed it back on , tightly, and all systems go. Problem sorted. It never ceases to amaze me that when a problem with a motor vehicle arises that you always seem to think that it's going to be a complicated solution involving a lot of money when, in reality, it usually proves to be a much simpler solution. 

After solving this I remembered that I have had two similar incidents before with two volvos !! The incidents were years apart but when it happened the second time it was solved very quickly. In both instances the main earth strap from the engine block to the body shell broke through metal fatigue. The in-line engine constantly twisting on its mountings eventually broke the strap resulting in no lights on the dashboard.

Glad to get this sorted. Case closed

[BigNev]

Absolutely cracking mate!

Yes, not every problem has a complicated solution!

[Big T]

EXTRA

 

Prior to my last post which  I said was my final update a couple of other things gave occurred and I will mention them here in case anyone has come across them or to be aware of for the future.

The first thing I noticed after a few days was that I could no longer control the other windows from the drivers door controls. After some on line digging I found that this is normal for most Toyotas ( not just the Alphard) and is fixed by going round each window in turn to reprogram. A bit of a nuisance if you are using a kill switch as an additional anti theft device but I'll live with that.

The second issue I noticed this evening, days after fixing the kill switch issue. When I switched on the ignition the radio ( pioneer system - not original) had lost all its programming again. I had reprogrammed all the stations after fixing the kill switch problem so it perturbs me that it has happened again, making me think that I haven't solved the original problem after all

 Any thoughts anyone?

 

Cheers

 

Trevor

[Gamith]

6 hours ago, Big T said:

EXTRA

 

Prior to my last post which  I said was my final update a couple of other things gave occurred and I will mention them here in case anyone has come across them or to be aware of for the future.

The first thing I noticed after a few days was that I could no longer control the other windows from the drivers door controls. After some on line digging I found that this is normal for most Toyotas ( not just the Alphard) and is fixed by going round each window in turn to reprogram. A bit of a nuisance if you are using a kill switch as an additional anti theft device but I'll live with that.

The second issue I noticed this evening, days after fixing the kill switch issue. When I switched on the ignition the radio ( pioneer system - not original) had lost all its programming again. I had reprogrammed all the stations after fixing the kill switch problem so it perturbs me that it has happened again, making me think that I haven't solved the original problem after all

 Any thoughts anyone?

 

Cheers

 

Trevor

There is a normally a permanent power as well as an ignition detect - so it's most likely to be a blown fuse or broken connection on the permanent power feed. When the car gets started the ignition detect will power up the car. 

I had one radio where the permanent and ignition detect were fed from the same source - the ignition detect.

So in the sample pic below you would be checking the yellow wire, the red would be working Ok: 

Edited October 29 by Gamith
added a picture.