FAO BobRTE, PLEASE help

[clean16v]

going to go into loads of detail here about me swapping ECUs with someone so excuse the essay!

i have a chipped ECU and because of my williams conversion coming up i wanted to sell it, so i decided to swap ECUs with Wkdlad from the forum, he has a 16v, same year and spec as mine. Except his had a factory immobiliser and mine doesnt. He has the button on the end of wiper stalk and mine doesnt, he has to activate his renault key fob or his car wont start. I have never had to use my Renault key fob to de-activate immobiliser(i dont think i have a factory fitted one). so we took the ecus off, i put mine in his first, it satrted up a treat but his immobiliser didnt work, apart from that it is fine. Put his in mine and my engine management light started flashing, and the car would tick over but not start. so we thought we couldnt swap them. so i put my original ECU back in and the engine management light was still flashing and car wouldnt start! we tried all sorts, un-plugging the battery for a while, putting my ECU in his car and making sure the immobiliser on his car was de-activated then swapped ECUs again and still no luck. so my mate got his diagnostics machine out, plugged it in mine with my ECU and it reported no faults but said the immobiliser was on? pput his ECU in my car with diag. machine hooked up again and it said immobiliser on? basically my engine thinks it is immobilised but i dont have an immobiliser? so we hooked up both the ECUs to his car and the diag. machine said immobiliser off(and reported no faults)

is there any way i can overide this so called immobiliser on my car? oh and BTW my engine managemnet light would not flash in start mode until i de-activated my after market immobiliser(at the same time you can hear the fuel pump kick in) i have had my factory alarm switched off when i had my Cat1 fitted. Any help is much MUCH appreciated!

my mate said there is no fault with either ECU because they bith work fine on Wkdlads clio, he said the fault was in my car? we reckon when i put his ECU in my car it shut somat off(maybe fuel) and now the ECU cant put it right?

 

[Mikey16vClio]

Ring Reno in Oldham mate, there is usually a very helpfull guy there wholl have a go at answering that over the phone.

Worth a try, good luck.

PS: Are the immobilisers on both cars switched to off (or is this impossible) when changing ECUs? Just thinking this may disable the fuel pump activity in the ECU if it is taken out with immobiliser on.

 

[rt172]

Have you plugged both ECU cables in? When myself and Craggy were messing round with ECUs last weekend we couldnt get my car started and ended up setting off the alarm etc. before discovering that there were 2 cables that needed plugging in....

 

[clean16v]

2 cables? i thought it was just the big main one? whatever we did on his we did on mine, except it worked fine on his but not on mine! i only unplugged one so i assume there is only one to plug in? and on the diagnostics machine it showed no faults, just that the car was immobilised!

 

[clean16v]

Bump, please help? BobRTE???

 

[clean16v]

PLEASE help!

 

[Mikey16vClio]

Have u rang Reno? Immobiliser companies? Tuning companies?

 

[clean16v]

Rang reno they have given me the number of a specialist because they said they prob couldnt fix it , basically i need to know if there is anything I can do before sending it away for a big bill. is there an immobiliser by-pass switch? what exactly does the standard reno immobiliser immobilise etc?

the numbers on the ECUs were exactly the same, also im having my willy engine and ECU fitted soon so am i gonna have the same problem because my clio dont have a factory immobiliser?

 

[rt172]

Clean - Ill take a piccy for you when I get home. I cant describe the 2nd piece of cable, but the car didnt start until we plugged it in. I just remember that it plugged in just in front of the ECU compartment, in the actual engine bay, and I think the plug on it is light green.

Anyway, will take a pic for you this evening......worth a try.....

edit - just read your post again, the bit about the car trying to tick over but failing - exactly what happened with mine....

 

[clean16v]

......hmm, just spoken to someone that has been recomended by all the garages in my area, reno couldnt help me and mentioned the same guy. He says, i need to put the ecu that i am keeping in the coded car(wkdlads), fire up that car, disconsct the ecu while the car is running and then put that ecu in my car. he says the ecu will not immobilise itself UNTIL the car is switched off. hope it works, any ideas anyone? what damage can it do? obviously i dont want to damage wkdlads car BUT this guy really seems to know what he is on about. he has been recomended by everyone i have asked!

 

[Mikey16vClio]

While idling then no info to the ECU should change so the ECU wouldnt be required when the engine is fully warmed up maybe?

If it is something that guy would do to one of his customers cars then ur safe but if hes never tried it then get a 2nd opinion.

 

[clean16v]

no he has tried it, he says he swears by it and would be very surprised if it didnt work but he also said forget everything i told you after you have done it!

 

[Just Bob]

Hi Clean16v

Sorry about the delay in replying but I have only just home this evening from a 2 day course at Renault.

I think I know where you have gone wrong, and I am afraid there is no quick an easy solution.

What may have happened is that wkdlads ECU is coded (obviously) and your ECU WAS uncoded. By putting your ECU on wkdlads car, the decoder box has sent wkdlads immobiliser code to YOUR uncoded ECU. So in short, your uncoded ECU has now become CODED with the code from wkdlads decoder box.

As niether your ECU or wkdlads ECU will start your car but will both start wkdlads, I think that that is where your problem resides.

The only option I know of, would be for you to purchase a new ECU from Renault that would be uncoded, Unless you know someone who could uncode your ECU. I dont know of anyone who does uncode ECUs but someone on this forum may.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Bob RTE

 

[Just Bob]

AH!

I have just had another Idea, but I will have to have a look through my notes at work. I may have a solution!!!!

Laters

Bob RTE

 

[Just Bob]

Even though I am knackered, I cant stop thinking about a solution!!!

It MAYBE possible to return your ECU back to an UNCODED ECU!

It is a complex procedure and will require you fitting YOUR original ECU back onto wkdlads car. I cannot disclose the procedure on the forum so you will have to PM me tomorrow and I will see if I can guide you through it. It may take a couple of days to finalise as there is information I require from wkdlads car in order to complete the uncoding. He will have to be willing to give me some info about his car.

Hope that helps for now!

Bob RTE

 

[rt172]

"the car would tick over but not start"

BobRTE - if the car was immobilised then would it not refuse to do anything at all? (I presume he means the starter motor turned over).

Just that my car will not do a damned thing without me pressing the immobiliser button first. If I turn the key in the ignition it turns the electrics on but nothing else.

Rhys

 

[Just Bob]

Im still up! I should have gone to bed!

The factory type immobiliser will allow the engine to be turned over and may even fire for a very SHORT while.

The immobiliser I think you are referring to is NOT a factory fit and therefore will inhibit all ignition and starter commands.

Hope that answers your question.

Bob RTE

 

[rt172]

Oh right. I assumed it was a standard factory fit as it is deactivated by a little plipper thing with a Renault logo on it.

Rhys

 

[Just Bob]

Ah - now that is an official Renault immobiliser/alarm that is fitted by the dealer not by the factory. It will inhibit ignition and starter commands and is also an alarm. The after market immobiliser only system would consist of a coded black plug that fits into a socket on the dash. That inhibits ignition and starter options only.

Hope that helps as well and I really should sod off to bed now!

Laters

Bob RTE

 

[rt172]

Ahhhh.....I knew that.....

 

[adiclio16v]

so am i right in saying that any ecu off a valver without immobiliser i.e uncoded will start cleans car

so if he puts my willy engine out of my silver valver an ecu in his car it should work fine

also rhys as far as i kno the reno immob disables the fuel pump meaning car will turn over but not start thats what mine did and worked off the reno key fob

adi

 

[clean16v]

b*****d!!!! spent ages waiting for replies(thankyou to ABSOLOUTELY everyone that did) and i didnt read them before i fixed it! anyway, today i attempted the unplug ECU while engine thing is running and it didnt work. So i got K3NNYs ecu from his J-reg valver(no immobiliser!) and the car works fine! Well done to Adi and Bob for getting the correct answer!

Infact, my mate who was driving(i lost license) reckons the car is faster with standard ECU???? Thanx again everyone!

 

[Mikey16vClio]

Ha, was it worth the hasle of selling ur ECU at all?

What; with standard chip it was quicker?

Are any cheap engine mods effective for the valver at all?

 

[clean16v]

was worth selling it cos got some money for it and the guy who is having my engine said he wouldnt give me any money for it. Its a differnt drive without the chip, the car is quite torquey but only comes to life between 4500 and 6000, with chip it was less torquey but had more low down and it would turn into an animal from 5k-7k!