Thread: Engine Immobilisation and Remote unlocking

Originally Posted by Oldmowgli

After reading pages 11 to 19 in the D2 Owners Handbook (Locks and Alarm)....I'm no further forward resolving this issue, so can someone please help me understand!!

Remote key fob unlocks the driver's door on one press, and all doors on a second press. But I cannot start the engine after just one press. I have to press it twice or else the key just turns in the barrel and all lights extinguish on the instrument cluster. If I take key out of the barrel, press a second time, re-insert and turn, hey presto.... engine starts perfectly and all lights are normal.

How can I configure the immobiliser so that the engine will start when only driver's door has been opened ?

Thanks
Oldmowgli

You need to get or at least borrow a Nanocom. All the security settings are in the BCU and need to be accessed via a diagnostic device. The Nanocom is really the only one that does everything on a D2, although there are others that do some of the functions.
There are a number of members here who would probably help you.

When you’re in there, assuming you get a nanocom, I highly recommend changing the EKA (Emergency Key Access) code to something really simple. Mine is 01-01-01-01. If you ever need to use it you will thank me.

Hi, do you have two fobs and it's the same with both? If yes the problem is with the passive remobilisation exciter coil which is around the key barrel, if you have only one fob open it and see if it has the bit pointed with red arrow, if it doesnt means it's a Rover fob not dedicated for D2 while it has the same shape it can't communicate with the BCU to be recognised as original otherwise the immobiliser kicks in 10-15 seconds after any unlock command. You'll have to study the alarm operation mode from the workshop manual, the owner's handbook is to vague for that. Nanocom would not help much with this particular problem unless you want to disable completely the immobiliser

Originally Posted by sierrafery

Hi, do you have two fobs and it's the same with both? If yes the problem is with the passive remobilisation exciter coil which is around the key barrel, if you have only one fob open it and see if it has the bit pointed with red arrow, if it doesnt means it's a Rover fob not dedicated for D2 while it has the same shape it can't communicate with the BCU to be recognised as original otherwise the immobiliser kicks in 10-15 seconds after any unlock command. You'll have to study the alarm operation mode from the workshop manual, the owner's handbook is to vague for that. Nanocom would not help much with this particular problem unless you want to disable completely the immobiliser

This was really helpful, thanks sierrafery.

Yes I do have two fobs, after opening....one has the extra component, and one doesn't - both were supplied with the car in quite aged LR shells, and were successfully opening / starting the car on two pushes, so I just assumed they were both original LR items.

Sure enough, the fob with the extra component unlocks driver's door on one press and the engine starts OK. The other also opens drivers door with one push, but engine doesn't start without removal and second push as mentioned above. Sod's law dictated that one was the fob I was using!

So, armed with your info, I have confirmed that the Key barrel is working correctly, and that I have one fully working fob.

Having looked at the differences between the two, on the genuine LR fob, the extra component on the circuit board as arrowed in your pic, neatly recesses into the coffin shaped transponder recess in the Valeo fob back shell, so I assume this is a LR specific transponder (?)
In the other (Rover) fob back shell there is coffin shaped transponder glued in, separate from the circuit board. (I have attached a close up pic of the transponder and coding in case it helps) There are also a couple of other small components not populated on that circuit board which are populated on the LR board - not affecting the locking / unlocking functionality though.

I am guessing unlikely, but would it be possible to get a new "coffin shaped" transponder programmed for this Rover fob, to mirror the circuit board mounted LR transponder ?

If not, assuming I can find a second (working, used) genuine LR fob with the board mounted transponder, what is involved in registering the extra fob in the BCU and then deleting the Rover one ?
LR Fob chip.JPGLR Fob - coffin shaped Transponder.jpg

And finally....does anyone have a working used disco 2 fob that they would sell me ? (If yes, please PM me)

Thanks, Oldmowgli.

Those fobs are all made by Valeo the genuine LR as well, the fob with the "coffin" is dedicated for Rover 75 and some modells of Freelander 1 while the D2 fob is like the one i shown, the fact is that the RF receivers for these vehicles are the same so if the key is detected it can unlock the doors but the security systems are different and you can't program a Rover/Freelander fob to fully remobilise the D2 nor vice versa. Simple as that.

To throw a spanner in the works:

I just got myself a couple of keys(off ebay).

I needed a spare for the D2a. Keys came like the "Rover 75 type" ... no immobiliser chip on the backside of the board.
Had a hard time trying to get it to sync to the D2a.
Lost count how many times I tried and gave up and tried again. Original key case is a bit shod, rubber is about to fully disintegrate itself.
The problem with syncing the new key was that every time, the RF signal would be found, but the key never showed up in the 4 key list on the nanocom that it's detected.

Anyhow, kept trying and maybe on the 10th attempt, the new key(board) finally synced with the D2a and worked.
I used both the nanocom and my Autel, both struggled to get the D2a to accept the new board.
For a few days, I just pulled the board out of the old original key and used the new case, and old case was fitted with the new 'Rover 75 type board'.
At least this way the original key was nicer to use.
I had to remove the coffin shaped transponder out of the new case, as SFs' circled part interfered with the old board and case wouldn't close up again.

Finally got the new board, now in old case, to get accepted by the D2a and works fine.. no 15sec run time and stop situation.
But, original key stopped working with the RF system, so wouldn't lock/unlock for some weird reason. But would still start and run the D2a.

Re synced the old key and now all is fine.
I've kept the keys as I have them .. that is old case, new R75 type board, and new case with original Valeo board.

What I think I'm trying to say is that the coffin transponder doesn't seem to be important. They do come out with a very fine jewellers type flat screw driver. D2 immobiliser/transponder/RF system is a bit flaky and needs a bit of a shake up sometimes.
eg. why did it suddenly unsync the original key when new key finally got synced. Was working perfectly fine before, and when checking via the nanocom it's RF signal was 'found'. Just randomly stopped locking/unlocking the D2a. resync and now no worries.

I'm fairly sure that a second hand key, ie. already coded to work on one vehicle, can not be re-coded to work on another vehicle.
IIRC I've also tried this, and have also read that it cant' be done. keys needs to be a fresh one.

ps. They keys I got off ebay both don't have the 6 digit code inside the keyfob, stuck to the board, but they have two bar codes, and the first bar code contains the required 6 digit code for the syncing process.

Originally Posted by AK83

I'm fairly sure that a second hand key, ie. already coded to work on one vehicle, can not be re-coded to work on another vehicle.
IIRC I've also tried this, and have also read that it cant' be done. keys needs to be a fresh one.

If you are referring to a 2nd hand D2 key not being able to be recoded to a different D2, that is not correct at all.

I do it all the time.

It’s trickier than that. Of course. I got a fob from the US years ago. It was for an MG of some sort, F possibly. 433 mhz. Had no problems with it at all once I worked out the number code from the barcode. A certain indie lost it😡 It was good because the physical quality of the fob was better than anything I have had since. The buttons didn’t deteriorate. The ones I have now from eBay work fine but the buttons don’t last a year. They have the Valeo name on them.