Thanks guys,
I regularly disconnect my battery and top it up with a good charger, just to avoid any low battery issues, so I'd like to think it's not that. I did that just 10 days ago.

This happened under really gentle conditions - not offroad, and with the engine barely above idle/tickover. I just needed something to pull a boat / trailer out of storage backwards. I needed to control the jockey wheel at the front of the trailer, and that's why my wife was driving the car, and I put it into low box, just to be sure that everything was happening really slowly. So no traction control, no wheel spins, just a gentle trundle along my gravel driveway.

It seemed to happen during/just after moving the gear lever across the gate from high to low, or back again.

It hasn't done it since, so it could just be something transient caused by the ratio change, and nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if it's pointing to something else that might be about to fail, I'd probably try to buy that part and then fit it now, or whenever it gets worse.

I'll be very happy if it's just something they all do, and nothing to worry about. I do have a Nano I could check with though.

Hi folks,

I had reason to pop my car into low box the other day to shift something. I don't do it often, but I have done in the past with no problem at all, and probably to shift heavier loads than I was working with at the weekend.

It wasn't me in the driver's seat, but my wife. I was managing the trailer end of things.

On a couple of instances - the 'traction failure' message popped up, and then cleared. There was no great distance involved in this work - maybe 5 - 10metres - little bit backwards, little bit forwards.

Is this more or less normal behaviour, or something to worry about, watch out for with something else about to go 'pop'?

I did search, and see that this could be ABS sensor linked, but mine are all 'new' and relatively recently installed, and don't give any other problems that I'm aware of.

thanks.

This might be the perfect occasion to buy one of those 'mechanics stethoscopes'?? If you did as suggested above, and jacked the wheels, then you could go from one to the other seeing if you could hear a difference? Obviously you can't put it on a spinning wheel...... (!) but you would probably pick something up from the hub or knuckle - somewhere you could get the probe into.

I say this as I've bought one years ago (not expensive) but not found the opportunity to use it yet.

A reply just to say 'thanks again' for the advice and support.

I'm delighted to report that synching the key in the door lock, turning and pressing buttons, worked perfectly. I know have two 'happy' fobs - and that makes me happy too!

I did wonder this morning why the car had gone from 'normal' height to 'extended' when parked overnight in a locked garage, on a perfectly level floor.... but that's one for another thread if it happens again.

Thank you very much. For tonight I was happy just to get it back in my garage, and the battery on charge “just in case”.

I have one fob that’s happy; one that’s not.

The happy one was taken straight to the car, and used immediately next to the receiver. I can’t really say how they were using the ‘unhappy’ one.

I’ll try that sync process tomorrow. It seems to me that I haven’t had to use that in the past. Even when I changed the batteries I just stuck the key in the ignition barrel, and all was OK - though clearly that was with the car unlocked.

I’m going to print off the eka number and your explanation and leave them in a card in my wallet.

Would one fob need the EKA (if it was un-synced) yet the car would respond properly and happily to the second synced one? I find that quite funny!

Internally generated intermodulation…? Nope, you’ve lost me!

Aragorn wrote:

syncing the fob on mine required some dance with pressing the fob buttons while actuating the lock. I have a feeling later cars are supposed to be better/more automated at that process though

Yep, I think all I need to do is put the key in the door lock - but that doesn’t seem to be working at the moment.

Thanks Bolt - yep it was Simon’s boards I was referring to. Soldering - I have a solder iron, but zero soldering experience. Always managed to avoid it. This would be a bit of a negative for me, but either I could press-gang someone who does, or I could learn and practice first.

On my troubles today, I went down with the spare fob and it all worked OK. The doors wouldn’t work on the fob, so I had to open by the key. Then when I turned the ignition switch, there was a wee moment when I thought it wasn’t going to work, but it did, and the car is home.

The mobile mast next to the location is not very high, and a double-layered one, so I reckon the fobs were just being drowned out - though again, why today, and not during the previous three weeks??

Got home, and thought I’d see what the original fob would do. Nothing. Won’t open the car even in an environment with next to no extraneous radio interference. And, when I put the key in the lock, only the drivers door unlocked, and I got one beep from something - the alarm sounder?

There has been an ‘alarm fault’ on the display since the MOT a couple of months ago. Doesn’t seem to do anything and I was just leaving it until I put the roof lining back, and therefor the ultrasonic sensor. Relevant?

Does the car think it’s in the middle of the EKA procedure by some chance? If so, how does this reset? Should I just pull the fob battery and see if that works?

Thanks Aragorn,

So, the other fob 'should' work? And EKA will not only open the car in an emergency, but turn off the immobiliser?

If the fob sync was cleared, wouldn't it re-sync again if put into the door? I'm assuming the fob battery is connected, as I can see the light flashing whenever the button is pressed. Can't say whether it was disconnected in someone's pocket earlier today.

(There was a thread a little while ago about someone who 'does something' to the ECU to remove the immobiliser altogether. I read it, and filed it away, but it wasn't a priority until now.)

Off home shortly to get my spare fob and see how that goes.

hi folks, I'll try tagging this on here as it's current/active thread, and I've a very similar question, and I could really (really!) do with some help.

My car - 2001 m/y 4.0V8 - so a Thor/Bosch system - has been at the bodyshop. They've had it three weeks (two weeks for the job; 1 for covid). In all that time it's been in/out of their shop and worked fine. Today, when I go to pick it up..... the engine won't start, and the car will not open/close on the fob, even with the fob a couple of cm away from the receiver. There is a bloody great mobile mast less than 100ft away (but then why today, and not over the last three weeks?)

Car opens/locks fine using the key in the door. Tried disconnecting the battery - achieved nothing.

Even pressing the fob button before turning the key doesn't work. I can see the LED flashing, but the message centre still says 'engine disabled'. Fob battery is pretty new - did it myself about 12/18 months ago. When I say nothing is happening, I mean nothing is happening - no cranking, no nothing.

So as I see it my options are:
1) Go home and get the spare fob, and "hope for the best"
2) Go home and get the Nano, and turn off the immobiliser (Can I do that when it's "active"? / is it the 'right' immobiliser?)
3) Try the EKA code?? I'm an EKA code virgin, I don't even know if it's involved with the immobiliser? I don't know the condition of the door handle or its switches.
4) I have no option 4...(Edit - thought of an option 4 - maybe all the short runs, from yard to workshop have drained the battery a bit?? But I don't know why this would affect the immobiliser when the key is placed in the ignition and all the message centre and dash lights work OK?)

Beyond this, I think I'm going to have to turn off the immobiliser. I just can't have something randomly causing a problem like this. I appreciate it's probably not 'random' and that something will have caused it, but either way.

Pierre,
I can't say with certainty in relation to the P38. While I've had to replace a couple of the vacuum tubes, so far I've had no issues with the switches so haven't needed to look.

But, I'd be very surprised if the brake pedal didn't have a CC switch. You can imagine the scenario - trundling down the motorway at 70mph, and you need to brake. I'd expect this to disengage the CC immediately. You may not bother/need to use the clutch initially, but the CC would need to come off with the brake. Certainly this is my experience of how more modern cars work.

When I had such a fight getting the bottom clips out of my front bags I decided I wasn’t putting mild steel back in there - even if I never remove them again.

I bought something like 2 x 50cm of 2.5mm stainless rod from eBay and made up copy clips using a couple of sets of pliers. Same length of rod did the top clips on the rear bags when the time came.

It’s a bit of a fiddle getting the shape just right so that there’s sufficient tension on the clips that they don’t just fall straight out, but I’m happy.

I haven’t delved into the doors of my P38 yet, so any advice offered might be a tad agricultural… based on my Defender.

For window mechanisms I’ve used whatever I’ve had to hand. I still have most of a tub of Castro CL grease (sticky, waterproof, lime-based I think) but these are manual windows.

For the glass/rubber channels I’ve had good results with a spray tin of Halfords glass and rubber lubricant, but I suspect it is silicone. I usually use it into the open channel (I.e. window down) and in conjunction with a paper rag to avoid overspray.

Thanks mad-as - when I went into the error code via nanocom for the first time, there was something about 5 times or 5 cycles, but as a nanocom newbie I didn't save or photograph the message before clearing it.

There's no doubt though I was getting the 'alarm fault' message in the dash every time the key was put into the ignition - just another one of the beeps it fires my way routinely.

^ I’ll definitely come back and do those BBUS tests at some point when I feel stronger. They do seem simple enough.

However, today, the ‘alarm fault’ message just disappeared. All by itself as far as I can see. So I feel it’s a question of letting sleeping dogs lie.

Thanks guys,

Well, I thought I’d cleared it, but this morning it had come back. The thing is, I haven”t had a roof liner (and therefore no ultrasonic sensor above the B pillar) for months and months. All the time it was in my garage and being taken in/out; and my short private road runs pre-MOT, there was no sign of this. Just came on after the MOT.

Interestingly now though, on the Nano, it doesn’t appear as a fault to be cleared - but does on the dash…

I have to say one of the things I never do with this car, having read so many horror stories, is leave the key in the ignition, or even in the car! So I think my keys are both transmitting and unlocking, but I will definitely go in and change those settings. If they work for you after 444,444 miles I’m sure they’ll suit me.

I’ll also check out rave for the alarm sounder. Should I assume it’s dead by this stage (22 years) or is it likely there’s still some life in it?

^^^ 100%! My finger was hovering over the button as I was driving along waiting for the space, but I can’t say for sure what mode I was in when the foot got planted.

Tomorrow’s fun is probably taking the ‘other half’ out for a spin ( or more accurately, letting her take the car for a spin). I probably need a sensible car for a 3 or 4 day trip to Glasgow - i.e. hers. So her choice will be the Defender or the Range Rover. I know what she’d have more fun in.

Thanks Harv - so good just to drive it!

At one point, on a B road, I was behind a little car, and a lorry. Quite obviously the little car was going nowhere. Because I know the road, I knew when the straight sections were coming. It’s just glorious to see the space, plant your right foot, and have this 22 year old thing just leap forward!

Yes, given current fuel prices, it’s expensive - but you can’t take it with you!

Ok, seeing as there’s an existing topic I’ll try putting this on here.

For all the months the car’s been in my garage getting worked on I”ve had the battery on or off as needed - no issues as far as I could see, and I wasn’t always as good as I should have been about following the ‘igntition off, disconnect within 30 secs’ procedure. Still, no issues.

Took the car for its MOT, and when I collected it there was an “alarm fault” message on the display - but it didn’t seem to cause any particular problem.

Running about in the car today it seemed a little ‘sluggish’ sometimes on responding to the lock/unlock on the key fob (new battery about 8 months ago - buttons barely used since).

Then at one location I’d left the car unlocked while chatting to someone - maybe 15 minutes - came back and it was immobilised. Jumped out, lock/unlock, and it started.

Got home, plugged in the nano and cleared the alarm fault.

But….. what’s going on? What did my MOT tester do? I’ve had the immobiliser thing kick in before too, but it spent days ‘powered up’ in the garage, and unlocked, without having an immobiliser fit…? Puzzled, me.

Edit - meant to ask too. I’ve read something, somewhere about the alarm sounder being nicad powered, and that these can die. What’s the real story?

Well, not today, but yesterday my car got a completely clean MOT, no advisories, nothing!

So thanks to all for the advice on sunroofs, and heater matrix ‘O’ rings and indeed everything else.

Even happier to report that during a post-test ‘Italian tune up’ the car has lost all its tendencies to wallow and leap about the road. You can still tell it’s a 2 ton beast, but through the bends it’s much more predictable.

Now all I have to do is fill the tank….!

Well, further progress…. But my O rings didn’t arrive!

Managed to track down the last 300mm pozi2 screwdriver in town, so thought I might as well give it a go now that the plusgas has been doing its thing. It certainly was trying to cam out (even with a smear of cutting paste) so a two handed job to keep enough pressure on the end of the screwdriver, and to turn it. A bit of to and fro did help to keep it coming. Quite a bit of thread lock on that from the factory isn’t there? In fact it strikes me as odd that they would put to much thread lock on a fixing with a screwdriver head? Not that I plan to do this again in a hurry, but I’m going to see if I can’t find a hex or torx screw in time.

Even with the pipes disconnected in the engine bay, and pulled back a bit, it’s still awkward to get in there isn’t it - (rhetorical question!). I got the old O rings out - squared off and brittle as expected. So all that needs done now (once the new O rings arrive) is to clean up the end of the pipes, and see if I can’t get some pics of the matrix pipe ‘receiver’ to see if there’s any dried coolant or gunk in there that I should try and get out - though I’m not sure how that would go.

All in all, and coming from someone who started mechanicing on the old BL minis, this job has a high PITA rating for a newbie.