[BaldyHead]

Hi,

I recently bought an '09 plate Captiva diesel LTX. All seems OK at the moment, apart from having a problem starting it on 2 occasions. After waiting for the glow plug light to go out, the immobiliser warning light flashes and I'm unable to start the car. The 2 times it has done it so far I have waited a few minutes and tried again, and it has started.

I have changed the batteries in both keys, and I can't see any fuses that look obviously knackered, so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or had experienced the same issue? Perhaps it could be the car battery? I guess there could be a problem with the immobiliser itself, but presumably that is just an electronic box of tricks that shouldn't go wrong that often?

Thanks,

Rich

 

[K.L.Richards]

Have a 2008 LTX and it does exactly the same thing. If I switch on the ignition and wait a few minutes then try to start it wont. Have to turn the ignition off and try agin, will start straight away then. Reported it to the dealership ages ago when still in warranty. I was told that it was an automatic cut off to stop the glow plugs getting to hot, whilst the engine was doing nothing. I suspected at the time I was being told bullsh!t but not being a mechanic found it difficult to argue.





Interesting you have exactly the same problem. Maybe they where not telling me rubbish, or maybe we have the same problem.





Anyone else experience this ?

 

[BaldyHead]

Thanks for the reply, interesting to see someone else with a similar problem. I've switched to using the other key, to see if it's a problem with the transmitter in the first key. I'm not sure if the warning light comes on if you try starting the engine with an invalid key, or if it only happens if there is a real issue.

 

[K.L.Richards]

I also switched my keys when this happened first time. Made no difference at all. Didnt have any warning light when I swapped my keys.

 

[RemusX]

Hi Chaps,

Did anyone find a solution to this issue?

I have a 2012 LTZ and theimmobilizerlight stays on and the car refuses to start. Had it towed away an hour before we were set to leave on a trip down the coast

Anyone have any idea what caused this as GMSA cant find a fault.

 

[BaldyHead]

I still get the problem, but with mine it happens once in a while, then it will be fine for weeks. When it does do it I find the usual remedy is to just leave the car alone for five minutes or so, then try starting it again. So far, this has worked every time.
I've only had the car since July, so when I take it for its next service I may use the local Chevrolet dealerand get them to take a look.

 

[Big Al]

Faults like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack and that's as long as you are an electronics engineer looking, the common remedy is keep swapping parts till you find the item with the fault in it, which is all well and good if its the garage doingitwhilestillunder warranty, one suggestion I have isthe receiver is week andnot picking up the chip in the keys sometimes. Also thinking about it I do not know if the system is solid state or if there isany relays involved because it could be a relay that is not making and breaking cleanly sometimes.
A bit more to help or baffle



They are called magnetic coupled transponder systems. Magnetic coupled transponder systems are passive in nature. This means they do not require constant electricity and thus do not need a power source of their own. They operate in the frequency range area of 125 kHz. Since magnetic coupled transponders do not have their own power source they are very limited in range of communication and generally operate in the range of 1 cm to 15 cm. Since this is a radio frequency it can penetrate materials that would make the transponder not directly visible, such as the plastic or rubber in the bow of a key.

The process of key identification is similar in most automotive transponder systems. Once a key is inserted into the ignition lock and turned to one of the ""˜on' or ""˜run' positions, the induction coil that is mounted around the ignition lock sends out an electromagnet field of energy. The windings in the transponder chip absorb that energy and power the electronic chip to emit a signal. The signal is usually an alphanumeric sequence which is considered the identification code. The induction coil reads the signal and sends it to some type of computer device to recognize the signal. If the signal is recognized as being already in the computer's memory the signal is accepted and other electronic components in the vehicle are set into motion to allow the starting of the vehicle or the continuation of the engine running.
Edited by: Big Al