Technical Croma Ignition/Imobolise probelms

[Manu6666]

I have 2008 Croma 1.9. A few months ago I stopped the car on a hill and the ignition went dead and I was stranded. The electronic key still worked to lock/open the doors but when you put it in the ignition slot it didn't do anything (no click). The screen on the dash read - 'Check security settings' and 'Steering lock disabled'.

I called an AA mechanic and he tried everything including disconnecting the battery. Several hours later I had to be towed to a garage. The garage was shut so we left it on the forecourt. In the morning the garage called and asked what was wrong because they had got in the car and it started fine!? They said they checked it out on a diagnostic machine and there were no problems.

Back to today. I went to use the car this afternoon and same thing has happened. Ignition totally dead. I'm wondering if it will suddenly come back to life like before (is there an immobiliser timer or something that cuts the car off periodically). It's now been 7 hours and still nothing. I'm reluctant to call the AA because they wont be able to help.

Just to clarify the keys are fine. I have two electronic keys and both remain working to open the doors etc. It's just the ignition. Any ideas?

 

[dave]

loose earth maybe

 

[Manu6666]

Thank for your reply. Loose earth? Where would I find the earth to check that out? Thanks, James.

 

[dave]

they are all over the place, one on the battery, follow that to find other main earths, there may also be a small one on the actual ecu its self

 

[notorious]

Check the voltage on your battery it should be 12.6V to 12.8V in ideal conditions. If it is around 12V it could cause this issue (not enough voltage for all the electronic systems on the car).

 

[sherrp]

Dragging up an old thread here, can I ask Manu6666 did you get this sorted? the exact same issue has happened to me today, had to be towed to garage tonight. Mine is the 2.4. Dreading the worst tomorrow - £££££££'s??!

 

[dave]

isnt the 2.4 an auto that shouldnt be towed?

 

[s130]

Ok so both keys lock/unlock the doors.

Do both keys fail to release the key slot and allow engine start?

When that key insertion "click" fails to occur you could try the following.

Remove the key.
Open the back and remove the master mechanical key
Insert this into the slot at the bottom of the normal key slot. This will release the key slot to allow rotation.
Now try your stumpy key.

I'm thinking that this will NOT allow the car to be started or the steering lock to be released but your feedback/experience would be welcome here.

 

[sherrp]

Hi,

isnt the 2.4 an auto that shouldnt be towed?

Just to clarify, the car was not towed on all fours, the rear wheels only were in contact with the road, so hopefully that is ok?

Ok so both keys lock/unlock the doors.

Do both keys fail to release the key slot and allow engine start?

When that key insertion "click" fails to occur you could try the following.

Remove the key.
Open the back and remove the master mechanical key
Insert this into the slot at the bottom of the normal key slot. This will release the key slot to allow rotation.
Now try your stumpy key.

I'm thinking that this will NOT allow the car to be started or the steering lock to be released but your feedback/experience would be welcome here.

s130, tried exactly that and nothing! all the insertion of the mechanical key into the slot facilitated was to allow the stubby key to rotate through the OFF / ON / START positions which did nothing! Page 17 of users guide states:

Disengaging
The steering column lock will disengage
after fitting the key into the ignition switch.
IMPORTANT Switching the engine off
when the car is running will not engage the
steering column lock. The multifunction
display will show the relevant message
(see section “Warning lights and Messages”).
IMPORTANT If, after trying to turn the
instrument panel on and/or to start the
engine, the display will show the message
“Check vehicle protection system”, repeat
the operation rocking the steering wheel
to facilitate steering unlocking. Displaying
of this message does not impair steering
column lock operation.

The car initially said "Check Vehicle Protection System" on the display, and during subsequent attempts said "Steering Lock Enabled" I rocked and rocked but to no avail!!

 

[dave]

Hi,



Just to clarify, the car was not towed on all fours, the rear wheels only were in contact with the road, so hopefully that is ok?

ah yes that's fine that way

hopefully your problem will just be battery is dying as its getting colder

 

[sherrp]

Hope so Dave..... however RAC patrol did test battery and said it was just under 12v, he suspected that may cause the immobilser etc not to function properly. He charged via his van for 10 minutes and no luck, then he disconnected battery and reconnected to 'reboot' but dead as a dodo!

 

[sherrp]

Well the plot thickens, and I as suspected knowing my luck it is not as simple as a flat battery! The car is still dead and the garage are struggling to make progress. They are a well respected Fiat / Alfa specialist and I do trust them. Spoke to the co owner this afternoon and he said as the car is basically shutdown they cannot get access to much of it in terms of fault codes logged. They have found two codes, one pointing to steering lock - it reports 'steering lock above top limit' and another which points to body computer. They reckon it will end up being about 5 hours labour (they had another croma around Jan 2010 with the same problem and they ended up replacing the steering lock and body computer) he seems to think on the previous Croma they had the steering lock was initially replaced but did not cure the problem and they ended up fixing it by replacing the body computer. I am going to be somewhere in the region of £700 lighter in the pocket - nice! :bang: Does any of this seem to sound feasible to anyone?

 

[s130]

Lets ignore fault codes for the moment.

If they are having trouble connecting to or talking to the car then I would be thinking a central nervous system fault like the body computer fault or another system component dragging down the CAN-Bus / otjer comms link.

As you have two codes/faults being logged then I would disconnect the steering system from the comms bus and see if that releases communication to the body computer.

If I remember correctly the the Croma OBD connector connects firstly and directly to the body computer. How the other comm nodes connect I've not researched.

 

[sherrp]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Radlet6]

I can't understand why the high price. The Marelli unit for the Croma is about £160.00. How does he justify the extra £500+ price? Maybe it has to be programmed - the keys will have to be that is for certain. Even so it's only a 5 minute job.

There are also a couple of people on ebay breaking Cromas, you might be able to get a unit from them.

 

[glikaj]

Thank for your reply. Loose earth? Where would I find the earth to check that out? Thanks, James.

Hi Manu6666, thank you for your post. I am now facing the same exact problem with my Fiat Croma 1,9 benzin. It happened already twice that it was dead and got back working, but now on the third time it has been 1 week and no life sign. Can you please advice how you proceeded?
I noticed it is always cold when this happens. Does it have anything to do with humidity? Does it help if I try to clean and dry certain electrical parts? If yes, which may I try?
Thanks in advance

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi Manu6666, thank you for your post. I am now facing the same exact problem with my Fiat Croma 1,9 benzin. It happened already twice that it was dead and got back working, but now on the third time it has been 1 week and no life sign. Can you please advice how you proceeded?
I noticed it is always cold when this happens. Does it have anything to do with humidity? Does it help if I try to clean and dry certain electrical parts? If yes, which may I try?
Thanks in advance

Hi.. these threads are from 2011


Post in tech talk..

Tell us the full story of your car

Age..miles.. time with you..
Any previous problems.. work done in last year. Etc

Charlie

 

[g8rpi]

Hi Manu6666, thank you for your post. I am now facing the same exact problem with my Fiat Croma 1,9 benzin. It happened already twice that it was dead and got back working, but now on the third time it has been 1 week and no life sign. Can you please advice how you proceeded?
I noticed it is always cold when this happens. Does it have anything to do with humidity? Does it help if I try to clean and dry certain electrical parts? If yes, which may I try?
Thanks in advance

Hi,

please describe your exact problem.
Does the key turn?
Does the engine turn over?
Does it try to start at all?
Any warning lights?

Robert G8RPI.