Technical Fit Ducato won’t start

[Michael171991]

Hi ! I have a Motorhome on a fiat Ducato chassis 2006 , it won’t start , had a mechanic over to look at it , he tried the starter and it’s all working then he thought it’s the immobiliser , tried to bypass it and it’s not from there , now he doesn’t know what the problem is , he said it’s something electrical , any ideas where to start from as I’m spending money for mechanics and no results at all
Thank you

 

[bugsymike]

Hi ! I have a Motorhome on a fiat Ducato chassis 2006 , it won’t start , had a mechanic over to look at it , he tried the starter and it’s all working then he thought it’s the immobiliser , tried to bypass it and it’s not from there , now he doesn’t know what the problem is , he said it’s something electrical , any ideas where to start from as I’m spending money for mechanics and no results at all
Thank you

There is much on Forum re immobilisers and it is certainly not easy to "bypass it" as your mechanic has attempted on that age of vehicle, so be careful he hasn't introduced another problem/fault.
Basically the pre ECU versions with immobiliser were possible to get around with varying degrees of difficulty, however ECU versions can only be done by professional ECU specialists.
I suggest you first try any spare chipped keys you have, also clean any electrical connections around ignition switch area and the antenae ring around the ignition key barrel and make sure your battery is fully charged in good condition.
Generally what should happen is after putting key in and turning to first position the immobiliser light should come on and then go off. If it stays on or doesn't come on at all then no way will the vehicle start.
One other point, being an MH is it possible you have any non factory immobiliser/alarms etc. as they are often a source of problem on older vehicles.
There are lots of good advice regarding this issue on Forum so check that out before throwing money at it.

 

[Michael171991]

There is much on Forum re immobilisers and it is certainly not easy to "bypass it" as your mechanic has attempted on that age of vehicle, so be careful he hasn't introduced another problem/fault.
Basically the pre ECU versions with immobiliser were possible to get around with varying degrees of difficulty, however ECU versions can only be done by professional ECU specialists.
I suggest you first try any spare chipped keys you have, also clean any electrical connections around ignition switch area and the antenae ring around the ignition key barrel and make sure your battery is fully charged in good condition.
Generally what should happen is after putting key in and turning to first position the immobiliser light should come on and then go off. If it stays on or doesn't come on at all then no way will the vehicle start.
One other point, being an MH is it possible you have any non factory immobiliser/alarms etc. as they are often a source of problem on older vehicles.
There are lots of good advice regarding this issue on Forum so check that out before throwing money at it.

Thank you I’ll try that and see how it goes !
The immobiliser works cuz when I deactivate it the glow plug lights up in the dash board and some relays are clicking but nothing at the motor starter

 

[bugsymike]

Thank you I’ll try that and see how it goes !
The immobiliser works cuz when I deactivate it the glow plug lights up in the dash board and some relays are clicking but nothing at the motor starter

Sorry you say when you "deactivate" the immobiliser?
Normally on a standard Ducato the key goes in and to first position, the immobiliser light is on the dashboard and then goes off prior to turning the key to the starter position.
Can you check that this is the case before we go down the wrong track.
Anything you have to "deactivate" manually is not a standard Fiat Ducato immobiliser, can you confirm?

 

[Michael171991]

Sorry you say when you "deactivate" the immobiliser?
Normally on a standard Ducato the key goes in and to first position, the immobiliser light is on the dashboard and then goes off prior to turning the key to the starter position.
Can you check that this is the case before we go down the wrong track.
Anything you have to "deactivate" manually is not a standard Fiat Ducato immobiliser, can you confirm?

Hi , it’s not a factory fitted immobiliser , it’s a after market one (sigma s30) and I have a key fob which I need to press before turning the key to starter position

 

[bugsymike]

Hi , it’s not a factory fitted immobiliser , it’s a after market one (sigma s30) and I have a key fob which I need to press before turning the key to starter position

OK, so if you are happy that side is working, what is the factory immobiliser side doing that I described with it's standard light on the dashboard?
Generally speaking aftermarket alarm/immobiliser systems are a common source of problems as they age due to not being buiilt to the same standards and often fitted in a poor way. I have seen them with the wires simply twisted on to a bare connection with a bit of loose insulating tape covering it.

 

[Michael171991]

OK, so if you are happy that side is working, what is the factory immobiliser side doing that I described with it's standard light on the dashboard?
Generally speaking aftermarket alarm/immobiliser systems are a common source of problems as they age due to not being buiilt to the same standards and often fitted in a poor way. I have seen them with the wires simply twisted on to a bare connection with a bit of loose insulating tape covering it.

Ok so when the immobiliser is on there’s a red light flashing every couple of seconds , then after I put the key on and turn the key once then the remote control that red light goes off and the glow plug and a car with unlocked padlock and you can hear some relays clicking the after I turn the key to start position there are more relays clicking but nothing at the motor starter , hope that makes sense

 

[bugsymike]

Ok so when the immobiliser is on there’s a red light flashing every couple of seconds , then after I put the key on and turn the key once then the remote control that red light goes off and the glow plug and a car with unlocked padlock and you can hear some relays clicking the after I turn the key to start position there are more relays clicking but nothing at the motor starter , hope that makes sense

So the padlock sign on the dash definately goes out before you try to turn the starter?
If that is the case and assuming your aftermarket alarm is OK then I would look towards the starter activation side.
This can be initially tested by putting power to the solenid on the actual starter, if that then turns the starter and the engine runs normally you will need to check power from the ignition switch, fusebox, relay if fitted (often this is done through the ECU) and check for any break in that thin solenoid starter wire.
This is assuming the battery and main power and earth wires to the engine are all good as you say the mechanic said starter side was OK?

 

[Michael171991]

So the padlock sign on the dash definately goes out before you try to turn the starter?
If that is the case and assuming your aftermarket alarm is OK then I would look towards the starter activation side.
This can be initially tested by putting power to the solenid on the actual starter, if that then turns the starter and the engine runs normally you will need to check power from the ignition switch, fusebox, relay if fitted (often this is done through the ECU) and check for any break in that thin solenoid starter wire.
This is assuming the battery and main power and earth wires to the engine are all good as you say the mechanic said starter side was OK?

The padlock definitely goes off and the mechanic tried that too (to put power on the solenoid at the starter and nothing , when he tries to jump start the starter it does turn and the engine turns but doesn’t start , he said the probably the ignition wire doesn’t let the fuel to go trough

 

[bugsymike]

The padlock definitely goes off and the mechanic tried that too (to put power on the solenoid at the starter and nothing , when he tries to jump start the starter it does turn and the engine turns but doesn’t start , he said the probably the ignition wire doesn’t let the fuel to go trough

If all the immobiliser side is working correctly then you may need to locate a more qualified mechanic/electrician to test throughly.

 

[jackwhoo]

I would not assume sigma system working correctly.
Relays clicking....battery , battery leads especially ground lead.
You are going to need a decent mechanic /auto electrician.

 

[jackwhoo]

The padlock definitely goes off and the mechanic tried that too (to put power on the solenoid at the starter and nothing , when he tries to jump start the starter it does turn and the engine turns but doesn’t start , he said the probably the ignition wire doesn’t let the fuel to go trough

Not sure its lost in telling but that makes mechanic look poor but we werent there watching.

 

[bugsymike]

Would OP be able to contact Sigma to see what and where they immobilise with their system on that model?
Or possibly they could suggest an electrician they know is experienced on that product.

 

[Michael171991]

Would OP be able to contact Sigma to see what and where they immobilise with their system on that model?
Or possibly they could suggest an electrician they know is experienced on that product.

They don’t know any auto electricians but I’ll have to look for one , thanks for all the advise

 

[bugsymike]

They don’t know any auto electricians but I’ll have to look for one , thanks for all the advise

Can they advise where their product is connected?

 

[Michael171991]

Can they advise where their product is connected?

What do you mean

 

[bugsymike]

What do you mean

For an aftermarket immobiliser to work it would need to be connected to the factory wiring loom at the correct points to stop the vehicle from running, so Sigma must no where they tell the fitters to connect too.

 

[bugsymike]

What do you mean

For an aftermarket immobiliser to work it would need to be connected to the factory wiring loom at the correct points to stop the vehicle from running, so Sigma must know where they tell their fitters to connect too.

 

[bugsymike]

What do you mean

For an aftermarket immobiliser to work it would need to be connected to the factory wiring loom at the correct points to stop the vehicle from running, so Sigma must know where they tell their fitters to connect too.

 

[Ducatotiftler]

Moin,
Läuft die Kraftstoffvörderpumpe bei eingeschalteter Zündung?Die sollte mindestens 3bis fünf Sekunden laufen bevor der Motor startet.