Feel like crying! - Alarm / Start issues

Hi All,

Literally cannot believe my luck, hoping to attend my 1st AGM this year after finally getting my car ready, all cleaned and set sitting nearly in the garage.

Have noticed some odd behaviour from my immobiliser (Toad AI606 & AS620) past week, light would normally go green after disarm then you'd hear fuel pump. However, it's now orange and a red flicker came on intermittently this week just gone.

This evening however, just after fitting a new air filter, I went to turn the car on to test all is well…. and it isn't! Alarm disables perfectly well, orange light on immobiliser indicator but no fuel pump noise what so ever, car does crank just fine & all electrics working (windows, roof, lights, indicators, alarm etc.. battery measures 12.6v when off too).

What on earth could I have possibly done wrong here?? Have I dislodged something when swapping out the air filter? Why is the immobiliser orange and no longer green when disarmed?

I'm at work tomorrow and Friday and not the handiest of people when it comes to fixing a car myself - feel pretty low that I might miss out on getting my car up there now.

Any suggestions hugely welcomed right now Craig

I really don't have much idea but for what it's worth when my Mk1 had an akarm and immobiliser fitted there was a live feed taken off one of the spade terminals on the battery.

Are you 100% sure that there are no loose wires that have fallen down behind the battery or around the air filter, very easy to dislodge something when removing the air filter clips.

RichardHall said

I really don't have much idea but for what it's worth when my Mk1 had an akarm and immobiliser fitted there was a live feed taken off one of the spade terminals on the battery.

Are you 100% sure that there are no loose wires that have fallen down behind the battery or around the air filter, very easy to dislodge something when removing the air filter clips.

Hi Richard,

Appreciate you having a look at this for me - just been down to check. Cannot see anywhere anything loose, poorly connected or simply not connected at all with regards to wiring around the battery / air box.

richard is correct, check all the wiring terminations, a tedious task, but if its highly likely that this is where the failure will be.  Below the ignition barrel, behind the plastics, behind the fuse box etc.  After so many years connections can dry out and fail due to vibration and stress. Just trace each one out meticulously and you 'should' find the failed connection.
If you can access all the connections and they are good, then the alarm is gone.  These do have shelf life and depending on what the relays are switching, they can last the life of the car, or fail after a few months.  Water ingress through the loom?, this can kill the best of alarm systems.

If it's the alarm, then depending how it was installed, it could take a day to 'rewire' cut looms.

NB: Solder, heat shrink and/or electrical or self amalgamating tape IS the only way to join wires. Scotch blocks should be burnt in teh great scrap yard brazier at birth!, connector blocks should be avoided and twisting together is likely to give problems at some point, fire even.

Don't be tempted by any other means, you will regret it.  

check the red/black wires on the coil, and check fuel pump fuse #5.  if 5 has blown, check the wiring to the WUR and AAV as they are fed from this, and if they are damaged a short here pops the fuse

rubjonny said

check the red/black wires on the coil, and check fuel pump fuse #5.  if 5 has blown, check the wiring to the WUR and AAV as they are fed from this, and if they are damaged a short here pops the fuse

Hi Johnny,

I checked position 5 last night and it looks fine. Could you expand on the WUR and AAV please? Not acronyms I'm familiar with in afraid

I also read another of your posts previously about the fuel pump relay switch and its numbering. I had a look for this last night and couldn't even find one !! 

warm up regulator and auxillery air valve, this assumes its a kjet and not digifant. if the fuse is good then move on, try fittign the 17/18/100 relay in slot 2 and see if the fuel pumps come on with the ignition on

rubjonny …dont suppose you are near your pc now by any chance are you ??? One of those, need help in my crisis moments!!

Popped down to the garage this evening (just) as have been working late, not what I wanted!! I was attempting to get the existing relay out of position 2 in order to try what you said previously! Damn thing would not come out for love nor money.

I pressed it back in as it had moved a little - for some reason before heading back upstairs I thought I'd try the car again, alarm fob press - key in ignition - hey presto, life in the pump again!!??

I've taken some photos of what I could, have no idea what is in relay socket 2? Nor any idea what this loose block is with the 3 wires going in.

Any thoughts now at all??!

right thats an aftermarket fuel relay (kracker is good quality tho), if it wont come out you may have damage to the fusebox pins from corrosion or overheating so i would try to get it out if possible to inspect. be sure to wiggle as you pull, but dont pull so hard the cover pops off

the other relay is most likely related to your alarm, its not an oem VW one thats for sure

next thing I'd check is if your lifter pump is working ok, if not the main pump will strain and put load on the relay. if there is fusebox damage this might be why!

if your relay primes the pumps with ignition disconnect one of the wires to the main pump and see if you can hear the lifter pump prime. if it doesnt prime then try to swap the 17/18/100 relay to slot 2 then the pumps will always be on with the ignition so you can then check the lifter

If it's working now then maybe worth leaving well alone until you're back from the AGM! lol

Ultimately, I think it would be worth pulling all relays to check the tabs are all clean and not crusty - same for the connections on the back of the fuse board too.

Maybe the car has suffered a water leak in the past?

Ah didn't see your post Jonny, good man

to be fair it probably wasn't there when you started typing

Apologies for delay in coming back to this one !!

So despite breaking down en route to the AGM with the same fault, after a little wiggle of all relays, the car came back alive and we made it to Stratford.

Car safely tucked back in garage waiting on me to take off the knee bar to give better access to check all fuses / back of fuse panel / associated wires etc…

Will most likely come back to this thread in the near future, so a HUGE thanks for helping me make it to my first AGM. Saw some absolutely amazing cars and have new inspiration for my little car! Thanks again, much appreciated indeed !!

If you see number on relay like 85' 86 '  30'. 87a ' 87
Join up 30 and 87 will over ride relay
If standard type relay not ford type

Ashton, this is what fitting the 17/18/100 relay into the fuel pump slot does. since its a switched relay it will come on with the ignition, rather than needing a trigger from the coil live the original kjet fuel relay

at a push a VW 53 relay also works, but pinsd 30 and 87 are too small to fit into the fuel pump socket sockets properly