JVRudnick

dc893 - not yet...what would doing that neg terminal undo - do?

or should I try that 6 minute ON - off -Restart thingy? what does that do?

more and more i think about this - I think what happened was my wife put the Lexus in P - opened the door - thought Hey I should pull up a bit more in the driveway - moved it to D - pulled up a couple of feet & turned the car off in D she thinks, door still open.

would that triggger this "immobiliser" item? when you try to start a Lexus with the immobiliser engaged - do you get that little 5 note "beep" that I hear?

maybe it's the immobilser - and how do I 'turn' it off so I can then start the car?

YoshiMan

Is there a way you can put up a video or something of that sound? Might help us in trying to figure out what it is.

When does it play it? When you turn the key to the "on" or the "start" position?

In my time working at various places over the years that deal with a large amounts of customer vehicles, there are some really screwy aftermarket imobilizer systems..

Some i've seen require you turn the key on and wait 7 seconds for it to play a little musical chime, otherwise it won't start. Some others require something like that and for you to pull the high beams toggle lever in when starting the car.

JVRudnick

Okay (non car guy here, eh!) I got her to start and here's what I did -

I searched and searched here on this forum for the same issues - found no real close queries about the "tune" etc - but did find lots of talk on this "immobiliser" item....somethign I was totally unaware of was even on the Lexus.

Read lots. Thought about why the car had SO much power but wouldn't even crank...and yup, it was the immobiliser (I assume?)

Went out and turned her to ON - waited 6 minutes - turned her to OFF - said a prayer and turned to START and YES....up she came. It's -14 C here but she caught right away and I let her idle up to warm.

So...I am guessing here...but that "tune" that I hear must be "notice" that the immobiliser has been engaged.

Least that's how I look at it? Odd tho to me that no one has ever commented about this "tune" being played before....

But if others search here I just hope they find this thread!

thanks one and all here....I like this forum - just like I used to like the caddy forum too...

If I've ever any other queries, I sure know where to come!



Jim

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Glad you got it figured out and this is good info to have.

cobalt91

Glad you got it running. Thanks for posting the fix.

Largefarva

Cool, glad you got it sorted and thanks for the info!

JVRudnick

Okay. I thought I had this fixed....sigh....

If you've been following the thread, you'll see that i used the 6 minute On - Off - Start and yup she started.....I idled it a few minutes....and turned it off....yesterday.

Today, tried to go to the postoffice - and the same bloody tune played again...the Lexus wouldn't start. So yup, tried that 6 minute trick again - and nope, did NOT work.

Could someone tell me 'why' that 6 minute trick didnt work time #2? does it only work one?

What else can I do to turn off this ^$%&^* immobilser - if that's what the bloody issue is????

Man am I pissed....

LScowboyLS

sounds like something aftermarket was likely added on

if there was a "6 minute trick" that worked, or a factory mode that the LS400 could go into, that "plays a tune", I am certain that one of the experts here would be familiar with it! - especially some of the crazy smart guys that know every obscure feature, such as Kansas or Yamae

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

yeah it doesn't sound very factory. i've seen some aftermarket alarm installers place the spare key next to the ignition switch, just to trick the immobilizer to think there is a key present so the car can be remotely started. you are probably experiencing an aftermarket alarm problem.

JVRudnick

so....how about the disconnect of the neg terminal for a bit? how long? might that work?

or....??? I'm really at a loss here....

oh, and i got only ONE single key for the Lexus too when I got it....I do not have any 'other' keys for same....

someone? anyone?

Yamae

I'm not familiar to those aftermarket products but as an old guy who has been involved in electronics circuit designing for many years, I assume your problem may be related to the "power on reset circuit".

Does the problem occur when cold? Isn't it temperature related?

If so, some part(s) used at the reset circuit is(are) not functioning well enough when cold. Sometimes the cause is a capacitor and sometimes a semiconductor. Resistors are not so much temperature related but who knows. But generally speaking the most common temperature related problems are caused by electrolytic capacitors, as far as I have experienced.

I suggest you to warm up the cabin using an electric fan heater or find the unit that generates the tone and warm it up using a hair dryer or something similar and try starting the engine.

randal

Ok, truth be told, you missed your wedding anniversary and your wife had it reprogrammed as a reminder. Fess up and she will give you the code. ;-)

Seriously, as others have said, this is not a well known issue and probably points to some aftermarket modification. Which brings up the subject of previous history. How much is known? How do you know that it is stock?

I know you do not profess to be mechanically/electrically inclined so you may have to learn or find a decent mechanic for help. One thing I would want to do is track down the origin of the device producing the 'tune'. Then I would want to know how your engine is being prevented from starting. Is it simply breaking the starter circuit or the fuel delivery and spark as well. You could jumper the starter relay (along with the key being 'on') to see if it would run.

And how about Cowboys suggestion to check for codes? That is a good idea (and where I would begin) yet have you tried?

If you want to try resetting power to the car, you would simply disconnect the neg (-) terminal on the battery. You will need to leave it disconnected for some time... 1/2hr-1hr to ensure that all systems have discharged. I would just leave it off overnight. Its a long shot but easy to do.

LScowboyLS

sometimes you can feel around under the dash and find an aftermarket device playing a sound or buzzing or whatever by the vibration it makes - just pretend you are a secret agent looking for a hidden bomb in the car - pretend you are James Bond

JVRudnick

I forgot about that "shady past" thingy...and yes, the car was owned by a now bankrupt local leasing firm....it was available as a short term lease car....so yes, it just "may" have some kind of a 3rd party thingy...

So....judging by what's just been said...my first thing is to try the disconnet the NEG cable and will do that today

Also, I'll put on my Sean Connery face and look under the dash for anything that looks (like I can tell :-) like it doesn't belong...drivers side & pass side I'd guess...that'd be second...

Oops...so what do I "do" if I find something that is suspicious? Cut wires? yank it out? Or...

;-) thanks too for the aid here lads! Muchly appreciated!

yardie876

Takes pics of anything that looks aftermarket and post it here.