Ignition barrel change

Hi all,

I recently snapped my key in the ignition of my 2001 Jimny and so have replaced the barrel with a second hand one off eBay. It came with two keys and was fairly straightforward to fit.

Only problem is since I have fitted it the car is struggling to fire up - the engine starts to turn but won't kick on and start.

Is it possible that the ignition barrel change is to blame?!

Cheers

I think the key fob has a tag in it to switch off the immobiliser, see the following link

www.bigjimny.com/mediawiki/index.php/Key...g_transmitter,_alarm

If your Jimny has this then you either need to swap the tag over or reprogram the immobiliser unit to accept the new key.

Hi,

I could very well be wrong, but I thought by replacing the entire ignition barrel and using the new keys that arrived with the part it would also sort the immobilizer out?

To be honest, it could well be something else causing the problem as I notice the coolant level is a lot lower than I remember! It's basically on the minimum value so wondering if there are problems elsewhere?

The immobiliser is independent of the barrel. If you have one there should be a coil that fits around the barrel. This is the antenna that picks up the signal from the key. The immobiliser unit then checks the key code and allows the engine to start.

One hack is to relocate the coil and tape the old key to it. This tricks the immobiliser into thinking you have a key with the correct code in the ignition. A better solution is to program the immobiliser to your new keys.

You cannot just replace the immobilizer, or the ignition barrel & keys, they have to be programmed to work with the ECU - you either change all three as a matched set, or you reprogram.

If the ECU does not recognize the immobilizer or the keys, the ECU will disable spark & injection, and there should be dash warning lights to let you know that it is an immobilizer related issue.

Ah ok that makes sense.

Apologies, I wasn't clear - I replaced the barrel and coil which detects the immobilizer signal - it all came as a single unit.

So it sounds like I need to get it to work with the ECU - any advice on this?! Is it a job for Suzuki garage or something I can do at home?

I don't remember seeing a warning light on the dash to be honest but I'll have a look next time.

Why not take the chip out of the old key and put it in the new key, see the wiki article in my link above.

Robin

Unfortunately the key sets I have don't have the remote unlock like yours in the picture and don't seem to be designed to be taken apart.

Also, changing the chip over to the new key leaves me with the problem of not being able to lock the doors unfortunately.

I have decided to plug in the old coil to the system and tuck it away behind the dash with the 'old' key chip taped to it. This was it solves the immobilizer issue but allows me to use the new key in the barrel.

The down side is that the immobilizer is now basically pointless as it will always have the chip in the coil, but that's a risk I'm willing to take until I decide to take it to the Suzuki garage