Hi Guys,

Returned to my Crossfire after work and the key fob wouldn't unlock the car, even after several attempts.

No problem I thought, it'll just be a flat battery in the key fob. Returned to my desk and phoned the wife who came to my rescue with the spare key.

Same result, unable to unlock the car with the spare key fob. Chances of them both having a flat battery, what else could this be?

Car battery is fine as I opened the door manually with the key and as expected the alarm sounded and hazards flashed (for what seemed like an eternity!).

The car obviously wouldn't start as the engine immobiliser hasn't been dissarmed through the key fob.

Will try new batteries tomorrow but I think I'm clutching at straws.

So other than a flat key fob battery, what else is it likely to be?

 

Could still be the battery.
The alarm has it own battery back up.

Does the engine turn over? Head lamps turn on?

Also, you can check the battery in the fob by pressing both buttons at once (and hold) you can then see a light blink through the window on the end of the fob.

 

Thanks for your quick reply mate.

Engine did attempt to turn over but wouldn't fire due to the immobiliser.

The Red Led light did blink faintly so wondered if a flat battery would give a weak signal to the transponder.

 

My fob was having a distance problem. I took the battery out and noticed that the battery and contacts were dull. I used a pencil eraser and polished the contacts and cleaned the battery surface. Now the fob works at 50' away instead of 10'.

 

Had the same thing happen. Like others, probably the main battery is bad (not the remote's). Look for the threads on the battery sizes, and about carrying a 10mm wrench with you so that you too can disconnect the battery to stop the alarm.

 

As the engine turned over and the interior fan ran at No.3 Setting I suspect the main battery is not at fault.

I keep a basic tool kit in the boot to be on the safe side but as it was cold and dark I didn't pop the bonnet and have a fiddle.

I'm more concerned if this is ECU or Immobiliser related as this will cost heavily to get rectified.

 

"As the engine turned over" OK, then maybe not the main battery. Good luck! Might want to try any reset procedures -- anyone know if disconnecting the battery for a day or so might make things better ... or worse?

 

You may want to do some research,

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-no-start.html

I'm a little confused with your symptoms but I would search in this order:

How old is the battery (car)? Take car battery to be tested.

Change key fob batteries. I don't really think that is the issue but it is cheap to check? About $5.

Read symptoms for Remote Controller above and then for crankcase position sensor symptoms? One gives you crank and no start the other gives you no crank but all else electrical works.

 

I would still have the main battery checked....sounds like it, even though it turned over....

 

Yes I also agree, these newer cars with all thier electronics, require 12 volts + all the time, if your battery is even a little weak it can cause all kinds of strange electrical problems, search the threads for no start issues, and low battery voltage issues, all of us here on the forum have had battery problems.

 

I think posts 9 and 10 nailed it! These new cars (and NOT just the Crossfire) show some odd symptoms with old or weak batteries.

I changed my battery this past summer because it was four years old and they have a habit of failing with NO warning.

If that battery is old, change it now anyway! THEN go looking for trouble with the RCM or other things if needed.

Come to think of it, my Durango showed odd alarm problems right before the battery failed. And when the battery DID fail, the engine would turn over but not start.
All it was, after an expensive tow, was the battery.

 

Euro cars IMHO have even more of a problem with low battery voltage. I don't understand why they don't just have step-up boost converters on the darned things and run them at 48V. Whatever. In any case, I'm in with the "bad MAIN battery" camp.

 

Im still on my factory battery 2004 crossfire to *knocks on all the wood he can find*

 

Thanks for all your replies guys, its great to recieve a good response.

Anyhow, I have an update....

I disconnected the battery at lunch time today and left it disconnected for about 30 seconds and then reconnected it. Central Locking worked first time and dissarmed the alarm and immobiliser. Started up the engine and it fired into life on the first turn of the key.

So I'm happy that I got it running again without the aid of the breakdown service. Although I'm a little concerned that I may have a little Gremlin lurking in the electronics somewhere as I don't as yet know what initiated this little drama.

I will however change the main battery as a precautionary measure as it is now over 4 years old and has thus far survived an unusually cold winter.

Why did they make 'Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow' so complicated.

 

You phoned your wife to come bring your extra key without you opening your car manually first? LOL if I did that to my wife and the car would have started, I wouldnt have a spare key wanymore! She would have shoved it so far up in me Id never find it!

 

Not quite mate. I opened the car manually before phoning my wife and when I realised my current key fob wouldn't un-arm the immobiliser I phoned her to bring the spare set.

In hindsight, I wished I had tried the battery dissconnect method before phoning her, but hey hoo, she's being spoilt next month when we go to New York for her birthday so she's being extra specially nice at the moment, which is great when I'm feeling horny.

 

Tmi....... Tmi.....

 

Okay, point taken, perhaps I should have just stated we are going to the USA for her birthday rather than state the City.....

 

HEY, watch it, this isn't a Pizzaguy thread.

 

Perhaps it has only BARELY survived. I STILL say you probably have a bad battery. So, DON"T CHANGE IT and see if you get stranded again!