Thursday Evening meet. 4th Dec

[Moleman]

This post is a bit earlier than normal but as the weather is changing we will do this one at our winter eve meets at the  Lock Keeper, Keynsham Rd, Bristol, Gloucestershire BS31 2DD
We go to this one as it has heated out door umbrellas.   
Normally there is no run to another pub as most of the time we end up turning up in the tin tops as the weather is not too good.
I will be there & if it's dry in the westy. Who else is up for it?

[Iancider]

I'll be there.

It will make me nostalgic about watching the fish swimming about in the car-park when the river flooded last year.

Ian

[Facial Hair Optional]

I hope to be there but won't know for 100% sure until the day before (work etc). Managed to get in 62 mles in that glorious weather today though!! 

Sadly a squirrel decided to commit suicide on my front nosecone along the way  and I had to dodge several kamikaze pheasants too! It was like Spring out there!!

[Moleman]

I get the same problem with Cones. 

[Iancider]

Sadly a squirrel decided to commit suicide on my front nosecone along the way  and I had to dodge several kamikaze pheasants too! It was like Spring out there!!

Deja Vu!

I met a Kamikazee Pheasant on holiday in the Westie this year.  It hit the nose cone and knocked my grille out and then flew off over the top of the car.  When it happened I thought I would ended up with Shredded Tweet for breakfast!

Ian

[Facial Hair Optional]

I hear a rumour that the BKCC Xmas menu has been changed? Pheasant is now the main meat dish!

[Moleman]

That's ok I survived not going mad being around you guys for four years now so I should be fine. 

[Moleman]

Anyone else up for Thursday eve then?

[benchmark51]

I'll be there.

[sanzomat]

I'm thinking of coming along but not sure what time I'd get there due to various other commitments. What time do most arrive? Is it a case of stay 'till chucking out time or as I guess most people are driving you get sick of drinking coke by about 9pm?

[Moleman]

I'm thinking of coming along but not sure what time I'd get there due to various other commitments. What time do most arrive? Is it a case of stay 'till chucking out time or as I guess most people are driving you get sick of drinking coke by about 9pm?

we normally get there around & onwards then some stay quite late. 

Any one else up for next Thursday eve meet? If the weather is crap then Tin Tops are welcome in the winter time.

So far we have Moleman
                      Iancider
                      Facial Hair Optional  (may be)
                      Benchmark51
                      sanzomat
                      ?

[Sprint 7]

I'll try and make it but no promises

[Hairy Santa]

I'm Hoping to make it 

[Moleman]

So far we have Moleman
                      Iancider
                      Facial Hair Optional  (may be)
                      Benchmark51
                      sanzomat
                      Hairy Santa  (may be)
                      Sprint7    (may be)
                      Any more up for this? 
                     

[sanzomat]

Good to meet a few of you yesterday evening.
I had a bit of a mare getting home though - as I came late my car was parked the furthest away so by the time I'd got to the car Walnut had already gone. I couldn't get the GTM to start. It seems like the immobiliser has packed up and won't disarm. It has two immobilsers, one is the standard Rover 5AS and fob, the other is an aftermarket one with a dongle that touches onto a circular contact.

I usually turn on the iginition, touch the dongle (upon which you hear the fuel pump whirr), then click the left botton on the 5AS fob, then turn the key and it usually works fine. Last night everything followed the same sequence. The car started and then stopped again a few seconds later. I tried every combination of sequences and either had the engine turn but not fire at all or fire and then die. There may be a clue in the beeps that occur after taking the key out - I can't remember exactly what beeps it usually makes but I've a vague recollection it used to be a long continuous single beep upon arming but now its doing four short beeps when the key is removed. My R1's meta alarm used to give 4 beeps to warn you if it had been tampered with (e.g. if I'd wheeled it out of the garage without disarming it first!).

Anyway, had to give up and call the AA. AA sent out Hinton Rescue. A couple of great guys. First one in an ordinary van agreed its the Immobiliser. Tried disconnecting the car battery to try to make it reset. No difference. He called for the flat bed. Finally got home at midnight.

The car is safely back in my garage so I now need to fix it!

[Hairy Santa]

That's a bummer, glad you got home in the end

take the second one off is the first thing I would do 

[CC Cyclone]

I agree with Santa. Aftermarket immobilisers tend to be a nightmare at some point or other in my experience, it is just a case of how long they work for before they start playing up. My cyclone has one on and every time I get in it I wonder how long it has got before the fateful day comes. Depending on the manufacturer, removing it could cause some ball-ache as they can have quite complicated looms run around the car and you really need to strip it all out for piece of mind. I managed to get one off in the past, the other one I tried had wires that had been wound into the main loom, got a sparky to look at it who suggested it would be easier and better long term to get a new loom!

I hate the things. Hopefully they do stop opportune thieves but so does a battery kill switch.

[Moleman]

Gutted I had to bow out but I'm glad to say all the work deadlines are done now so I now have more time on my hands until the next year. 
I'm sorry to hear about your problem sanzomat but glad you got home ok.
I hope it was a good turnout though guys? 

[Iancider]

Finally got home at midnight.

Sanzomat

Sorry to hear the bad news and I deserted you as you arrived - as you say there is just so much coke you can drink and I had an early start.

It sounds like a good winter "before the Santa run" project to unwire one of those kiddies.

Good luck
Ian

['The Gaffer']

Immobilisers have always been more trouble than they're worth. Great when they work, nightmare when they dont

[sanzomat]

Fixed it! A bit of basic diagnostics ruled out the second immobiliser (which I now know is a Scorpion Toad Sterling Touch).  Having found some instructions for it (and based on advice from you guys) it is clear it just interrupts two circuits. When I touched the dongle with the ignition on the fuel pump whirrs so that's one of the circuits. When I try the starter without touching the dongle the starter doesn't turn, when I've disarmed it the starter does turn. So that's the two circuits the toad is on and they both connect when it disarms.

My problem is that the car was starting and then stopping again.

This lead me to the Rover 5AS immobiliser. The fob was operating some relays (or similar) in the unit as I could hear clicking from under the dash when I press the fob buttons. I took the dash off and found the unit. Having disturbed it I had another go at starting the car and this time it worked fine several times but after wiggling the wires again it failed again. There were connectors inline between the main loom and the block going into the unit so I stripped back the heat shrink wrap (they'd been done well with solder and heat shrink) and found one of them had a dry solder joint. A quick dab with the soldering iron and it now works reliably how ever much I wiggle the wires. I'd not got any heat shrink so used good old black tape. Dash back on and all sorted. I think the loose wire was sending a signal to the main ECU so even though the fob seemed to be disarming the unit the message wasn't getting through to the ECU so it would cut out a few seconds after firing up as if it hadn't been disarmed.

I'm still getting the series of beeps after removing the ignition key so I'm now doubting my memory and thinking these must have always been there!

Anyway, all fixed and only took an hour and cost nothing.

I contemplated taking the toad out but trying to trace the wires was tricky as they had been bound into the main loom and everything leaving the main unit is black. As its working I decided to leave it!

['The Gaffer']

Can't best an easy fix on a troublesome immobiliser. Well done.