300 series remote receiver problems

[scubasad]

Can anyone help me with a technical query re the remote central locking/alarm sensor/receiver on my 300 disco?Have just had a £400 service at H R Owen to be told that amongst other things that "need doing due to age and Mileage of vehicle" that this sensor is why my keyfobs seem to work intermittently.Apparently a new one is in the region of £75 plus fitting etc.What I would like to know quite simply is ,should I be able to get one via another source eg EBAY, is it a straightforward swap or does it need programming to the fobs?

[gadgetman]

FIRST thing to try is change the battery in the remote,When the batt is low it only works every other time,If its the 2 button remote,it needs to be programed at main dealer,Thats a bargain, I was old it could be anything up to £350, because they can be a ****** to sync if its an auto,needless to say I've still got 1 remote that works and of course the good old fasioned key,Try www.remotekey.co.uk
I was given this website by another forum member and theres lots of useful info,Good luck

[scubasad]

Tried all that, but still no good. H R Owen say its the remote receiver (which I believe is the bit up above the rear view mirror) I can get one new from another source but need to know whether or not its a "Main Dealer" only job to recode everything to suit....

[tosh]

hi friend that BIT above the int light is not the alarm reciever, that is the sensor for the interior of the car ,. there aint a seperate reciever for the alarm its all part of the alarm ecu . what type of remote have you got one button or two?

if its a single button you can prog it your self, if it has two then you need dealer to do it .its a simple job 10/15 mins with t4

:rolleyes:

[scubasad]

Cheers for the info.Yes it is a 2 button fob. Main dealers have quoted me £175 to do the job.How does that sound price wise? :eek:

[scubasad]

:) :) :) :)
Here`s an interesting thought...When wiring in your handsfree kit and you are looking for a permanent live DON`T PICK UP THE FEED TO THE ALARM ECU!!!
I had a thought and disconnected my handsfree kit and what do you know...
Alarm and fobs now work perfectly :) :) So much for Main dealer know how.
Just saved myself £175.....Now wired in via back of radio. worth making a mental note on paper about this one...
Thanks to everyone who has offered assistance.... :rolleyes:

[scubasad]

:( :( :(
Dammen und Blasten.
Spoke too soon, does anyone know how to bypass the immobiliser and alarm sytsyem so that you just open and shut the vehicle using the keys? Can`t get booked into a dealer anywhere til Tues next week and am going Diving fri this week so need to be able to lock vehicle and not have to worry.
Any help would be much appreciated!!!!!

[tosh]

hi friend you still got problems ? do you have your E K A code . its a pain to use but it will let you get going at the weekend.check out your manual it will tell you how to do it . if you dont have the code any dealer should get it for you

good luck
tosh:D

[scubasad]

:(
Cheers for the reply Tosh. Yes I do have the necessary codes, but the main problem is not setting the alarm off everytime you open the door.Will using the EKA codes stop this?
Cheers
Andy

[tosh]

hi friend , the eka wont set of the alarm if you do it right , have a practice ,you cant do any harm . follow the instructions to the letter and you wont have any probs

tosh:rolleyes:

[scubasad]

:(
tried it a couple of times this afternoon but not having much luck.There is obviously a knack to the turning of the key bit.Going to try once more and if it dont work look out with for a big cloud of smoke over Essex!!!!!

[tosh]

has the alarm ecu been changed? they are pre programed with the eka do you know the cars history?

[scubasad]

Tosh,
No , the ECU hasn`t been changed and besides I spoke to Owens this afternoon to confirm the EKU code.Still no ruddy good.Am now considering something simple to purchase, a Milk float for example :( :( :(

[tonywitney]

Tosh,
No , the ECU hasn`t been changed and besides I spoke to Owens this afternoon to confirm the EKU code.Still no ruddy good.Am now considering something simple to purchase, a Milk float for example :( :( :(

What did you do in the end, Scubasad?

[scubasad]

You wont believe this but after all the aggro and backwards and forwards to the dealers, it turns out to be the ruddy spider behind the dash.Went to local auto electrician who resoldered/checked connections and been right as rain ever since.Have also since found out that there is a replacement "plug" for the spider unit which cost about 6 quid!!!
Cheers for the follow up....:) :) :)

[tonywitney]

You wont believe this but after all the aggro and backwards and forwards to the dealers, it turns out to be the ruddy spider behind the dash.Went to local auto electrician who resoldered/checked connections and been right as rain ever since.Have also since found out that there is a replacement "plug" for the spider unit which cost about 6 quid!!!
Cheers for the follow up....:) :) :)

So, when your fob wouldn't work, could you not use the keys to get into the car? I am guessing that you could, but the alarm went off and the immobiliser cut in. Is that so? If not, can you let us know the sequence of events through the fault (trying to gain entry, etc, and no, I'm not a policeman!)

Also, can you confirm that this was an intermittent fault?

Cheers, someone seems to have the same problem, but he is taking some convincing that it is the spider that needs replacing!

[alan drover]

Hi guys - just re-joined the forum after a long break. Have just bought a 94 300Tdi and am wondering if I've done right after 22 years of Series and Defenders! Love the comfort, but darn it - they still go rusty underneath!!! To the point, I have a one button fob that also doesn't work. If I change the battery, how do I re-programme, please?

[scubasad]

So, when your fob wouldn't work, could you not use the keys to get into the car? I am guessing that you could, but the alarm went off and the immobiliser cut in. Is that so? If not, can you let us know the sequence of events through the fault (trying to gain entry, etc, and no, I'm not a policeman!)

Also, can you confirm that this was an intermittent fault?

Cheers, someone seems to have the same problem, but he is taking some convincing that it is the spider that needs replacing!
Ok, in response to your query here is a blow by blow account of the problem and the solution.
Every once in a while, i would unlock the disco but when I went to start ,absolutely nothing.Didnt always get the immobiliser light up, but just wouldnt start.after fudging around pressing the fob eventually we would start and away we would go.Then on the odd occaision we would be driving along and the engine would just die completely, again would sit there pressing the fob until something happened.I could always get in via the key but unless you pressed the fob the alarm would sound upon entry.Tried various things and asked various questions, ie immobiliser, ecu, stop solenoid etc and came up with a blank.I even changed the stop solenoid and everything was fine for a while but then it started again.Went to main dealers who were going to sort one sat morning, but then said they couldnt in the time allowed as a complete new immobiliser was required at around £500 !!! Needless to say I came away.It was then that someone on here mentioned the Spider unit and I went to see a friend who is the local auto electrician here and who is also big on landrovers.He diagnosed the problem straight away and 2 hrs later the spider had been checked and all the dry joints repaired and as previously stated its been fine eversince.Its a pig to get to as you have to take the dash around the radio/heater controls out to get to it.But it is a secondary system and as such Landrover have now come up with a fix.The item code ,I believe, is AMR 4956 and costs around £6 or £7. It is basically a plug with wires looped out to bypass the spider.The spiders tend to go because the unit is fixed but the wiring loom is free to move and does quite regularly causing tension on the joints which results in a dry joint or two.Hence the irregularity of the fault and also the symptoms.
Hope this helps.
Andy

[alan drover]

Thanks for that, Andy - sounds like a bit of a nightmare! I don't seem to have such seriuous problems - I have seen the fob work perfectly before I bought the car, but was warned by the previous owner that it was a bit erratic, so have just been using the key. I thought I'd try to change the battery in the fob, before I got into any serious stuff, but was really wondering if I did, would I need to reprogramme the fob and is it just a simple case of doing what it says in the owner's handbook?

One other point, while I'm writing - the lock in the driver's door is pretty stiff to actually lock, but OK to unlock. Is this normal? Can anything be done to ease it without major overhaul?

Cheers!

Alan.

[scubasad]

Thanks for that, Andy - sounds like a bit of a nightmare! I don't seem to have such seriuous problems - I have seen the fob work perfectly before I bought the car, but was warned by the previous owner that it was a bit erratic, so have just been using the key. I thought I'd try to change the battery in the fob, before I got into any serious stuff, but was really wondering if I did, would I need to reprogramme the fob and is it just a simple case of doing what it says in the owner's handbook?

One other point, while I'm writing - the lock in the driver's door is pretty stiff to actually lock, but OK to unlock. Is this normal? Can anything be done to ease it without major overhaul?

Cheers!

Alan.
Sorry Alan, but dont really know anything about the 1 button fobs.I always thought they were only on the 200tdi`s.However I`m sure I`ve seen somewhere on here that someone has had a similar problem and there is a way over it.I just dont know what it is.....
Cheers
Andy

[alan drover]

Not to worry, Andy - thanks anyway! It's an early 300, so may be LR was using up 200 stock!

Alan

[grieuclarke]

There is a way to reprogram the single button key fob, if my memory serves me right it's all to do locking the doors and turning the ignition on and off in a sequence. My local Dealer gave me the sheet but i've since lost it!!

[Jon v8]

Two things,the spider replacement can be fitted without taking the centre of the dash out,just remove the radio and its cage.Leave the old smart spider in place,just remove one of its screws so you can turn it enough to get the plug out then just plug the new spider link into it.
It is a bit tight,but its better than trying to get the ashtray out !
The single button fobs just need the button pressing a few times to re-synch them to the security ecu,holding the button down for a min whilst the batteries are out will ensure that the hazards flash correctly when locking/unlocking.

[Underdog]

but when I went to start ,absolutely nothing.Didnt always get the immobiliser light up, but just wouldnt start.

When you say it wouldn't start do you actually mean that the engine wouldn't crank over? This is a classic spider problem symptom and easy to diagnose.

Then on the odd occaision we would be driving along and the engine would just die completely

Another classic spider problem symptom. The spider is hooked into the power supply to the fuel pump and does exactly as you describe when defective. Again, another easy one to diagnose as spider related.


When the spider was playing up on my Disco, loss of cranking ( particularly when the inside of the car had warmed in the sun ;) ) was THE main problem. Sometimes I would be stranded miles from home and would repeatedly try the starter only to have the key bounce back against the spring without the engine uttering a murmour. After about a dozen, increasingly more desperate attempts, she'd fire up and run smoothly as though nothing had happened.
I now know that what had occured was the inside of the car had cooled because I'd had the door / window open which inturn had allowed the spider unit to jump back into life and away we went.
I can't say for certain but I think your fudging with the fob was purely coincidental and not related, but I will accept other views on this.

There is a belting, in depth spider post with pictures of the inside of my own discovery whilst I did the job, that can be found here: http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=86