Hi Everyone,

Really hoping for some help here because I don't have any service centers or dealerships I think will be able to help much with this one.

I came out to the car after driving it around all day, went to start it and got a momentary (split second) response where everything seemed normal (all dash light, interior lights, etc came on) and then after maybe one or two cranks everything went dark and unresponsive. But I did notice the red security system / immobilizer / anti-theft light was flashing. Here is what I tried in order:

1. Locking and unlocking via the remote. Red button on the remote flashes when pressing buttons. Seemingly normal behavior from the remote, but absolutely no response from the car.
2. Locking and unlocking via the power lock button on the driver's door. Nothing.
3. Checked both battery terminals. Yanking on it straight upwards; I mean TRYING to rip it off, and nothings budging.
4. Replacing the battery in the remote. No changes.
5. Switched to the Driver 2 key. No changes.
6. Jumping it. Dash, interior, head- lights come on but only a few clicks, no cranks. Tinkered like this for several minutes and it finally started. Started strong when it did, no struggling to start, fired right up. Asking for radio code (as expected)
7. Got it home and checked voltage while running (13.86) and while off (12.8). Perfect.
8. Tried starting it again, same behavior.
9. Removed the battery (DieHard Platinum that's less than a year old) and took it to get tested. Tests good making over 900 CA on the bench in the store. They did NOT charge it at the store, only tested it. I REALLY don't think its the battery.
10. Bring it back and re-install. Car fires right up really strong.

Like this was happening several months earlier immediately after a major engine service but stopped shortly after. I thought it was related to the service (performed in April 2022). The service was to replace the rear bank cam, rockers, rocker tube, etc. After reassembly, there is a break-in period where the lash is supposed to be left slightly loose so I thought maybe the car was getting some weird cam position signals and that's why it was having this issue. I returned after the break-on period (May 2022) for the valves to be adjusted back into spec and never had the issue again so that's why I thought it was related. Until yesterday...

I have a hard time believing its any of the following:

1. The battery. Basically new, high quality battery, tested at 900+ CA. And the car doesn't struggle to start. When it starts, it starts very strong.
2. The Starter. A bad starter wouldn't cause the dash and all of the other accessories to be completely dead. If it was the starter, everything else would work fine.
3. The Alternator. Its putting out 13.86 volts while the car is running and the car has never died on my while running. It only doesn't want to start.

Its almost like the immobilizer is activating and preventing the car from responding... Has anyone ever had any experience with bizarre behavior like this? I have found other threads that have similar stories but no fix was ever identified.

Thanks in advance for even reading through this.
Nika

 

Had the same problem, remote start was the culprit. After repairing the wire connections, the problem disappeared.

 

Did you figure out what your problem was? Anyone on this issue? Mine is doing the same thing today - jumped it once, no problem, started right up. Now it won't jump, battery is at 100%. Thanks

 

Thought I would respond to this just to show the results of my problem. It turned out to be the positive battery cable. There was corrosion all the way from the positive battery post to the starter. Very little corrosion on the battery terminal itself, most was inside the cable insulation. Was causing only 3v to get from the battery to the starter.

 

my car had a similar issue. If the MICU has an issue, you will see all sorts of problems ranging from key not detected, driver not detected, remote will not unlock the door, driver preferences won’t load, door open warnings stop working, dome lights do not come on. Yet, disconnecting the battery for a few minutes resets it temporarily. I fixed mine partially by removing the MICU, literally washing in electronics cleaner spray and using a 600 grit sand paper to remove oxidation from 3 pins.

driver door still won’t detect anar but all else works.