Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

I've just purchased a non running 944 with a Meta Security m36t immobiliser fitted . Unfortunately the fob for the device has been lost so after a bit of googling on the subject I set about trying to remove the immobiliser . Following the wiring back from the fob socket mounted in the dash I found the immobiliser unit above the ecu in the drivers foot well . There were a number of wires all taped together coming out of the unit but they were not spliced into any other wires as i was expecting . Instead they were simply wrapped around and taped to another wiring loom . I've now pulled out the immobiliser and there is one ring connector at the end of all the wires (see photo below ) and thats it . Any ideas what this connector is for ? it was hidden up behind the dash when i removed it so i couldn't see the connector in place but it all came away freely so i don't think it was connected to anything . I was hoping this was because it wasn't used although it has occurred that it might have been lose because someone else has had a go at removing it in the past . The car still won't start but has been stood unused for over 3 years so i'm not sure if this is because the car is still immobilised or because of other issues . Any help would be appreciated .

When you say "not starting", how is it behaving? Does it turn over but not catch? Is there a spark? Is there Fuel? As fuel has a sell by date, anything over 6 months old is unlikely to combust. Does the rev counter bounce as it turns over?

Thanks for the reply lee . the engine turns over but its not catching . The seller says he put some new fuel in when he was trying to get it to start . i've replaced the fuel pump fuse and i've swapped the dme relay from my other working 944 . As for checking for a spark i'm very much learning as i go along (last week was the first time i'd changed a spark plug ) so i'm not sure how to do this . i didn't notice whether the rev counter bounced or not .

You might need to drain all the petrol and start again, but I'd leave that until last. The immobiliser must have been immobilising something. You just need to work out what? You are lucky that you have a working 944 to test the relays in.

Hi

Its most likely that the previous owner just topped it up with a few litres of new fuel and that it was well dilutted with whatever had been lying around in the bottom of the tank for those three years. Do all the other checks - spark etc; drain the tank, fuel filters etc and get some good fresh petrol running through your system.

I have to do the same for my dads lawn mower EVERY spring - lol! He never learns...

Cheers all

To check for a spark, use old spare plug or remove one, plug it into a plug lead & lay the plug on something metal like the cylinder head. Get someone to turn the key & watch the plug gap for a spark. DO NOT leave the plug lead dangling or disconnected whilst turning the engine. DO NOT hold the plug or lead whilst turning the engine!
We need to know whether the rev counter bounces it is a fundamental part of the fault finding on the 944.

Thanks Jim . Things have moved on since i lasted posted on this thread and i probably should have updated it After climbing a steep learning curve i finally got the bugger running after a few days of fettling . The immobiliser was a bit of a red herring as it turned out and there was no evidence that it had ever been connected properly to the vehicle in the first place . Whilst on my back in the drivers foot well i discovered a cheeky cut off switch buried amongst the wiring which has now been bypassed and the wires to the dme relay re joined . However the car still wasn't starting even though i was getting a spark and had discovered (when i accidental shorted across two of the fuses) that the fuel pump was working . I got a mate to come round to give me a hand and we decided the best course of action would be to drain the old fuel - which turned out to be a bit of a messy task as we ended up with petrol everywhere . We'd pulled a pipe out of the bottom of tank to try to drain it with limited success (think this was the return pipe) and then decided to remove the end of the fuel rail and pump it out by turning the car over . Due to the lack of an appropriate sized hose to attach to the fuel rail though it was a case of Johnny holding a bucket in front of the car and catching the jet of petrol as it spewed out and over the top of the badge panel . So no problem with the fuel pressure then ! However when the starter motor began over heating and smoking badly , and with fuel all over the shop by this point, we decided to knock this method on the head before it ended in a fire ball . Next up was the old favourite of syphoning petrol out the tank with a length of hose , which naturally failed as well when we couldn't find the petrol level despite the fuel gauge still reading just under 1/4 of a tank . We then removed the fuel sender to find the tank was in fact pretty much empty and the fuel gauge was on the blink . With a couple of fresh gallons of unleaded in , fifteen minutes of cranking and half a can of easy start later we eventually got it running on first one then two cylinders . I bought a couple of 2nd hand injectors and after fitting them the car now runs on all 4 cylinders . Most of the electrics were goosed but I've managed to fix these which included front and rear wipers , headlights , mirrors , internal boot release , sunroof , horn , ventilation fan and radio reception . Tomorrows mission is to find a sympathetic MOT tester and put it in for its test . I can't see it passing first time but at least I'll know what else needs doing and then either fix it myself or sell it on as it is . I've learned alot so far and having fixed every problem i've tackled its given me the confidence to go on and attempt larger jobs .

Blimey !! sounds like your having a crash course on mechanics LOL !!, cars that have been stood a long time will nearly always be problematic, some cars are better than others to be honest, but at least your working through them in order, good luck with the MOT & let us know how you get on, cheers, Tony

Hi

As long as you can DRIVE into the MOT station, they WILL mot it....they dont care whether it passes or fails, but at least you get to know what needs doing...

All the best Brett