Immobiliser problem
 

Hi. My 2001 C70 has a nasty habit of starting running a few seconds and then cutting out. If I return the key to fully CCW, wait a few seconds and try again usually it works. I think it is not recognising the key and operating the immobiliser.

This is just a pain in the a** . Does anyone know how to either fix the problem or disable the immobiliser

You can try bending the contact pins and using contact grease to get the antenna ring going, or just buy a replacement at your dealer ~$35. Piece that goes around the key cylinder. Normally though the immobilizer if not starting only cranks on subsequent turns of the key. If it is actually running then I would add the fuel pump relay on your list of possible culprits.

It just died with a flat battery this week. I just has to replace the alternator which is fine now. Maybe the lack of volts was part of the problem with the immobiliser coz it's stopped happening now!

Volvo really screwed the pooch on this one.... I've Googled the problem, and apparently the immobilisers were such a problem, that they now market a bypass wiring harness. I'm still considering installing one myself since the original glitches I've experienced have left me stranded.

You have mentioned this bypass wiring harness before which is not listed by anyone(nor mentioned). Your signature states you have a 98 model C70 it would be silly for you to order the part(if it even exists,which I highly doubt) considering your car does not have one. 99 was the first year Volvo introduced chipped immobilizer keys for the US market using a passive RFID signal. Your car leaving you stranded is something else and not this particular problem.

HELP!! S60R dead....
 

About a month ago I purchased a 2004 S60R. Everything has been great with the car until this last week. I made it to my destination and then when I went to move my car, no start. Keep in the mind the lights, air- conditioning, radio everything appears to function except the engine won't even crank over. The message window said "immobilizer see manual", although the manual was of no help as it only provided a definition of what that is and the message does NOT appear everytime. So, the next day I tried starting it again still same situation. I ended up getting it jump started and assumed it was a battery and took it to the dealer, got a new batter and oil change. The dealership did a complete inspection and it seemed I was good to go. The next morning I go to start it, same problem, no start and this time it would not even jump start. I have now replaced the antenna ring and starter relay...the car will start intermittently. So it starts...I let it run a bit, shut it down and then it won't start so I'll wait a while and then it may or may not start. I've used both the master key and the service key, it does not appear to matter, neither work. Very strange! I'm VERY frustrated and based on some of the message boards it appears this is not that uncommon of a problem, however it does not seem anyone has found a solution. It has now been at the dealership a day and no response. If anyone has experienced this I would love any HELP you can give!! Thanks

Update: I took my vehicle to the dealership and had the starter replaced in May 2010 all was well until August 2011 I started having the exact same issue again. The message board just says "immobizer see manual". I tried the spare key, I tried to jump start the car, set off the alarm to reset it...etc. Nothing worked. Had it towed to the dealership. They say the starter is bad AGAIN in just over a year. Luckily Volvo paid for the starter this time and I picked up the labor cost. I am praying this will not happen again before I sell this car.

If you have no other RFID tag or device on the key ring then the problem lies deeper than just an antenna ring. Problem needs to be hunted down physically for this to fixed. Which means you are going to need the dealers help on this one.

Thanks for the reply!! Do you have any suggestions on where to start hunting it down? I have read so much information on the web regarding this problem and so many different suggestions from check on loose wires to replacing the Central Electric Module I feel a little overwhelmed.

When my 02 c-70 had the issues that you described, and a new ring and the actual immobilizer under the auto being replaced did not work, the factory tech authorized a new computer for the auto. When the box holding the cards was removed from the auto, it was found that the wiring harness was not making full contact. simple fix was cleaning contacts and wrapping electrical tape around. Volvo ate the entire cost for this two week horror story. Maybe this may be your issue??

r.

What is the "auto" and where is it??

Just wanted to update everyone. After three days at the shop it was determined the starter was bad. I had it replaced and things have been operating perfectly. No explanation as to why I was getting the "immobilizer message" as the two don't really tie into eachother, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I do not experience this again and I wanted to be sure to update everyone on my experience....

by 'auto' I was referring to the c-70. The imobilizer unit is located under the auto......I would assume volvo felt that was less prone to a thief tampering with it. The computer box is located behind the washer resovoir and the factory authorized the replacement of not only the 'cards' but the entire unit. It was when the box was removed that the 'loose' connection was found. For lack of a horse..........the kingdom was lost.

r.

I just started having this problem today on my 2004 c70 after a oil change at a local shop. My car is having trouble starting. I plan on replacing the ant. ring in the morning but I also wanted to check the wiring as I have read many times that loose wiring could be the problem as well. Where exactly is this box located? Is it possible the local shop could have accidently knocked it loose? Thanks

I am SO happy that I finally found this site! I have been having this issue for the past couple weeks now, and it has been such a headache! I took out the immobilizer and used the grease that volvo gave me for it and the car seemed to work for 2 days perfectly! Started up every time. But yesterday the car wouldn't start again, I was thinking that it may be the crank sensor so I picked that up from the dealership but am unsure if that is actually the issue. I really don't want to have to spend money unnecessarily on this car! If the starter is what seems to be going on these cars maybe that is the place I should be looking instead of the crank sensor. I also did change the antenna ring which fixed the problem for about 12 hours, until it decided that it didn't want to work again.

I just priced out an alternator at the dealership for $550 CAD, do you think an immobilizer bypass would work?

99 V70 starting problem
 

My son drives a 99 V70 at school. This is a family car that we’ve owned for more than 10 yrs. We just had the battery replaced and everything was fine until yesterday. While at school, he went to drive home and the engine died. I drove up and plugged in my OBDII reader and found a P0340 error code. Had the car towed to a mechanic who replaced the camshaft position sensor. When the shop went to clear the error code to verify the work was complete, the car wouldn’t start. New error code, P0181, plus error code P0340 was still present. Tried clearing these codes, but that didn’t work either. Had the car towed home where it sits now. Tried both sets of keys to see if the transponder was possibly bad, but neither worked. Antenna ring? Any advise would be helpful. Car has 177,3000 miles on it.

I have a S40 2.4 standard shift which suddenly tripped immobilizer and will not crank. All dash lights are normal, everything works, pulled CEM and cleaned all plug connectors with electronic cleaner, still nothing. Swapped starter relay, jumped pin 87 to 30 and starter cranked, but no run. Changed battery from other Volvo with no start issue which has newer battery, nothing. What sets off this immobilizer? Used second key, replaced battery in key, nothing. Did the 5 turns in lock, and remotely, nothing. Checked all fuses with meter, any ideas?

Thanks,

Immobilizer
 

If it's the antenna ring, think that it communicates with the transponder inside the key and then the PC inside the engine, did you check your key computer chip

I realize the frustration of the problems noted in the thread. However, some of these cars are 20 years old.

Let's go back a few years to say 1978. Would that car have lasted until 1998?

While the immobilizer does happen, it is not as rampant as it seems. After 20 years of selling used Volvos, I've not had one that had a problem, yet. That doesn't mean that I won't.

Let's not condemn Volvo or the car just yet.