QuestionQUESTION: Hi Roland, I have been writing to you about my daughter's 1992 chrysler Lebaon(V6 - 3.0) that just died while driving on the freeway. I was not able to get spark from the coil, and now I can't get anything from the "T" plug that feeds the coil( I thought I was able to see the 12 volts before from the "T" plug, but not now). Also, I am now not able to get the car to give me the trouble codes using the on-off-on-off-on method, but I was able to before.(I got code '55', that's it) Now when my wife cranks the engine(it still turns over, but just won't start) the alarm/ant-theft light comes on and it will not give me the trouble codes at all. I have tried repeatedly, but I can't get the trouble codes..Should I un-hook the battery completely for a few minutes? I wonder if that will reset the computer. Is there anything I can do to 'force' the car to give the trouble codes. I still wonder if all of this trouble is somehow related to the ant-theft system gone haywire.
ANSWER: Hi Jim,
I did respond to you yesterday, I believe, after you did the nomination, thank you. It was an add-on to the earlier question series which you should have been alerted to by the site.
The alarm system does add a wrinkle to the situation:
If you are seeing the alarm light going on or flashing it suggests that it too is involved. We have to have that system OFF. You can try to turn it off by using the door: lock, then unlock; and if that doesn't kill it then try the other door. And from here on until we get this solved do not lock the door with the key or the power locks or a remote (if that too is available); only use the mechanical push buttons on the door to secure them. That will circumvent the alarm from arming.
If you can't get the alarm system out of the picture, then let me know and I will tell you how to do it by jumping a couple of wires at the theft module itself. But first try the key as described above.
If you get it shut off, then measure for 12V at the cross-piece of the T-plug:
1. to be there for 1 second when your wife turns the key to 'run' (and the fuel pump should similarly run momentarily).
2. when she cranks the engine for 5 seconds and it should be there the whole time.
Also then when the alarm seems out of the picture, try for fault codes once more.
Then tell me what happened.
Roland
PS I am in a neck-and-neck race for "expert of the month". If you would be so kind as to give me one more nomination before 6 pm CST on New Year's eve I may be able to edge out the fellow I am competing with who appears to me to be 'bending the rules' to win.
Just do the 'thank/rate' tab again and put in another 'yes', Thanks.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Rloand, I tried three times today to get past the anti-theft system so that I could then get the trouble-codes from the check engine light. Unfortunately, even though I manually used the lock button to lock to car(instead of using the key in the lock as you suggested) I could not get the codes. Nothing happens when I turn the key on-off-on-off-on except that the antitheft light comes on. You mentioned there is a way to by-pass the anti-theft by using a jumper and I think that may be what we have to do now. Also, in an earlier response you mentioned a 'kill' switch located behind the dash, and above the glove box. I am wondering what that 'kill' switch does and could it be the cause of the 'no-start' problem we are having? Now the car's battery is wearing down so I may have to charge it using another car.
AnswerHi Jim,
I meant to send it to you today but got distracted. What this technique does is to replicate what lock/unlock on the door key of either door so in the event that the wires are broken from those doors this will fake out the theft module which is what I was speaking of.
First remove the glove box (Remove all the screws around the opening and drop it down and out). Then you will find the theft module mounted on a bracket that runs across the top or where the glove box was. It has a 21-wire "natural" colored plug. You may need to remove the bracket to get good access to the wires at the plug. DO NOT UNPLUG THE PLUG. Instead find the light green/orange wire at location 18 of the plug and stick a pin into it to touch the conductor inside. Do the same thing at the black/light green on location 5. Then using a jumper wire connect the two pins and then remove the jumper (or if the pins are long enough just touch them together, then separate them) . You will simulate the door lock/unlock that way. Then try to start the car. WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING YOU CAN SAFELY PULL THE PLUG. That will disconnect the system entirely. But, do not pull the plug unless the engine is running or you will provoke the engine computer into a "hard" shut down which will require a diagnostic readout box to reverse.
I am unaware of whether the fault code readout will be blocked by an alarmed theft module. But give this a try and let me know.
Roland
