Death by Frustration....can it happen?

Ok, so I'm not sure this is in the right place, but im running out of cheerful enthusiasm and the optimistic (misguided) belief that I can fix my Disco and make her happy/healthy.
I have been having intermittent issues with the key fob and immobiliser, mainly that she point blank refuses to re-mobilise, so I can't start or move her! However, every now and then it all works perfectly and we are away.....except I can't stop anywhere that isn't my drive in case she refuses to go again!
so I started at the beginning.
Here's what has been attempted so far:
• decided to investigate the key fob, cleaned the circuit board and contacts, replaced the battery. No improvement, but worked once in a blue moon....weird!
• realised the switches should be soldered to the board, prepped and soldered the switches, cleaned up the board, no improvement, still intermittent, but not working very often
• as the fob was now fully reconditioned and tested, I thought perhaps the receiver was having an intermittent fault, so decided to go spider hunting
• purchased a spider bypass loop (so that if I got the spider out and refurbished that circuit board too and still saw no improvement I could bypass it) while I had the console out
• took apart he console on the dash, looking for the unit....it's not where it should be! Even the gold coloured mount plate is missing....no feed visible and no box!

So now I'm totally flummoxed! Seems someone has been here before me and made a right bodge of it...and I now don't have a clue what to do next!
Any help/support/therapy/advice would be most gratefully received!

200 series doesn't have a spider, or an EDC equipped 300.
Does your fob operate the central locking ok?

My fob rarely operates, but has done in the past. It's an N Reg 300TDI

Tanglefooted said:

My fob rarely operates, but has done in the past. It's an N Reg 300TDI

Click to expand...

An early 300 then, with a single button fob? if so, it has the 200s system so u don't need a fob as u can set the security alarm/immobiliser with the key in the drivers door lock.
The later 300 1996MY have the two button fob system which needs to have functioning fob if you have that system then get the fob sorted... Send it to someone like Remote Key for a refurb..

discool said:

An early 300 then, with a single button fob? if so, it has the 200s system so u don't need a fob as u can set the security alarm/immobiliser with the key in the drivers door lock.
The later 300 1996MY have the two button fob system which needs to have functioning fob if you have that system then get the fob sorted... Send it to someone like Remote Key for a refurb..

Click to expand...

It's a two button fob, I can try sending it off, but I'm not convinced it is the fob. There's quite a lot of lights on the dash that don't work too...not sure if that's just bulbs, but looking at the state of the wiring I'm concerned it could be something more.

Someone else also mentioned getting a new fob and programming it to the car, which apparently is quite easy? I just thought the easiest thing would be to bypass the whole thing!

Ok two buttons that will require re synchronising every time a battery is replaced by pressing the lock button four times, there's nothing else that needs tobe done with them.

New fob? Remote Key agin, they will loan u a programmer if you purchase a fob from them.

You could unplug the security ECU and then hard wire two 12v supplies to replace the two circuits that the immobiliser controlled, that's not difficult but you will also lose your central locking and alarm.

Or get a similar but second hand ECU plus its two matching fobs and fit, easy as that is plug and play.

Is the security ECU the green box above the passenger footwell?
I was hoping the bypass loom would be an easy plug and play thing, as I really don't care about the alarm and central locking, I just want to be able to drive the car

Thanks for the info about remote key though. I'll look into it, as ideally it would be great if it all worked as it was designed to!

That's the one just a kindly reminder that if your disco has electronic diesel control EDC you won't have a spider immobiliser, that's the only thing that can be "bypassed".

Finally it's POETS day and over to the pub for a site meeting and lunch

discool said:

That's the one just a kindly reminder that if your disco has electronic diesel control EDC you won't have a spider immobiliser, that's the only thing that can be "bypassed".

Finally it's POETS day and over to the pub for a site meeting and lunch

Click to expand...

Thanks for your help Discool. Hope you had a good time at the pub and didn't get blown away!
I'm still not really sure what my next move should be, but I think I'll risk one more attempt at optimism and send the key fob off to be professionally refurbished and tested. If nothing else it will eliminate that from the investigations if I have to get an auto electrician out.