Ignition key problems

Apologies if this thread has popped up before,I am a newbie and cant find any specific reference to it, so here goes.
During the 2 weeks I have had my Freelander there have been several occasions when it has failed to start 1st, 2nd or even 10th turn of the key, eventually it has fired up or in the case at the weekend after much squirting of Easy Start from the AA man. On 1 occasion I tried the spare key after an hour and it fired up, obviously a coincidence, - -or so I thought.
Tonight, used it to drive the car 12 miles, no problem, left it 2 hours, then no start again, so I tried the spare key, it fired up, so retried the original key, no start, left it 10 minutes , repeated the process and same results!

Am I stating the bleeding obvious here, that the original key has an intermittent transponder fault and needs recoding or replacing( if so at what cost), or am I clutching at straws and there is still another cause?

which engine do you have ?

does it turn over and not fire ?

if it turns over but doesn't fire, it's not an immobilser / transponder problem as the immobiliser will prevent the engine from turning over.

if it's a td4, chances are it's either a faulty injector leaking back, or the crank sensor. As the AA man started it with easy start, and it's a td4 then my moneys on a failed injector.

good luck

Its the 2.0l BMW diesel in a 2001 ESX Freelander. Each time it turned over but failed to start initially, on a few it suddenly went as normal, on 1 it started ok next morning, 1 the time with the AA man and last night when it wouldn't start on my key but every time using my wife's key. I now have that one and so far today all has been well.

The fact that one key has problems and the other not would on the face of it indicate a problem with the key. However as OP says the starter relay is energised by the Immobiliser ECU and not directly by the ignition switch which would indicate that the Immobiliser has accepted the key.

As to getting another key made the RAVE disk details the procedure dealers have to use and it is quite involved. Dealer prices seem to be £80-£150 for various manufacturers so I think you need to look elsewhere before going down that route

try changing the fob battery ,remove battery press both buttons to discharge fob,insert new battery press lock or unlock key five times by drivers door to re syn

The key itself has nothing to do with the fob. If the fob is able to unlock the doors the alarm system should also release the immobiliser to in turn accept the key. The alarm system does not in itself inhibit the engine from starting but does it through the immobiliser ECU

This non start fiasco rumbles on! Up to last Monday I was using 1 of the 2 keys that came with ther car, my wife having the other. After several non starts culminating in it not starting at home I tried her key which started it several times in a row while with my key it still only turned over, cast iron proof the key was at fault?
Well no, because today 3 days later the 2nd key let us down. After starting the car several times without a hitch it suddenly decided to just turn over. Guess what, using the original "faulty" key car started 1st turn and has done so using it the rest of the day.
It is as if each key has so many goes at starting the car then dies. Is ther some sort of rolling code that at after so many uses is coming up with a code incompatable between key and car? I have read elsewhere on this and other sites about some ignition item that fits around the barrel that is prone to failure, could anyone shed any light on what it is and does and whether it is a likely cause.

Unlike the fob the immobiliser does not change its code as there is no button to press. It is even more puzzling because the immobiliser does not enable the starter cct independantly. There is a rolling code system but it is between the Immobilisation ECU and the Engine Control Module (ECM). On the face of it the only explanation I can come up with is that for some reason it is this process that has a problem. The immobiliser is accepting the key so will allow the starter to work but is sending the wrong code to the ECM so the engine won't fire. Really difficult to tell without using Testbook.

still think it might be failing injector...

Optimus Prime said:

still think it might be failing injector...

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A quick squirt of easy start or carb cleaner would help verify it but my money is also on injector. It's also possible that it's a faulty igniion switch dropping a feed wire.

sounds like the starter motor common fault

garythegrass said:

sounds like the starter motor common fault

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How did you come to that conclusion? Are you saying that the starter motor is interfering with the immobiliser or injector or something?

He said that the starter motor is working and turning the engine over but the engine isn't firing.

ratty said:

A quick squirt of easy start or carb cleaner would help verify it but my money is also on injector. It's also possible that it's a faulty igniion switch dropping a feed wire.

Click to expand...

ahem, politely and respectfully, post 1:

anaabwilliamson said:

eventually it has fired up or in the case at the weekend after much squirting of Easy Start from the AA man

Click to expand...

Optimus Prime said:

ahem, politely and respectfully, post 1:

Click to expand...

Yep. I aint gonna take that away from you OP.

A solution may be in sight. Took the car to Austin Garages, Tatenhill near Burton on Trent last Wednesday. Nick, who runs the place with his wife Jean is a font of knowledge with any BL/Land Rover product and has solved many problems for us in the past.
He used the T4 analyser and no faults were stored. He checked the injectors, they were in tip top condition, likewise the immobilisor was faultless, the fuel pump too was working as it should. he ran through the full diagnosis of the whole electric and fuel system twice and found no fault.
Then he asked when the it wouldn't start did I crank it a while or just a short burst. when I said short he removed the engine cover and then the camshaft sensor.
It seems this should normally be magnetic, mine was barely so, meaning it cant read where the camshaft is and consequently wont start straight away, especially when hot, but persistant use of the starter may override it but leave a fault code. I am now in negotiations with my seller to ensure it is dealt with as a warranty issue as soon as possible but hopefully Nick has come up trumps again

glad you're hopefully getting close to finding a solution. hope you get the warranty bit sorted too.

Update regarding intermittent non start problem. Ordered a new camshaft sensor from Land Rover dealers in Coventry, should have been £94 all in but got 10% discount as I was booking it to the garage I had the warranty with. New one came with a grey plastic cover over the sensor tip and an oil seal ring, both missing from the original. One slightly annoying feature is the fixing needs a 4mm star socket to undo and refit it so get one first!
Been in 2 weeks now, no starting problem at all so if you have similar problems it could be your solution too.