Re-synching the Range Rover P38 diesel engine with the BECM using a Nanocom

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Grrrrrr

Technician, Bodgit & Scarper Ltd
Full Member
Posts
18,940
Location
Buckinghamshire, UK. ('95 DT)
Symptoms

You climb in your prized P38 and try to start the engine. The engine cranks but doesn’t fire. There are no error messages and all seems to be working as it should. You pull the engine apart checking fuses, air, fuel, the lot but still nothing appears wrong. Chances are your engine management system (EMS) has gone out of synch with the Body Electrical Control Module (BECM).

What is it?

On the diesel there is a static code in the engine management system. When you try to start this code is checked against the code held in the BECM. If the two don’t match then the engine will crank but not start (note: the petrol models have rolling codes and probably won’t crank.) The only way to resynchronise the 2 is using a bespoke piece of kit, one of which is the Nanocom Evolution from Black-box Solutions (no affiliation). Other devices are available, not least the Synchmate also by BBS but I’ve not tried that.

How to fix it: step-by-step guide.

1) Open up the passenger door of your P38 diesel and look under the right-hand-side of the glove box, close to the centre console. There should be a white ODBII-type plug socket.

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2) Put the key in the ignition and turn until the lights appear on the dash but do not try to crank.
3) Plug in your Nanocom Evolution. After a few moments the screen should light up.
4) With a blunt tool (such as a broken pencil) or finger select “R-Rover P38” on the Nanocom.

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5) On the next screen select “EDC”.

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6) On the next screen select “EDC”, again.

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7) On the next screen select “Settings”.

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8) At the bottom of the screen it should say EMS code. Make a note of this as you’ll need it in a minute. Press the red cross in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen twice to come out of the screen and back to the EDC menu screen.

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9) Click the right-hand green arrow at the bottom of the screen twice. The menu should have scrolled all the way to the right. Select the “BECM” button with your blunt tool.

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10) Press the “Settings” button.

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11) Select the “Alarm” button.

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Continued in part ii ...
 
Continued from part i ...

12) Click the right-hand green arrow at the bottom of the screen four times. The menu should have scrolled all the way to the right. At the top of the screen is the immobilisation code. If this is different from the code you made a note of earlier then your BECM is indeed out of synch. If the code is the same you need to look elsewhere for your problem. (Yeah, the same in my picture but I’ve already fixed it!)

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13) Click on the immobilisation code box.
14) Go to the far right of the text and click the cancel button to delete the old code. Enter the new code you wrote down earlier. Click OK in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen.

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15) The immobilisation code box should have the new value in. If it doesn’t repeat step 14 until it does! You haven’t finished yet though. Press the red cross in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen to come out of the screen.

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16) Press the “Write settings” button to write the new code to the BECM memory.

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17) Go back into the “Alarm” menu and check the code is correct.
18) Press the red cross in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen as many times as necessary to come out of the menus. Then press the shutdown symbol in the btoom-right-hand corner of the screen and wait for the nanocom to switch off.
19) Unplug the nanocom.
20) Turn the key off and then turn it and let the glow-plugs do their stuff. If it is winter you might need 2 or 3 goes with the glow-plugs. Turn her over and hopefully she’ll spring back into life.
21) Drive down the supermarket and buy some celebratory beers.
 
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