nutwood

I had an issue today with a newly acquired '97 Grand Cherokee. I hadn't bothered to lock it and when I returned to the vehicle the little red immobiliser light was flashing. I pressed the unlock button and ...nothing happened! I pressed it numerous times more and exactly the same thing didn't happen!
It was pouring with rain and all the shops were shutting. I sprinted to the nearest electronic store and interrupted the guy locking the door. Two new batteries and I returned to the vehicle, damp but happy. Didn't last long; pressed the button and ...nothing happened!
OK, panic started to set in, but fortunately, repeated pressing of the button resulted in the beast coming to life, the seat and the mirror moving to the wrong positions and the little red light stopped flashing.
What can I do about this? The car came with only the one remote. We frequently travel to locations where walking out is not an option. I'd like to totally disable the immobiliser. No flashing red light no more. No one's going to steal this car. If it won't unlock with the remote, I've still got the key, but what do I do if it won't re-mobilise?!
Alternatively, is it possible to get a spare remote, assuming the issue is in the remote, so that it can be carried in the glove box to save the day?

Hamster

Check with your local Jeep dealership. The remote should be around $50.00 but, you'll have to get it programmed to work with your vehicle which is usually another $45.00 or so.

I don't know if the immobilizer can be removed from the system or not.

zjrog

You might try using the key to lock and unlock the tailgate. On my 95 that clears thevstart but not run security measure. But I don't know for sure if that works on the 96 and up.

nutwood

Hmmm, I seem to have gone from bad to worse. I tried the tailgate suggestion. Put the key in, turned one way, turned the other. Immobiliser kept flashing but now I can't open the tailgate! Arrrghhh!!
Tried back and forth, tried the remote (which has now decided to work, but will it when I'm at the shops?!) nothing seems to open the tailgate.
The key, when in the locked position, disconnects the handle. When unlocked, the handle feels connected but the tailgate won't open. Not good!!

nutwood

OK. Several minutes of violent jiggling got the tail gate open. I'm suspecting that this has been a pre-existing problem and the previous owner has disconnected the electrical tail gate lock and set it up to open readily, provided one doesn't upset things by locking it manually. I've never checked whether the central locking actually locked the tail gate. Security is not a big priority for us.
This means that I still haven't checked whether locking and unlocking the tailgate will release the immobiliser, as it's electrics are most likely disconnected. Thinking about it, perhaps the electrics being disconnected might be upsetting the immobiliser!
Interesting times ahead! Comments from those with experience desperately requested!!

dnuccio

there is a thread either on here or jeepforum cant remember but its how to disable the security system. ill try to find it

dnuccio

here you go: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f13/h...our-zj-483020/

nutwood

Thanks for that, but there seems to be some doubt as to whether grounding the purple/yellow wire technique will work with a '97. I'll experiment if I have to, but I'd love to hear from someone with a '97 that's done this, with success.
Would issues with the door switches cause my problem? I've noted that when I open the door, it often doesn't react. No beeps (key in ignition), no interior lights

dnuccio

the interior lights not coming on when you open a door? first thing i would check there is the dimmer switch, you may have bumped it to the fully off position. thats unrelated to the security system though. door switches would be my next guess

nutwood

Pretty sure it's door switches. It's a "sometimes does, sometimes doesn't" sort of problem. We usually leave the keys in the ignition, so you get used to the beeping when you open the door. When the lights don't come on, the beeping doesn't happen. The Jeep simply hasn't figured the door's open. Not sure if this has any implications for the immobiliser?

nutwood

OK, I've put a solid day in on the Jeep, fixed broken wires in door hinges, tidied up a lot of details but I'm still caught on this basic problem; is this vehicle going to catch me one day? I'll click to mobilize and it'll ignore me?
It's only done it once and it eventually re-mobilized, but I'm worried it'll do it again, possibly in a remote location.
I've scoured the forums and have been out there turning keys in this door and that but I've yet to get the immobiliser to recognise anything but the key fob.
Is there anyway known to access the program that's driving this? Perhaps stretch the lockout time out to a couple of weeks or something?
I don't like the idea of an immobiliser sitting there that I can't disable if it refuses to work.