petersen_cl Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Hi all, I'm hoping for some help on my Caterham 420R build. Everything has gone great up to this point, other than installing the grp seats which were a real pain in the butt. My father and I purchased a new kit that had been sitting since 2020 from the forum here, it is a 420R Duratec. In short when we go to key the car on the red lamp for the immobilizer remains solid no matter where the fob location or key on sequence and the car does not turn over and the fuel pump does not run. The battery was the one with the kit that we added acid to in the last 24 hours, it measures 12.75V after charging and we have been keeping it fully charged throughout the day understanding that there is some sensitivity with the sterling system. The car has a master disconnect and I understand that will capture the last known state of the immobilizer so we have tried a bunch of approaches. We have tried: - Unhooking the battery grounds, re-attaching, and starting normally (light remains solid red) - Traditional, mater switch on, wait 20 seconds, key in the ignition, red button (light remains solid red) - Leaving the master on without the key in it for 3 - 10 minute cycles (light remains solid red) - Leaving the master on with the key in the on position for 3 - 10 minute cycles (light remains solid red) - The re-keying sequence in the manual (doesn't work, solid red the entire time) I've been through most of the information I can find on the forum so apologies if I've missed something obvious! But I'd really appreciate any thoughts the community has to get us up and running. I'll also reach out to Caterham but don't expect a rapid answer from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 If it won't re-arm and it won't crank then it sounds like the module is not wired correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersen_cl Posted July 5 Author Share Posted July 5 Thanks for the reply, I'm starting to agree after chasing it some more this evening. Would you happen to know if there is there anywhere I can get a dash wiring diagram or immobilizer wiring diagram so I could start to chase that down? Unfortunately, there isn't one for the 420 dash in my assembly guide from Caterham and of course the dash all came assembled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 PM'd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowdude Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 @MV8 can I also get a copy? I'd like to set my wideband to power on to the immobilizer power on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersen_cl Posted July 6 Author Share Posted July 6 Found the issue here with @MV8s help. During transport my immobilizer had filled with water and it was bad. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 9 hours ago, petersen_cl said: Found the issue here with @MV8s help. During transport my immobilizer had filled with water and it was bad. Thanks again! Time out - filled with water? How did one component under the scuttle fill with water and nothing else? Do you have hidden damage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 Slowdude, I'll PM you. Croc, if the sterling immobilizer is installed in the correct location and orientation (per Sterling, not Cat), it isn't possible to catch any water. The board should be encapsulated anyway for outdoor use and humidity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersen_cl Posted July 6 Author Share Posted July 6 @CrocI'll send an image later today when I'm back at the shop if you're interested. Here's what I've observed so far, mine was mounted in the top right corner under the dash and behind the master cylinder tank on the passenger compartment side of the firewall from Caterham. The thing that was interesting is there is no grommet around the wires coming out of the Sterling box. I bought my kit complete, unpacked, and as a project out of Georgia and when we picked it up and moved it to SD we did run into heavy rain on the way with the base chassis exposed on the trailer (no hood). I suspect that is where the water came from but I'm still amazed that it happened given the immobilizer location. You make a good point about additional potential damage, so far, everything else has worked well in the electrical system, I had a little flakiness with the fuel gage but other than that we were able to idle the car around the shop parking lot yesterday but we will be doing a full check again today in case of anything weird. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 It sounds like from the location, that it is where it should be per Sterling but installed from below (housing and cover acting as a bowl versus from above as an umbrella). If so, it could be flipped and reinstalled from below with spacer blocks above the housing flanges. Sticker should always face up. Wiring should also run down an inch at the unit so water on the harness can not be guided into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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