Do CRDs have a rollover disabler?

beelatch · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:01 pm

I bought a rolled CRD from auction to swap into a gasser Liberty. The CRD will start and run for a few seconds then shuts off, like an immobilizer with the wrong key. Does the CRD have a device that behaves like that after a rollover?

geordi · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 12:46 am

Sort of... There is a program apparently in the ECU that if the airbags are deployed (or maybe it triggers off something else) it basically locks the engine down. I'm surprised you are even able to get it to run at all.

I wonder if someone already swapped the ECU before it went to auction. The behavior you describe is what it should do with a mismatched key. I bought an ECU from a wreck that had deployed airbags, and went to test it in the parking lot with my CRD. The ECU would boot up and talk to my scanner perfectly... But only allow the engine to crank about 1/2 of one rotation, then stop the starter completely. No further action from the starter would be allowed, and nothing I did to clear the codes would work.

That ECU had to be cleared by GDE, and worked great for the guy in Argentina that it was destined for. I would suggest talking to Keith and see what he says.

ebbnflow · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:09 am

This sounds to me like the SKIM module in the key is not programmed into the ECU or the SKIM in the key has gone bad. When I try to start my CRD with a SKIM-less key, it will run for 3 seconds and shut off. There is a little red circle on the dash that should light up for a few seconds when you first turn the ignition to ON. This light should go out in a few seconds. If it stays on, your SKIM is bad or not programmed.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 12:33 pm

geordi wrote:

Sort of... There is a program apparently in the ECU that if the airbags are deployed (or maybe it triggers off something else) it basically locks the engine down. I'm surprised you are even able to get it to run at all.

This is news to me and I suspect this might be apocryphal.

beelatch · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:07 pm

Airbags did not deploy.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 3:25 pm

Also, that sounds like a skim problem, what does the key look like?(so we can tell if its a SKIM key or not)

You may have a PCI bus fault which is keeping the SKIM from communicating with other modules.

And no, there is no rollover disable.

Also, a low battery can mean low voltage which could allow the vehicle to start and run, but not let enough voltage through to the various modules that need it. Seen that happen at least once on a CRD.

geordi · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 3:44 pm

Since you obviously have far more experience with wrecked CRDs that you are rebuilding, I defer to your knowledge Sam... But can you explain the ECU behavior that I experienced at the boneyard?

That CRD's condition was terrible, but the ECU was undamaged as far as I could determine. When I tried to start my own CRD with it, I expected the same starts-but-shuts-down SKIM nonsense that it pulls whenever my remote starter isn't working (which is most of the time). This did nothing like that. It literally only allowed the starter to go "VRRP!" and then nothing. No chance for a second attempt, it would not even allow the solenoid to engage. The only way to try it a second time would be to completely unplug the ECU, then re-install it.

Keith was obviously able to get it to work and reprogram it for the CRD in Argentina... So what was the deal? Why wouldn't it allow the engine to crank, if not a safety protocol?

In other news, the problems with my remote starter are due in no small way to the hack job install... That a DEALER did. Someday I need to just pull the whole thing out and reinstall it from scratch, at least the parts that interface with the SKIM system.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 4:26 pm

geordi wrote:

Since you obviously have far more experience with wrecked CRDs that you are rebuilding, I defer to your knowledge Sam... But can you explain the ECU behavior that I experienced at the boneyard?

No I cannot, my only guess would be that the ECU got a bit of a calibration screw up that reflashing it fixed, since the engine starter signal goes through the ECU if the PCI bus between the BCM and the ECU starts having problems I could see the whole mess going wonking.

Do CRDs have a rollover disabler?

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