Could really do with some help on this one, my daughter TJ, 2000, 3 lTR Exec has developed a problem that is gradually getting worse, When you kickover the moter it starts then immediately stops, it does this mostly when the motor is cold. After a few times, gradually getting more, it then starts and keeps running normally with no other symptoms.

As she is a charity worker on a limited income I would really like to help her fix the problem.

Has anyone else struck this problem and have a solution for me.

I look forward to your possible assistance, thanks..Phil/packrich.

Car has done some 130,000 K and has had a timing belt change and major service.

Hi Phil, does this only happen on idle? Can you keep it alive by raising the revs a little at all?

It *could* be the idle speed controller, or possibly the throttle position sensor (I had the TPS issue after changing over a throttle body).

i'd get a battery test done, battery could be on it way out...

Battery? Seriously? It turns over just fine but doesn't stay running. How can that be the battery?


I had a problem with my car in that turning the key, the engine would turn over, it would then fire, I'd let the key go back to "ON" and the engine would stop.

Turned out to be a ceramic resistor that reduced the voltage to about 9V prior to the ignition coil. But that was a 1981 Carbied 3K Corolla, so don't know if it would apply to a 2000 Magna.

Battery? Seriously? It turns over just fine but doesn't stay running. How can that be the battery?

The 3rd gen electrical system is a little weird like that, when mine was on the way out, it would turn over, run for a couple seconds, raise revs, and die. I'm not quite sure why, but thats what happened.

Hi Phil

When the car first starts and just before it stalls, do you hear any relay clicking behind the centre console? I had that problem for ages. I start engine, and a second later, it would stall. If I rev the engine immediately and raise RPMs, it won't stall.

Turns out, the battery drained itself when starting the engine, and didn't have enough juice left to run / keep running the electrics, which flicked the relay and stalled the engine.

I changed to a new battery, and the problem was gone.

The 3rd gen electrical system is a little weird like that, when mine was on the way out, it would turn over, run for a couple seconds, raise revs, and die. I'm not quite sure why, but thats what happened.
Its from the ECU not maintaining the correct voltage to stay running
It detecks the voltage drop and then kills the engine to save the electrics

Topping up the water in the battery solved this issue for me. Otherwise it would happily start if I gave it enough throttle to hold 2000rpm after it fired up. Don't want to replace the battery until I'm ready to move it.

Thanks a lot for your thoughts on this problem, do not think its the battery as it will keep quite happily start again but not keep running.
Been doing some searching and found a possible fix that points the finger at the connection between the mobilizer and the ECU, there is an article on it at

http://martybugs.net/articles/magna-stall.cgi that fits the symptoms exactly am hoping this will solve the problem, will keep you posted as to the result
Many thanks again to all..Phil/packrich

The absolute first place to start is the immobiliser wiring underneath the dash. This has all the symptoms of the infamous loose connection.

The absolute first place to start is the immobiliser wiring underneath the dash. This has all the symptoms of the infamous loose connection.

thats the best bet i rkn, had the same problem, found out theres a common problem with the immob wire becoming loose from the harness between the ECU and BEM. i found the wire (brown one) i pushed it into the harness and havent had a problem since, im going to get the harness wires all soldered sometime soon

I also had this exact same issue, mine turned out to be the battery failing, when the car cranked over, the voltage dropped under load causing it to misfire at start (aka wouldnt start and run without my foot on the loud pedal) Some inox and a good charge later and all is well.

A battery load test wouldnt be a bad idea (usually free from Battery World or some auto electricans) and its easier then pulling kick panels off finding the immob wire.

I also had this exact same issue, mine turned out to be the battery failing, when the car cranked over, the voltage dropped under load causing it to misfire at start (aka wouldnt start and run without my foot on the loud pedal) Some inox and a good charge later and all is well.

A battery load test wouldnt be a bad idea (usually free from Battery World or some auto electricans) and its easier then pulling kick panels off finding the immob wire.

unless he has no way of getting a heavy battery to a "battery world". gently fiddling with the immobiliser wiring under the dash is a piece of cake and 99% of the time will allow the car to start if this is the problem. The wiring is behind the kick panel above the drivers right leg and you dont need to remove anything. Just give the loom a wiggle.

keeps running normally with no other symptoms.


Well judging by that he could just drive the car down and get them to look at it. And you cannot be sure that the Immob wire is a 100% fix, while this issue is well documented, it has also been linked to a failing battery with a voltage drop on crankover.

Well judging by that he could just drive the car down and get them to look at it. And you cannot be sure that the Immob wire is a 100% fix, while this issue is well documented, it has also been linked to a failing battery with a voltage drop on crankover.

Where did i or anyone else say it was a 100% fix?

IF the immob wire is the cause, it simply will not start as once the engine is running you can unplug the immob wire and the car will continue to run

The battery in a lot of later model cars, even though has enough to crank, does not maintain 10.5 volts post crank, the relay cuts out and the car stalls. At idle the alt is doing bugger all to charge after such a big drain from start up. Falcons are especially bad for this

If you dont want to change the battery initially, swap one from another car you have and try that, if the problem is solved you know what the issue is.

The reason also why it is worse when cold is the car has been sitting and the battery will have had draw from the security system so will not be fully charged

My TJ VR-X does something like that, if i stick key in and try and turn it over right away, it starts then kills the engine, but if i wait say 3-4 seconds after turning key to acc/on, it starts fine. i always just suspected dodgy immobilizer, but i could be wrong.

IF the immob wire is the cause, it simply will not start as once the engine is running you can unplug the immob wire and the car will continue to run

The battery in a lot of later model cars, even though has enough to crank, does not maintain 10.5 volts post crank, the relay cuts out and the car stalls. At idle the alt is doing bugger all to charge after such a big drain from start up. Falcons are especially bad for this

If you dont want to change the battery initially, swap one from another car you have and try that, if the problem is solved you know what the issue is.

The reason also why it is worse when cold is the car has been sitting and the battery will have had draw from the security system so will not be fully charged

When I had the immoboliser problem, the engine would fire for a split second before stopping, over and over until I fiddled with the wiring under the dash and it started first time. Got the connection soldered up and its been right as rain, still on the same battery.

When I had the immoboliser problem, the engine would fire for a split second before stopping, over and over until I fiddled with the wiring under the dash and it started first time. Got the connection soldered up and its been right as rain, still on the same battery.

I think the OP's issue though is that it fires over and starts for several seconds, then conks out.

To the OP, when it happens, are you able to keep it alive on the first start by giving it some loud pedal?

And Madmagna, the 10.5 volts, you will find its actually the VT/VX Holden that had the problem worse then falcons, as falcons only require 8.6 volts for the ecu to start.

Symptoms- as I have had both problems.

Battery -
Will crank and initially start, revs flare a bit and engine then just dies.
Wait a few seconds and will start perfectly the second time.

This is the battery issue. New battery fixes this immediately.
If your battery is more than 3 years old then you are most likely to be needing a new battery.


IMMOBILISER -
Engine will crank beautifully but will not fire.

Try wiggling the wiring into the BEM connectors. Under the lower panel beneath the electric mirror control.
Square black plastic box which will be above your RH knee.

Gerry

Symptoms- as I have had both problems.
IMMOBILISER -
Engine will crank beautifully but will not fire.

Try wiggling the wiring into the BEM connectors. Under the lower panel beneath the electric mirror control.
Square black plastic box which will be above your RH knee.

Gerry

I have to slightly disagree with you I think unless it's coincidence.
About 10-12 months ago, I had the issue of engine starting then dying. I could cranks it as much as I wanted at that point, but I'd have to turn the ignition off then on again before it would
actually fire and start. ALSO, I noticed that if I put the key in and turn to ON, a light on the dash stays on (I think it was the check engine light) for a while, but if I waited with ignition in ON for the light to go out, the car would start first time. Doing the immobiliser thing fixed it.

About 2 months ago, the same stuff started happening again, however I also noticed that the car was getting harder to start in the morning, which to me suggested battery on it's way out. Considering I believe it was the original factory battery from 2003, I wasn't too surprised, but thought it would be right until I could get some extra cash. Unfortunately this took too long, and about a month ago on a hot day in the afternoon my wife called me from luckily around the corner, and the car would not even turn over after she drove to daycare to pickup the kids. A new battery later, and it's not a problem again... So, I've had the same symptoms and both times fixed it with a different solution.

Its likely to be the battery from my experiance with magna's.
In both of my 3gen's they have gotten to a point where the car will stall and shudder coupled with a horrible idle.
Testing the batter being at fault is simple too, just take one from another car and turn it over and see how it starts.

Its a free test and if its wrong at least you have ruled it out.

Symptoms- as I have had both problems.

Battery -
Will crank and initially start, revs flare a bit and engine then just dies.
Wait a few seconds and will start perfectly the second time.

This is the battery issue. New battery fixes this immediately.
If your battery is more than 3 years old then you are most likely to be needing a new battery.


IMMOBILISER -
Engine will crank beautifully but will not fire.

Try wiggling the wiring into the BEM connectors. Under the lower panel beneath the electric mirror control.
Square black plastic box which will be above your RH knee.

Gerry

Thats what i thought. Otherwise what is the point of the immobiliser. The whole point of it is, to prevent the engine from starting. If the engine starts, and then immobiliser kicks in a second after, couldn't I then simply disconnect that pin of the immobiliser just after it starts and cuts out, to keep it running? lol

Immobilisers stop the engine from starting in the first place

My thought is the battery, have had that prob on mine a couple of times, comes with my running a small battery...but on the immobiliser; The car will start and then stop after a couple of seconds for the first couple of times then it will just crank and not start...found this out with a spare key that wasn't programmed to the BEM.

to those doubting the immob issue, remember that this is loose wiring, not a totally useless immobiliser. Whatever an immobiliser is supposed to do won't conform here because the wiring is dodgy and will cause "unexpected" results

to those doubting the immob issue, remember that this is loose wiring, not a totally useless immobiliser. Whatever an immobiliser is supposed to do won't conform here because the wiring is dodgy and will cause "unexpected" results

If it was an immob issue it would do it when its hot as well. loose wire = can happen at any time. Battery = when cold.


When you kickover the moter it starts then immediately stops, it does this mostly when the motor is cold. After a few times, gradually getting more, it then starts and keeps running normally with no other symptoms.

If it was an immob issue it would do it when its hot as well. loose wire = can happen at any time. Battery = when cold.

mine happened when my car was hot, wriggled the wire and bam, started

same issue on th exec, stupid mechanic diagnosed stepper motor, quoted $500, said later, we'll start saving,2 weeks later battery died, replaced, no problem.Do the battery first instead of frigging around with wiring/immobilisers......

same issue on th exec, stupid mechanic diagnosed stepper motor, quoted $500, said later, we'll start saving,2 weeks later battery died, replaced, no problem.Do the battery first instead of frigging around with wiring/immobilisers......


What? Spend $150 on a battery or $5 fixing up the immobiliser connection to the BEM

What? Spend $150 on a battery or $5 fixing up the immobiliser connection to the BEM

Or spent 10minutes at an Auto elecs to get them to run a battery load test and alternator test. Also Cybermonkey his car =/= your car, his could be either issue, its advisable to get both scenarios checked out.

All the info is there for the OP, its ultimately his choice on what he does.

i agree a battery test wont hurt if he can get somewhere to test it

i agree a battery test wont hurt if he can get somewhere to test it

He said in his first post that it will start a second time, just a matter of googling the nearest decent auto elec, and going for a wander over there. Most places will do it for free, but worse case scenario, they identify the problem and fix it on the spot for you.

Been a of of back and forth on this one and thank you all again for your thoughts and experience, to fill you in on the result, the car was put into our mechanic for a major service and the fault was described and asked to be fixed, after the first 8 hours they said the service was completed but could not fault the starting, I asked them to keep it overnight, the next day they rag to say they had trouble starting it and were putting the car onto diagnostics, I rang at lunch time and they had not found a problem meanwhile I had asked for your help and got the info on the wiring problem, printed it and took it to the mechanic, he was not convinced but kept a diagnostic on the ECU connections, they detected a loss of connection as described after a number of test, rang me and said they would try the wiring fix. The next day after cold starting a number of times they have declared the problem solved Ha HA. Will still keep an eye on the battery.
Thanks again to all..

FYI my mechanic did a diagonose on mine when i was experiencing the issue and it came up with error code 54, not sure what that code means tho.

FWIW as I have noted previously I have 3 Magnas, 2 have had the problem. 1 proved to be the throttle body wiring conector and some moisture from an over zealous detailer prior to purchase and the other was the wiring fix under the dash. I pulled the connector, 'tweaked' the pins on the male end a bit for a tigher connection and re-assembled. I also put a zip tie around the connector holding it tightly together and not a problem now for over 6 months. This technique takes about 10 mins from removing the panel to replacing it. Thanks to all who have figured this out.

Steve

Could really do with some help on this one, my daughter TJ, 2000, 3 lTR Exec has developed a problem that is gradually getting worse, When you kickover the moter it starts then immediately stops, it does this mostly when the motor is cold. After a few times, gradually getting more, it then starts and keeps running normally with no other symptoms.

As she is a charity worker on a limited income I would really like to help her fix the problem.

Has anyone else struck this problem and have a solution for me.

I look forward to your possible assistance, thanks..Phil/packrich.

Car has done some 130,000 K and has had a timing belt change and major service.

hi, my te had the same problem preaty much as soon as it would idle it would stall. my problem was the fuel injectors. i just ran injector cleaner and it fixed my problem!

hi, my te had the same problem preaty much as soon as it would idle it would stall. my problem was the fuel injectors. i just ran injector cleaner and it fixed my problem!

If you are referring to injector cleaner in a bottle, this will do absolutely **** all to your injectors. the only way to clean them properly is take them off the rail and have them cleaned ultrasonically

My car has had the same issue since last year. Car starts briefly and then stalls, while engine check light stays ON. If the key is turned all the way OFF and then ON and I wait for the engine check light to turn OFF. The car may start.

If the switch is not turned all the way off the car will just crank over and not start at all, even not briefly.

I had a look at the error codes immediately this happens and it pointed to the immobiliser. Apparently there is a wire on a connector that does not connect properly

Have a look at this. http://martybugs.net/articles/magna-stall.cgi

I have just got used to the issue and havent bothered to fix it as yet. I will probably have a look into it soon.

Have a look at this. http://martybugs.net/articles/magna-stall.cgi

.


Sigh..... what happened to checking the easiest things first...

9 times outa 10 it's the brown wire in the BEM. can be checked in your driveway with a quick jiggle (Of the loom)

Should be a sticky as this hapens to lots of Magna's here....

Steve