[Ricehead]

Hi all,

I can't get my Keyless Start to pick up either key. I've replaced the batteries in both keys with verified good batteries (I have another 124 that I tested the battery in the key for keyless start worked). The keys unlock the car perfectly. I am able to get into ACC mode but the Start button flashes orange when I press the clutch to start because it is not picking the key up. The Green key symbol on the speedo does not light. Only the Red Anti theft symbol illuminates (Which i believe is normal).

It's worth noting the car had been sitting for months. About a week ago I revived it with a Jump from my other car. The keyless was playing up then but I just thought that was due to the dead battery as eventually it picked the key up. It had pretty bad moisture in the cabin which I think is probably the cause of this failure I did leave it running for a couple of hours last week with heaters fully on and windows slightly cracked to dehumidify but don't think I did a complete job and now in order to dry it out I need to start the car :/ However all the other electronics in the car are working A ok.

I have no errors in the infotainment nor have I seen an amber flash on the speedo indicating the car is aware of a keyless issue.

I have tried putting both keys up to the start button LOTS of times (I even removed the interior trim to expose the greet start button module. All looked okay and the key was right up against the PCB. No joy)

I've read tens of threads about various issues on here and miata forum, most of which seem to be rooted in bad batteries. I've read there is a procedure where you hold the Start/stop button which forces the car to start. However I can't seem to get it to do it (I held the button for well over 60s in both ACC and OFF positions).

I have checked the main fuse box in the bay and passenger side, I can't see any blown fuses but I have no idea where the fuse is that would relate to ignition as it doesn't seem to be pointed out in any of the manuals. I'm guessing its probably just part of one of the main engine management fuses.

This car is just two months out of warranty and is a track car only so I'd rather not have to pay multiple hundreds of £££ to get this sorted. I know the antenna module is buried in the dash so could get in there and try and diagnose but to be honest I'd rather just completely subvert it all. I haven't even seen anywhere I can get ahold of any replacement modules for keyless start (I found a Start button replacement from a wrecker but really don't think the button is the issue). I've seen there is a dealer tool called WiTech in the US but is expensive and hard to get ahold of but could diagnose/reregister the keys.

What are my options for starting the car? or Any way of just completely bypassing this keyless system, installing my own? Has anyone ever been able to do that force start procedure in the manual?
Anything I should get open to do diagnostics or check connectors or anyting?
Can a dead battery bork the Keyless system somehow?
Any ideas on how I can dry out the cabin without power?

I really really wish they had just put a f**king ignition barrel on the steering column.

Thanks in advance for any support

 

[Arthur]

Calcium Chloride crystals absorb moisture very well. People with caravans use them, in the UK you can get them from B&Q (can't remember the brand name but they are quite inexpensive, maybe £10 for 2 packs).

 

[walawn]

@Ricehead Are you able to get the ignition system to the on position (push button twice, foot off brake/clutch)? If so, you could try a rolling start if you have the room and enough juice to run the EFI/ECU(and a couple of friends to push). Have you checked the battery voltage/tested to see if the battery is good? Just my thoughts. If it keeps giving you trouble I would bypass it all entirely if possible since it's solely a track car. Drying the car out isn't really going to fix anything if the damage is already done from high humidity.

 

[yatwing]

Not sure if it'll work but try to push the start button with your key fob instead of your finger. I was told when I bought my Nissan Leaf that if the battery is dies to do that. I know we're not talking about a Leaf but maybe worth a try. Good luck

 

[Ricehead]

Calcium Chloride crystals absorb moisture very well. People with caravans use them, in the UK you can get them from B&Q (can't remember the brand name but they are quite inexpensive, maybe £10 for 2 packs).

Good shout, will order some. I'm a bit worried because the amount of moisture around the softtop in there when I got in suggests that the roof isn't sealing well, and as you know british weather is always clear and sunny. So I think that more water will keep finding it's way in.

@Ricehead Are you able to get the ignition system to the on position (push button twice, foot off brake/clutch)? If so, you could try a rolling start if you have the room and enough juice to run the EFI/ECU(and a couple of friends to push). Have you checked the battery voltage/tested to see if the battery is good? Just my thoughts. If it keeps giving you trouble I would bypass it all entirely if possible since it's solely a track car. Drying the car out isn't really going to fix anything if the damage is already done from high humidity.

Unfortuntely not I am only able to get it into ACC mode I think. I hit it once and Infotainment starts up, then I hit it again and car turns off (Same behaviour regardless of whether I have clutch pressed or not). Don't have a multimeter unfortunately I did have the car running for a couple of hours but as you say battery could still be low if alternator is not great. I will hook the jump leads back up and check to see if it does anything different. Yeah you're probably right, if the water has done its work gonna be tough to bring it back. Any ideas on how I would go about finding/fixing/replacing anything water damaged or what parts are most likely to need replacing after water damage?

Not sure if it'll work but try to push the start button with your key fob instead of your finger. I was told when I bought my Nissan Leaf that if the battery is dies to do that. I know we're not talking about a Leaf but maybe worth a try. Good luck

Yeah I have tried that unfortunately, no joy. Thanks for the suggestion though

 

[Spoolin32]

I had this issue with 2 of these 124s . The key has to be placed right up against the push to start button then it works. I had to open and close both cars using the manual key. Both incidents , dealer has to reprogram the keys . Strange but that’s my experience

 

[walawn]

@Ricehead If you have some mechanical knowledge, I would try to get your hands on a factory service manual. That will have the wiring diagrams you need to troubleshoot. Everything may be all digital now for all I know. You would start at the load (starter motor) and work backwards. Also, try to make friends at your FIAT dealership. You could always call a tech, explain your situation, and see what he thinks is the likely culprit. Another route to take might be a third-party independent shop that specializes in imports. Could be cheaper than your dealer. The humidity inside the cabin would have had to be very high indeed to cause corrosion or shorting in the electrical system. While not marine grade (read: waterproof), nor the highest quality, our electrical systems are done well enough that this is likely not the culprit. Also, after searching extensively here for the answer, if you don't find it just check out other FIAT forums or search the internet. You're likely not alone in your situation and someone has probably found the solution. But keep us informed of what you find. These kind of "gremlins" that are hard to chase down always intrigue me!

 

[Ricehead]

I had this issue with 2 of these 124s . The key has to be placed right up against the push to start button then it works. I had to open and close both cars using the manual key. Both incidents , dealer has to reprogram the keys . Strange but that’s my experience

I have tried that unfortunately. When I place it up to the start button it flashes green and the red key symbol flashes on the dash. Was this your behaviour too? Either way the car won't go into ignition mode. I've tried pushing the button with the keys from every angle imaginable.

@Ricehead If you have some mechanical knowledge, I would try to get your hands on a factory service manual. That will have the wiring diagrams you need to troubleshoot. Everything may be all digital now for all I know. You would start at the load (starter motor) and work backwards. Also, try to make friends at your FIAT dealership. You could always call a tech, explain your situation, and see what he thinks is the likely culprit. Another route to take might be a third-party independent shop that specializes in imports. Could be cheaper than your dealer. The humidity inside the cabin would have had to be very high indeed to cause corrosion or shorting in the electrical system. While not marine grade (read: waterproof), nor the highest quality, our electrical systems are done well enough that this is likely not the culprit. Also, after searching extensively here for the answer, if you don't find it just check out other FIAT forums or search the internet. You're likely not alone in your situation and someone has probably found the solution. But keep us informed of what you find. These kind of "gremlins" that are hard to chase down always intrigue me!

Thanks some really good suggestions. I have managed to persuade my local fiat dealer to get their head engineer to give me a call tomorrow afternoon. In the hope of finding any means necessary actually get it started and drive it to them. The humidity was very high (Condensation had formed droplets everywhere and mould had began to set in and likely had been this way for a few weeks). But I am actually with you, I've managed to dry it out pretty thoroughly and don't believe there is much if any actual electrical water damage.

Let me give a full update of everything I've done over the past few days as I've been posting in the miata forum as well as here.

I've tried my Bluetooth OBD plug both with Torque Pro and Versatuner both complained of not being able to connect to the ECU. Which I believe is normal for only being able to get into ACC mode?

The clutch switch seems to be functioning just fine as when I depress the clutch the orange start light flashes to tell me it is not ready to start the car.

I've disconnected the battery for a prolonged period as apparently that forces the ECU to reset.

I messed up and opened the roof which auto dropped the windows and now I've been stuck with half cracked windows for 3 days in the north of england. YAY. Bought a waterproof car cover in the mean time.

I have looked over both fuse boxes can't see any blown but don't know which fuses to check specifically.

I cleaned the battery terminals with baking soda and retightened. I have swapped the battery from my Abarth 124 into this fiat 124 so I know it was using a good, mostly charged battery. I got the multimeter out and shows 12.25v. I tested the grounding from all across the bay. All have good continuity.

The biggest development is realising that the car is detecting the keys perfectly fine. So I tested the behaviour with my other 124. When the key is not in the car pressing the button won't even get it into ACC mode. It does nothing. That isn't the same behaviour I'm having when the key is in the cabin of this 124.

I brought the key in and pressed the button and you hear the noise of the steering column unlocking and infotainment starts up and you hear the beeps of door open. But none of the dash illuminates and the only thing left lit on the tacho is the car security light. (Which is normal ACC mode right?) If you press the button again, clutch down or clutch up the car turns off completely. So I don't think there is any issue with the actual key detection in the cabin. Just something with it recognising that the key is allowed to start the car or get it into ignition.

Interestingly, I took the battery out of the key while in the car and pushed it up to the button and the key light on the tacho began flashing red and wouldn't even go into ACC mode. Which is weird and suggests it doesn't believe the RFID chip in the key is allowed to unlock the car?

So this is some issue with the car not disabling the security. I think I need to go get the keys reregistered and definitely calls for a dealer visit I think.

I just wish there was a manual way to force the car to start. The manual talks about holding the button to force start the car but that just doesn't work. Why they didn't put a normal ignition barrel anywhere on the car is beyond me.

Got the mechanic giving me a call tomorrow anyway, in the meantime I am scanning the internet for tools like multiecuscan and anything similar to see if I can get something to talk to the ECU and give me some feedback. I've seen PDFs on Delphi ecu tools that give full diagnostics but they only sell to dealers.

Really just wish I could subvert it all, put it a super simple aftermarket ECU like a haltech or something

Nonetheless I will report back!

 

[Spoolin32]

I have tried that unfortunately. When I place it up to the start button it flashes green and the red key symbol flashes on the dash. Was this your behaviour too? Either way the car won't go into ignition mode. I've tried pushing the button with the keys from every angle imaginable.


Thanks some really good suggestions. I have managed to persuade my local fiat dealer to get their head engineer to give me a call tomorrow afternoon. In the hope of finding any means necessary actually get it started and drive it to them. The humidity was very high (Condensation had formed droplets everywhere and mould had began to set in and likely had been this way for a few weeks). But I am actually with you, I've managed to dry it out pretty thoroughly and don't believe there is much if any actual electrical water damage.

Let me give a full update of everything I've done over the past few days as I've been posting in the miata forum as well as here.

I've tried my Bluetooth OBD plug both with Torque Pro and Versatuner both complained of not being able to connect to the ECU. Which I believe is normal for only being able to get into ACC mode? View attachment 74374

The clutch switch seems to be functioning just fine as when I depress the clutch the orange start light flashes to tell me it is not ready to start the car.

I've disconnected the battery for a prolonged period as apparently that forces the ECU to reset.

I messed up and opened the roof which auto dropped the windows and now I've been stuck with half cracked windows for 3 days in the north of england. YAY. Bought a waterproof car cover in the mean time.

I have looked over both fuse boxes can't see any blown but don't know which fuses to check specifically.

I cleaned the battery terminals with baking soda and retightened. I have swapped the battery from my Abarth 124 into this fiat 124 so I know it was using a good, mostly charged battery. I got the multimeter out and shows 12.25v. I tested the grounding from all across the bay. All have good continuity.

The biggest development is realising that the car is detecting the keys perfectly fine. So I tested the behaviour with my other 124. When the key is not in the car pressing the button won't even get it into ACC mode. It does nothing. That isn't the same behaviour I'm having when the key is in the cabin of this 124.

I brought the key in and pressed the button and you hear the noise of the steering column unlocking and infotainment starts up and you hear the beeps of door open. But none of the dash illuminates and the only thing left lit on the tacho is the car security light. (Which is normal ACC mode right?) If you press the button again, clutch down or clutch up the car turns off completely. So I don't think there is any issue with the actual key detection in the cabin. Just something with it recognising that the key is allowed to start the car or get it into ignition.

Interestingly, I took the battery out of the key while in the car and pushed it up to the button and the key light on the tacho began flashing red and wouldn't even go into ACC mode. Which is weird and suggests it doesn't believe the RFID chip in the key is allowed to unlock the car?

So this is some issue with the car not disabling the security. I think I need to go get the keys reregistered and definitely calls for a dealer visit I think.

I just wish there was a manual way to force the car to start. The manual talks about holding the button to force start the car but that just doesn't work. Why they didn't put a normal ignition barrel anywhere on the car is beyond me.

Got the mechanic giving me a call tomorrow anyway, in the meantime I am scanning the internet for tools like multiecuscan and anything similar to see if I can get something to talk to the ECU and give me some feedback. I've seen PDFs on Delphi ecu tools that give full diagnostics but they only sell to dealers.

Really just wish I could subvert it all, put it a super simple aftermarket ECU like a haltech or something

Nonetheless I will report back!

Good luck. Mine would start up right away when the key was placed against the start button . As soon as I moved it away it would not . Also it would not unlock or lock the doors. The dealer ordered me a second key on the house since I couldn’t find my spare one and reprogrammed both keys . Now it works just fine. They confirmed it wasn’t battery just needed a re programming . I was busy and didn’t ask additional questions but now it’s happened to two cars. Identical symptoms .

 

[Arthur]

Good luck with getting your key issue sorted.
Regarding general points concerning keys, I would never purchase a car without the correct number of keys present. In addition, given the cost and inconvenience of replacing a lost key, I advise everyone to attach a "Reward Tag". Cost 30 cents, potential saving approx $400 (less reward money, say $100 ?).

 

[FiatCares]

I have tried that unfortunately. When I place it up to the start button it flashes green and the red key symbol flashes on the dash. Was this your behaviour too? Either way the car won't go into ignition mode. I've tried pushing the button with the keys from every angle imaginable.


Thanks some really good suggestions. I have managed to persuade my local fiat dealer to get their head engineer to give me a call tomorrow afternoon. In the hope of finding any means necessary actually get it started and drive it to them. The humidity was very high (Condensation had formed droplets everywhere and mould had began to set in and likely had been this way for a few weeks). But I am actually with you, I've managed to dry it out pretty thoroughly and don't believe there is much if any actual electrical water damage.

Let me give a full update of everything I've done over the past few days as I've been posting in the miata forum as well as here.

I've tried my Bluetooth OBD plug both with Torque Pro and Versatuner both complained of not being able to connect to the ECU. Which I believe is normal for only being able to get into ACC mode? View attachment 74374

The clutch switch seems to be functioning just fine as when I depress the clutch the orange start light flashes to tell me it is not ready to start the car.

I've disconnected the battery for a prolonged period as apparently that forces the ECU to reset.

I messed up and opened the roof which auto dropped the windows and now I've been stuck with half cracked windows for 3 days in the north of england. YAY. Bought a waterproof car cover in the mean time.

I have looked over both fuse boxes can't see any blown but don't know which fuses to check specifically.

I cleaned the battery terminals with baking soda and retightened. I have swapped the battery from my Abarth 124 into this fiat 124 so I know it was using a good, mostly charged battery. I got the multimeter out and shows 12.25v. I tested the grounding from all across the bay. All have good continuity.

The biggest development is realising that the car is detecting the keys perfectly fine. So I tested the behaviour with my other 124. When the key is not in the car pressing the button won't even get it into ACC mode. It does nothing. That isn't the same behaviour I'm having when the key is in the cabin of this 124.

I brought the key in and pressed the button and you hear the noise of the steering column unlocking and infotainment starts up and you hear the beeps of door open. But none of the dash illuminates and the only thing left lit on the tacho is the car security light. (Which is normal ACC mode right?) If you press the button again, clutch down or clutch up the car turns off completely. So I don't think there is any issue with the actual key detection in the cabin. Just something with it recognising that the key is allowed to start the car or get it into ignition.

Interestingly, I took the battery out of the key while in the car and pushed it up to the button and the key light on the tacho began flashing red and wouldn't even go into ACC mode. Which is weird and suggests it doesn't believe the RFID chip in the key is allowed to unlock the car?

So this is some issue with the car not disabling the security. I think I need to go get the keys reregistered and definitely calls for a dealer visit I think.

I just wish there was a manual way to force the car to start. The manual talks about holding the button to force start the car but that just doesn't work. Why they didn't put a normal ignition barrel anywhere on the car is beyond me.

Got the mechanic giving me a call tomorrow anyway, in the meantime I am scanning the internet for tools like multiecuscan and anything similar to see if I can get something to talk to the ECU and give me some feedback. I've seen PDFs on Delphi ecu tools that give full diagnostics but they only sell to dealers.

Really just wish I could subvert it all, put it a super simple aftermarket ECU like a haltech or something

Nonetheless I will report back!

Hello Ricehead,
We are certainly sorry to hear about your recent concern. Unfortunately due to the nature of our team, we are unable to assist customers outside of the United States. However, if you are interested in potential additional assistance throughout this process, I have attached a UK customer care # below:
00 800 3428 00 00
Laura
FiatCares

 

[Ricehead]

I just did a check of the main and passenger fuse box with the multimeter. There was one blown fuse in the main box which was number 34 for the Fuel Pump. I replaced it with one of the working ones from the lid of the fuse box. Still no joy. No blown fuses in the passenger footwell for me

The dealer mech/engineer "forgot" to ring me back today and now they are closed early for new years so will be thursday before I can contact them again.

I've been doing all sorts of testing with my working abarth 124 with the keys and ignition states with and without batteries in the keys and my fiat 124 is just so much different. If you bring the key into the Abarth normally it lets you into acc mode. If you then take the key out of the car or remove its battery i.e the car cant recognise the key. It lets you then in to Ignition mode regardless. It doesn't let you start the car but it lets you into ignition on. In the fiat I can get to ACC mode but it doesn't let me into Ignition even with the key detected aghhh. The start stop button lights are completely different to the fiat as well. Most of the time the fiat is flashing orange whereas if you remove the key from the abarth it flashes green a lot of the time.

I can't seem to find any info online the relay layout to check or swap any of those so will have to wait for the engineer to get in touch to ask.

Breakdown cover won't tow me to the dealer either as I have no MOT on the car but in order to get an MOT I need to get it to the dealer. Figures.

Hello Ricehead,
We are certainly sorry to hear about your recent concern. Unfortunately due to the nature of our team, we are unable to assist customers outside of the United States. However, if you are interested in potential additional assistance throughout this process, I have attached a UK customer care # below:
00 800 3428 00 00
Laura
FiatCares

Hi Laura,

I didn't know we had fiat reps on this forum! Thanks a lot for your support and direction. I tried calling that number but the options were very confusing. Do you know which menu options I should choose?
It was 1. For breakdown assistance 2. For cloverleaf club? 3. For International Assistance

I tried 3 as it seemed the most logical but it just sends me around in circles in the phone menu system. Cheers

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has dedicated a bit of their day to helping me figure this out. It is very much appreciated!

 

[FiatCares]

I just did a check of the main and passenger fuse box with the multimeter. There was one blown fuse in the main box which was number 34 for the Fuel Pump. I replaced it with one of the working ones from the lid of the fuse box. Still no joy. No blown fuses in the passenger footwell for me

The dealer mech/engineer "forgot" to ring me back today and now they are closed early for new years so will be thursday before I can contact them again.

I've been doing all sorts of testing with my working abarth 124 with the keys and ignition states with and without batteries in the keys and my fiat 124 is just so much different. If you bring the key into the Abarth normally it lets you into acc mode. If you then take the key out of the car or remove its battery i.e the car cant recognise the key. It lets you then in to Ignition mode regardless. It doesn't let you start the car but it lets you into ignition on. In the fiat I can get to ACC mode but it doesn't let me into Ignition even with the key detected aghhh. The start stop button lights are completely different to the fiat as well. Most of the time the fiat is flashing orange whereas if you remove the key from the abarth it flashes green a lot of the time.

I can't seem to find any info online the relay layout to check or swap any of those so will have to wait for the engineer to get in touch to ask.

Breakdown cover won't tow me to the dealer either as I have no MOT on the car but in order to get an MOT I need to get it to the dealer. Figures.



Hi Laura,

I didn't know we had fiat reps on this forum! Thanks a lot for your support and direction. I tried calling that number but the options were very confusing. Do you know which menu options I should choose?
It was 1. For breakdown assistance 2. For cloverleaf club? 3. For International Assistance

I tried 3 as it seemed the most logical but it just sends me around in circles in the phone menu system. Cheers

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has dedicated a bit of their day to helping me figure this out. It is very much appreciated!

Hello Ricehead,
Please try the provided link below for additional assistance.
Contact us - Customer Care | Fiat UK .
Laura
FiatCares

 

[walawn]

I have tried that unfortunately. When I place it up to the start button it flashes green and the red key symbol flashes on the dash. Was this your behaviour too? Either way the car won't go into ignition mode. I've tried pushing the button with the keys from every angle imaginable.


Thanks some really good suggestions. I have managed to persuade my local fiat dealer to get their head engineer to give me a call tomorrow afternoon. In the hope of finding any means necessary actually get it started and drive it to them. The humidity was very high (Condensation had formed droplets everywhere and mould had began to set in and likely had been this way for a few weeks). But I am actually with you, I've managed to dry it out pretty thoroughly and don't believe there is much if any actual electrical water damage.

Let me give a full update of everything I've done over the past few days as I've been posting in the miata forum as well as here.

I've tried my Bluetooth OBD plug both with Torque Pro and Versatuner both complained of not being able to connect to the ECU. Which I believe is normal for only being able to get into ACC mode? View attachment 74374

The clutch switch seems to be functioning just fine as when I depress the clutch the orange start light flashes to tell me it is not ready to start the car.

I've disconnected the battery for a prolonged period as apparently that forces the ECU to reset.

I messed up and opened the roof which auto dropped the windows and now I've been stuck with half cracked windows for 3 days in the north of england. YAY. Bought a waterproof car cover in the mean time.

I have looked over both fuse boxes can't see any blown but don't know which fuses to check specifically.

I cleaned the battery terminals with baking soda and retightened. I have swapped the battery from my Abarth 124 into this fiat 124 so I know it was using a good, mostly charged battery. I got the multimeter out and shows 12.25v. I tested the grounding from all across the bay. All have good continuity.

The biggest development is realising that the car is detecting the keys perfectly fine. So I tested the behaviour with my other 124. When the key is not in the car pressing the button won't even get it into ACC mode. It does nothing. That isn't the same behaviour I'm having when the key is in the cabin of this 124.

I brought the key in and pressed the button and you hear the noise of the steering column unlocking and infotainment starts up and you hear the beeps of door open. But none of the dash illuminates and the only thing left lit on the tacho is the car security light. (Which is normal ACC mode right?) If you press the button again, clutch down or clutch up the car turns off completely. So I don't think there is any issue with the actual key detection in the cabin. Just something with it recognising that the key is allowed to start the car or get it into ignition.

Interestingly, I took the battery out of the key while in the car and pushed it up to the button and the key light on the tacho began flashing red and wouldn't even go into ACC mode. Which is weird and suggests it doesn't believe the RFID chip in the key is allowed to unlock the car?

So this is some issue with the car not disabling the security. I think I need to go get the keys reregistered and definitely calls for a dealer visit I think.

I just wish there was a manual way to force the car to start. The manual talks about holding the button to force start the car but that just doesn't work. Why they didn't put a normal ignition barrel anywhere on the car is beyond me.

Got the mechanic giving me a call tomorrow anyway, in the meantime I am scanning the internet for tools like multiecuscan and anything similar to see if I can get something to talk to the ECU and give me some feedback. I've seen PDFs on Delphi ecu tools that give full diagnostics but they only sell to dealers.

Really just wish I could subvert it all, put it a super simple aftermarket ECU like a haltech or something

Nonetheless I will report back!

Just a thought, but is it possible you got the key fobs accidentally swapped? Since you said you have another 124 as well.

 

[azzura]

I had thought the same thing, but I guess one has a Fiat logo and the other Abarth, so not hard to mix up?

On my 1990s era Fiat Coupes, a completely flat battery can corrupt the CODE ECU, although it can be reprogrammed, and there is also an emergency start procedure whereby the accelerator pedal can be used to count out flashes of the ECU fault light to "spell out" the 5 digit code. Shame the Spider has nothing like that....

 

[Ricehead]

Just a thought, but is it possible you got the key fobs accidentally swapped? Since you said you have another 124 as well.

I had thought the same thing, but I guess one has a Fiat logo and the other Abarth, so not hard to mix up?

On my 1990s era Fiat Coupes, a completely flat battery can corrupt the CODE ECU, although it can be reprogrammed, and there is also an emergency start procedure whereby the accelerator pedal can be used to count out flashes of the ECU fault light to "spell out" the 5 digit code. Shame the Spider has nothing like that....

Yeah exactly right, although a little bashed up. Still quite easy to tell apart. You don't know how much I really wish this issue was as simple as that

After everything I'm at the point where I think it's something similar to what you describe azzura. It's either the dead batt caused something to be "forgotten" but is I think that's a bit less likely considering I jumped it from dead successfully. I think the slightly more likely thing is that I damaged something with the Jump start from my other car. After being on the phone from Fiat they said they don't recommend jumping from another car

The overall result from the call with fiat with them was get it towed to a dealer

 

[Aco19812003]

What happened to your car? As I am having the same issue as yours?

 

[FiatCares]

What happened to your car? As I am having the same issue as yours?

We're sorry to hear that you are experiencing this concern. If you would like any additional assistance, our team is always available via private message!

Alison
FiatCares

 

[CDPond]

We're sorry to hear that you are experiencing this concern. If you would like any additional assistance, our team is always available via private message!
Alison
FiatCares

Alison, it's great that you're cruising the owner forum, but you really need to spend a few moments to read the contents of a thread before you reply to it. In this case, the OP is from the UK, and some of your fellow staff have provided him with contact info for Fiat support in England. And no one has heard back from him in six months, so we have no idea if it was resolved or not, and if resolved, how. That's what the latest poster was enquiring about, and that person is in the Philippines. Perhaps you can provide him with contact info for Fiat support in that country?

 

[Arthur]

Batteries !!!!