4 replies to this topic

[Johnmar]

Hi all,

 

I'm in the process of restoring our '93 mini Tahiti 1.3i (SPI) that we have own from new. (see: http://www.theminifo...ti-restoration/ for the project topic). Everything is stripped down and the body is hanging in a rotisserie.
As the original loom ('93) has seen beter days, I want to replace it with a '95-'96 loom utilizing the advantage of having the fuzebox in the cabin, ditching all those dreaded in line fuses. I had obtained a '95-'96 loom about 20 years ago at a show in the UK. Looking at it now, it appears to have the ECU, relais box and even the immobilizer / alarm, but it misses the keyfobs.

As our '93 never had an immobilizer it was factory fitted with the MNE101040 standaard non cooper ECU. Many years ago this ECU was exchanged by me by a MNE101070 uncoded Cooper ECU. (so I swapped a "sprite" ECU for a cooper ECU). Worked like a charm. As these ECU's are uncoded I never thought of the keyfobs (or the immobilizer itself). I did some reading this week and on cars with an factory immobilizer, the immobilizer code is programmed into the ECU, thereby pairing up the ECU and immobilizer: without the immobilizer code the ECU will not (fully) work: the immobilizer cuts of the power to the fuelpump (via the ECU) preventing it from getting fuel(pressure) and thereor running.   

As I want to use the '95 loom (because of the internal fusebox) and don't have all parts for the immobilizer (key fobs) or know if they are correctly pared or if they function at all, I don't want to use the immobilizer and it's paired ECU (MNE101150), but use my old uncoded ECU (MNE101070 "cooper" or the MNE10140 "sprite")

So I don't want to bypass the immobilizer (as in: using an ECU with an immobilizer code without the imobilizer).
I want to use a standard '93 ECU (that has always ran without an immobilizer) in combination with a '95 loom (that host the connection for an immobilizer) without installing the immobilizer. Can this be done and if so, need I make any alteration(s) to the loom to operate/run this '93 mini (and non immobilzer aware ECU) without the immobilizer?

 

sources:

 

 ROVER MINI ANTI-THEFT ALARM - WIRING DIAGRAMS PAGE 20.PDF

 

 

 

http://www.theminifo...ttach_id=193837

As the car is completly in bits, I have no means to test this and rebuilding a SPI without is already daunting by itself (will it start? If not what could be wrong) without the ingredient of an immobilizer and ECU without history or any keyfobs.

(Hmm, this must be the topic on this forum that has the most times "immobilizer" in it ;)

(If you have information that could help/you want to share that you find to sensitive for an open forum, please feel free to contact me via PM).

 

 

Kind regards,

Johnmar

(The Netherlands)

Edited by Johnmar, 02 October 2020 - 10:04 AM.

[xrocketengineer]

I think that what you are trying to do might  already exist. Look at the 1997 Japanese SPI Mini, page 18 of the PDF for the MEMS. It should have the same fuse box you have but no immobiliser. Be aware that it might have the two connector ECU like the MPI.

 

http://www.theminifo...ttach_id=193892

 

The Japanese SPI Minis never had the immobiliser, so on the pre 1995 models, my understanding is that, a grey box would plug in place of the immobiliser and it would just be a set of jumpers to get the signals back to where they needed to go. That is the part you will need to invent.

On my Japanese Mini, I replaced an MNE101070 with an "uncoded" (during the rebuild) MNE101170 and it works perfectly.   

 

Good luck!

[Johnmar]

Yesterday I was told that the 95-96 loom does have a fusebox with spade fuses, but they seem to be located under the bonnet (and not the cabin). The "in cabin" fusebox was used for the MPI mini's.
 

Reading the reply form xrocketengineer (thank you for that!)  I "only" need to bridge the wires that the imobilizer box reconnect after disarming. That is also what my assumption was as I should not need to worry about the digital lines to and from the ECU (for sending the code from the immobilizer to the ECU) 
So I'll print out any circuit wiring plan (of the SPI's) and try to figure out what is being interrupted and restored via the immobilizer.

Still a bit daunting as I'm doing a lot at once:

- performing a total restoration on the car, (body, engine and wiring)
- changing/combining wiring looms using my non-immobilizer coded ECU

- Build a bridge-box to connect to the immobilizer harness plug reconnecting the wires that the immobilizer interrupts (when armed)

 

of course this introduces a lot of variables and possible gremlins that need to be hunted down when the mini is put back together and it doesn't start/run afterwards.
Or I should I

a) patch-up the current wiring loom, extending all wires to the underbody fusebox and the inline fuses and to the relais to the cabin relocating all fuses and relay from underbonnet to in the car.
b) patch-up the current wiring loom, replacing the current glass fusebox and the inline fuses and to one fusebox with spade fuses and relocate all the relais all to one place underbonnect.

 

I'm pondering what to do here. Any advise is more than welcome...

 

 

What to do? I'm pondering which route to take. Any advise is more than welcome...

Edited by Johnmar, 13 October 2020 - 02:06 PM.

[FlyingScot]

Personally in your position I would do option b. Repair the loom and use heat shrink to seal all the repairs extending as necessary and get a new fusebox with extra blade fuses.

 

I wouldn't use a Cooper ECU on a non Cooper car because the fuel look up maps arent the same (as you probably know the pistons are different between the two giving a different compression ratio).

 

There were a few model/country combinations which didnt use the factory immobilisers (5AS) as Xrocketengineer has pointed out Japan being one of them and they have a kind of Dummy 5AS box (if you open it it doesn't have the usual chip on the circuit board).

 

You can get ECUs changed to be uncoded and of course code 5AS and ECU and key fobs but that all needs money or access to the right equipment (the matching and key fob coding is easy -, I do it for our club. The uncoding needs more specialist stuff)

 

Option b is under your control and probably cheapest in my opinion

 

FS

[brivinci]

I have thought about this as well. I have a 94 for 4 glass fuses and a million TERRIBLE inline fuses that have given me so much grief over there years. My brothers 95 has the blade fuse box in the engine bay. Would LOVE to switch over and like the idea of it being original(ish). Sounds like it could be a pain though. There are plug and play options that get rid of the glass fuse holders out there. Look up wired by Wilson. It does not get you past the rest though.