E36 alarm issues

[Baked_bean]

Hi Guys,

My car is driving me mad, i have a 1998 e36 328i and i let the battery run very flat over winter.

I have fitted a new battery to the car but i don't seem to be able to 'mobilise the car', all the electrics work on the car (including central locking) appear to work.

I have tried fiddling with keys positions etc that people have suggested in posts and unplugged the actual alarm unit but i still can't get the car to start!

Any ideas on what i could do?

The unit says M30 on it and has the ac38 remote so i believe is a 3T alarm? I cannot find any systems to reprogram the key or a new key currently as i think this may be the issue?

Regards

[TheEnd]

If you were cranking it when the battery died, you can end up scrambling the key codes.
If you have a spare key, you can try that.

[Baked_bean]

I have tried both keys i have with the car. I only have one fob, as far as I can work out the problem relates to the sigma fob not the key. Im hoping someone knows how to reprogram or bypass the alarm.

I am based in Cambridgeshire if that helps with regards to specialists etc.

[wildoliver]

If it's an aftermarket unit, (usually easy to spot because it has a remote of some sort, be it a fob or dongle with a manufacturer other than the car on it somewhere, in your case that seems to be true) they are very easy to remove, even if fitted by dealer as once you have found the alarm box it is a simple job to re connect the wires the alarm splits.

Put simply immobilisers take an existing circuit (usually one or more of: Fuel pump, ignition, starter) and put a switch in line with it that activating the immobiliser will make the connection, they are absolutely useless at stopping a determined thief, the only person they tend to hamper is the owner when the bloody things pack up, hence why I always remove them from my cars just like locking wheel nuts (another source of annoyance).

It should take you about an hour to remove it properly, you will need a soldering iron (fairly high powered one) some solder, side cuts, possibly some wire, insulating tape or shrink wrap.

[Baked_bean]

It is an aftermarket unit, i have done some research and belive it was fitted by the dealer when the car was first registered and is common across most E36 BMW's.

I have found the box behind the glovebox but i am not confident with the wiring aspect although i did try unplugging the unit (to no avail), might be a job for a mobile auto electrician?

Thanks for the help so far.

[ajf]

The alarm is a rebrand of a sigma alarm find your local sigma dealer should be able to help.
The alarm only has 2 circuits for immoberliser so can be got rounfd if need

[Baked_bean]

I shall look into it after the weekend. I can't drive the car so would need to get someone mobile to help sort it.

What a massive pain in the backside.

[ch427]

This may help, i had a friends 1993 e36 for a few days after a flat battery caused a non start condition that I could not get to the bottom of. I gave in and he sent an auto electrician to look over it, he turned the key and it started first time!
Sounds silly but try disconnecting the battery again it may reset something.

http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f74/e36-alarm-...