I have recently moved to Devon and I have bought my self drive classic car hire business with me. As Devon is the land of hills, lanes and beaches (I'm from the land locked Midlands) I have added a 1997 Jeep Wrangler to my hire fleet, I'm not sure but I guess I'm the only one offering a wrangler for self drive hire.
Sadly at the moment my jeep is immobile. It seems the immobilizer is not sending a signal to the ecu so the jeep will start for a moment and then die. I am being told that the solution is to get a replacement ecu that is not tied to an immobilizer but I have no idea where to get one in the UK - I've searched the web but I can't find a Jeep specialist. Any ideas would be welcome it would be great to offer the Jeep for hire this summer.
Thanks
Steve
Something is a bit amiss there. The SKIM option was not available on the 97 TJ for domestic use. I've never heard of it being available for export versions. If it is the SKIM system though, don't keep trying to start it. After a certain number of attempts, it will lock you completely out and it won't even turn the engine over.
There are a few solutions. Easiest is to acquire a new PCM and disconnect the SKIM module in the steering column which will make the rig act like it never had the SKIM. If you go that route, unplug the module first before installing the PCM. If you plug the PCM in with the module in place, it will activate the SKIM function and you'll be right back where you started.
Second option is to pull the ignition, the SKIM module, and the PCM and ship to someone who has access to a DRB and a similar rig. That way the system can be diagnosed and reprogrammed with keys or similar. I've done that before for a gent that lived in the Virgin Islands and lost his SKIM key. He had a non SKIM key to get the ignition cylinder out so he sent all three to me, I installed them in a rig, had keys cut and programmed, and the module tied into his PCM. That worked perfectly to solve his issue.
Another thing that would help is a picture of your ignition keys and the build date of the TJ. It may be a very late 97 which would help to understand how it wound up with the SKIM system.
When it dies, there should be a signal on the instrument cluster that lights up which is a key with the circle and slash. It should die within 3 seconds of starting.
There are also reports of a few US PCM aftermarket companies that work on them that can turn the SKIM function off. That has not been possible up until a year or two ago and I have no personal experience with it.
In the owner's manual is a section on how to program a 3rd key if you have two good ones. I always keep 3 for each of my rigs so I can program a 3rd if I lose one. See if you can find that section.
