# Fiat Red Key Worries



## trehern (May 11, 2005)

Does anyone know the make of engine ECU for a 1999 2.8 tdi Ducato i.e. whether this would be a Bosch, Magneti Marelli or Hitachi unit or specifically where the ECU is located within the engine bay.

My imported Hymermobil B-series came without the Red key and I have recently been trying to obtain duplicate coded keys. I have found a company who can reset the ECU and key codes and provide a replacement red key & 2 new duty keys, provided that the ECU is a Bosch or Magneti Marelli unit.

For anyone who's interested the company is Radio Code man of Fakenham in Norfolk - weblink http://www.radiocodeman.co.uk/fiat-red-key.htm.

Alternatively Car Audio Services in Sheffield can provide the same service for £170 - weblink http://www.codeman.org/fiat.html and they featured in a recent Car Mechanics magazine article.

For those living in the southeast AES of Brentwood in Essex provide a mobile replacement and reprogramming service - weblink - http://www.lostcarkeys.co.uk/

Does anyone reading this thread have any first hand experience of the services that these companies claim to provide ?


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## camoyboy (May 9, 2005)

Hi Trehern,
I believe the ECU is fixed to the bulkhead behind the engine, towards the battery end. The manufacturers label is usually quite easy to see on the unit.
Hope this will help you locate it.
Colin


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## trehern (May 11, 2005)

Thanks for the info Camoyboy, I'll have a closer look for the ECU at the weekend.

Just out of interest - is Long Stratton finally going to get its long awaited bypass ?

Cheers

Trehern


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## camoyboy (May 9, 2005)

Hi Trehern,
They should start work on the by-pass in spring 2007, subject to all the funds being available. Fortunately for us it goes the other side on the village to where we live.
Regards,
Colin


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## Enodreven (Aug 29, 2005)

Hi 
I have just checked my hand book and on my Ducato 2004/5 model it only comes with 2 keys either 2 identical ones with no press buttons on them but they apprantly have built in senders ? that are picked up by the igniton circuit to dissarm the imobilisor, or you get one the same and another with the press buttons if you have lock remote control ? and if the vehicle had been shipped in europe it should of had a CODE card with the keys but if it was shipped in the UK at the behest of the motor insurance Companies is not provided and if you have a problem you need to ring your nearest Fiat dealership or ring 0800 717000

hope this helps ?


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## trehern (May 11, 2005)

Thanks Enodreven,

but I think that your Bessacar has the revised arrangement of code by card which Fiat were forced to adopt following repeated moans from Insurance companies with regard to the problems of lost Red Master Keys (which contain the unique code for re-setting the ECU). 

Historically, a lost red master key resulted in a requirement to replace the keys, locks, immobiliser and ECU from Fiat at a cost of between £800 and £1000. Luckily for you a lost keycode card does not spell danger as a trip to your dealer with the chassis number and registration document should allow for them to identify the appropriate code.

For those of us with a missing Red Key, the best option is to have the existing code in the ECU wiped and a new Red code key (and duty keys) provided by one of the Radio code specialists which re-programmes the ECU with a new code. Quite a few companies appear to be able to do this now.

I would just like to see some feedback from somebody that's had it done - surely there's someone out there !!!?


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## smokingdragon (Apr 27, 2006)

Hi Treherne

I have the same problem as you no red key, but worse than that a very unreliable immobiliser.

Apparently you can get the ECU recoded but I couldn't find the ECU on my 2000 Benimar 2.8itd. I have had the dash out battery out etc, still no ECU.

The only other option is to modify the fuel pump. If yours is the same as mine, the code box recognises the key and sends a signal to the ECU, which in turn sends a signal to a electro magnet that surrounds the stop solenoid on the pump. It looks like a block of black plastic with 3 wires going into it. The secret is to 'hack the plastic shroud off, take out the 2 shear bolts with grips and then attach the middle wire of the 3 wires directly to the solenoid. This will then give 12v from the ignition to the solenoid and allow fuel to / from the pump and the engine will start.

To the side of the steering wheel ther is a yellow box with 2 plugs going to it, the smaller one is from the arial / induction loop that reads the key, the bigger plug you take out and that stops the key symbol displaying.

This is going to happen to my van next Thursday. The downside of this is that you no longer have an immobiliser and have to get a 3rd party one fitted.

I'll let you know if this is successful.

Simon


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## 99691 (Jun 17, 2006)

My ducato is Left Hand Drive and left the factory in 2001 I think. It was sold as a 2002 model by Bavaria so I am not sure which side of the pre/post 2002 Ducato divide it actually falls. More likely to be pre, I suppose.

Anyway, I discovered what I thought was the KeyCode ECU on mine on the steering column very close to the sensor that checks the key. I was checking alarm/immobiliser wiring at the time and had removed the plastic covers around the sterring column switches. It was under there.

Actually, I see that to give it its correct name, what I discovered was the key code block which sends signals to the ECU confirming the engine can start if the code block agrees the code in the key.

Surely it is this code block that has to be replaced/reprogrammed/flashed when new keys and codes are obtained with a new red key, and not the engine bay (?) ECU.

A picture of the code block I found on mine is as shown at http://www.codeman.org/fiat_code_block.html

The numbers were almost identical too, but as I said, on my Ducato it is to be found on the steering column.


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## smokingdragon (Apr 27, 2006)

Hi

The code box and the ECU have to be matched, so if you want the immobiliser to work again, both the code box and the ECU have to be flashed.

You can have the ECU flashed so that it doesn't need a code, you then need a new immobiliser, or you get the fuel pump modified (as I did) and again you need an aftermarket immoliser/alarm.

On my 2000 based Ducato I couldn't find the immobiliser.

Good Luck

Simon 8)


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## 108206 (Nov 10, 2007)

Really couldnt tell you you for sure but another option for the sout east is
a company called The Auto Locksmith

They can also help with Lost Car keys

Im pretty sure they will be able to recode the ECU and supply you with a new set of keys


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