Drive Box bypass
 

try this question over on renntrack.com
that's JUST the racecar folks over there

Yes there is. A company called Specialized ECU repairs in Florida can provide you with an ECU that does not need the immobilizer. They are not cheap however. I think you will find them at Specialized ECU Repair, Replacement, & Testing - Restore or Exchange your Electronic Control Unit (ECU)

Laurie

Can't you just get the ECU re-flashed to remove this function?

Immobilizer bypass
 

Happy I could help. You could also look on eBay. Often you will find a package of ECU, immobilizer and key for $600.

Adding a chip? I bet you can get a ROW flash that eliminates the immobilzer for around that price.

From Pedro's website The DME
I'm sure Brad can point you to a resource as well. It's all in the software, adding a sim is not a good solution.

I believe they actually replace the chip that reads and runs the immobilizer system rather than "adding" a chip. I have no idea weather it can be flashed externally or not but I suspect that they are effectively flashing the chip to build the replacement.

I guess $675 to make something NOT work seems expensive to me:)

Ecu Doctor
 

The EcuDoc’s bypass emit’s a signal that tells the Ecu that it is on all of the time. It does not “Mimic a recognized key's RFID and in order to supply the info when 'requested' by the in-dash RF transceiver security system.” EcuDoc puts something under the CPU, which emulates the Immobilizer Signal for the car to start without the remote's input. Ecudoctors

Pedro says he “can now reprogram a DME to completely eliminate the immobilizer and all the wiring associated with it.” However, with the Pedro cure you lose your windows working. But Pedro suggests:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro if it turns out to be the ... the CLU (Central Locking Unit), not the Immobilizer, (that) is wet. Try removing the driver's seat and then the CLU. Disconnect it from its harness, remove it from the car and open the case. Remove the printed circuit board and dunk it in a shallow recipient and cover it with isopropyl alcohol. Shake it well so the alcohol penetrates all the spaces, in particular between the chips and connections. Then, let it dry. You can accelerate the drying by using a hair dryer in the cool mode. Dry out the inside of the case if it had humidity and put everything back together. If it was water causing the problem, it should now work fine. We have saved many CLUs this way.

Pedro on CLUs

Pedro makes it sound like the Clu is different than the Immobilizer, but I only remember one box under my seat. In this bypass scenario the original system might still work if the immobilizer bypass failed, because if it did not get a signal from the bypass, it could still receive the signal from Porsche.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jittsl (Post 287388) I guess $675 to make something NOT work seems expensive to me:)

Just like life insurance.

The Porsche dealer says it costs $3,000.00 to replace the drive box with new keys and installation. I have seen a Kauai car where they paid $3,100.00 earlier this month. Immobilizer replacements are a lucrative side business for dealers because they are covered under comprehensive on most auto insurance policies.

Good info Sumflow.

Leave it to someone in Florida to have the method to resurrect a repeatedly wet control module.

One question - Is this car still street driven or is it a dedicated racecar?

Racecar spelled backwards is still racecar.
 

The short answer is - Yes, there is a difference.

You really don't need the Central Locking Unit, Imobilizer or windows that roll up or down on a racecar. Read the rules of your class then rip out everything you can, you can always add weight back later.

The box under the seat has two control units in it.

Real racing
 

The car in front at the finish wins. That is if the theft control module will let you start the car in the first place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxD (Post 288759) The short answer is - Yes, there is a difference. You really don't need the Central Locking Unit, Immobilizer or windows that roll up or down on a racecar. Read the rules of your class then rip out everything you can, you can always add weight back later.

I don't see why a car would need a Central Locking Unit or Immobilizer on the street or the track. As long as the windows still worked. You could rip out the other stuff and go undetected on the street and track. Especially if its only real function is to lock the driver out of there own car. I don't see why it matters where the car is driven as long as you finish in front. These boxes do not help us do that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxD (Post 287854) One question - Is this car still street driven or is it a dedicated racecar?

What I thought you were going to get into was the philosophical, "Is this car street driven or is it a dedicated racecar?" Which of course leads to the car being a street driven dedicated racecar, used for pleasure as compared to menial transportation. Dedicated to having fun and winning the occasional dice under natural conditions. Real racing is street racing against strangers, with all of its unknowns and unexpected thrills thrown in. No one is fooled, racing under some supposed self appointed authority, on an artificial simulated street is "pretend." It is just make believe racing.

* Auto racing began 5 minutes after the second car was built. ~ Henry Ford

* A racing car has only one objective: to win motor races. If it does not do this it is nothing but a waste of time, money, and effort. ~ Colin Chapman: Inside the Innovator

Five minutes after the second car was built there was no authority, no fake road courses, but there was real racing. Real racing came before, and is not dependent on authority or closed circuits. The racecar build objective is to finish in front, not just finish in front with some parental organizations approval, on a phony course. Why do you enjoy passing?

While this has nothing to do with your drive box problems, please don't street race. You post indicates that street racing is the only true race. Just last Christmas a 7 year old girl was struck by a car in our town when two clowns were trying to look cool street racing. Her parents later were forced to pull the plug when her brain activity ceased. There is a reason why racing is sanctioned under authority and practiced on closed circuits.



As for your belief that anything other than street racing is fake, I suggest you try your hand at F1, Gt3, Lemans, or hell, even the much criticized Nascar. Come back when you win. Yeah, anyone can mash the peddle and go fast driving on the street, but it takes refined skills to be a competent and skilled driver on the track. We all have our own opinions of racing which is totally one's prerogative, but I assure you it is no "pretend" or "fake" skill on the track. You truly crossed a line when you called these pros that could and would leave you in the dust in any race, "phony."

Road racing
 

is there are very big different.

Yeah, that is something any rational person can agree upon. Track conditions don't reflect upon ideal every day conditions. Just a misunderstanding you could say. ;) Nonetheless, I urge others not to drive recklessly in public conditions.

This thread is somewhat hijacked and should go back to helping out the poor guy's drive box. Sumflow, please keep us updated, as I am interested in finding out what solution works for the faulty drive box.:cool:

Sorry Sumflow but you just don't get it. A racetrack is an arena where two or more gladiators can duke it out without taking out someone's innocent grandmother or 4 yr old daughter in the process. It's simply a mayhem containment vessel. :) We don't do cage fighting in our momma's kitchen, and we don't go racing where someone's little precious might be walking home from school.

Racing on public roads is just :chicken:

Gladiators arena
 

Yes, that was a tragic accident. What year was that accident at Le Mans? 1955? Has anything as terrible as that happened since? In 1955 they still ran a foot race to their cars for the start and many didn't even wear seatbelts. Those spectators knew there was a race going on and volunteered (paid tickets) to be there. They weren't just out walking their dog on a country road at night.

Yes, safety has come a long long way in 1/2 a century and race track owners have made it much safer for both drivers and spectators. It is an excellent place to hold a speed contest unlike public roads where you cannot control who else is on it. Is it still a dangerous sport? Racing is always dangerous. Don't get it twisted Sumflow. Race tracks are about controlling who is on the track and containing the mayhem. It's not about corporations at a local level at all. When Penske or McLaren calls you up to race for them... THEN it is about the money. :)

I still have hope for you yet. It took me the loss of two friends and one in a permanent wheelchair to figure out how truly :chicken: street racing is. Perhaps you will figure it out before your own sister or daughter is killed by someone you know who is just out doing a little "real" racing in your neighborhood. :barf:

Permission to start
 

Anytime. Hope it all works out for you.

In my case (for my race car) they built me a replacement DME that had no dependence on the Drive Box at all. My ECU does not wait for a signal so I was ale to remove the drive Box and the key. Works great for a race car and saves a bunch of weight.

Do you have more details on this, as I want to do the same in my race car.
Did they just alter your stock box or supply you with a new one? Can you still push custom programs to it like the Softronic to go with other engine upgrades etc? And can I ask what it cost?

Contact ECU specialists for pricing (I provided a link in my first post on this subject) I honestly cant remember. It wasn't cheap.

In my case they provided me with a replacement DMI and I sent them mine once it was installed. I think I paid some sort of deposit.

I know that the ECU in my case is absolutely stock (as it has to be for my class) but I believe that there is no physical/programming change made to the ECU component. I would therefore believe that you should be able to make any changes to the new box that you made to the old box. You can probably send them your current box (if it is already modified) and ask them not to alter it. The alarm system and the engine control functions are in a shared box but do not actually share componentry or programming.

Permission to start
 

Result!