attempted theft....
 

hey guys, last night somebody thought it would be fun to steal my 2003 jeep tj, however all they succeeded in doing was causing a bunch of damage to my console, sso i went out , fount the the thing u put the key in kinda stuck it all back together and tried to start it , to my surprise it actually went, however, only ran about 3 seconds they stalled again, since my jeep doesnt ever do that i stoped there, is there something that would cause it to stall again, some sort of safety switch or something, just wondering if there is something i can do, or pay the 50 bucks and get it towed to the garage, any help is appreciated,
thanks
peter

Re: attempted theft....
 

Being a 2003 there is a chance that your jeep has a transponder in the key which is a small chip in the key head which "talks" with a module in the ECU, if the key is not coded the car will not turn over, what you should do is get the new ignition rekeyed to your original key as the chip in that is coded to your car.

If you don't want your original key to work it you will have to go to a Jeep dealer or a locksmith that can do auto work, and they will be able to code the key for you.

To check if your car does have a transponder have a look around the ignition, does the ring around it have a wire coming out of it?

Re: attempted theft....
 

nope i didnt see a wire, and i can start it, but it only runs for about 3 seconds then shuts off again..

Re: attempted theft....
 

thats what makes me think its a transponder, becuase it only runs for a couple of seconds then stops.
you can try holding the original key next to the new one when turning the ignition so if it is a transponder it can read the code off the original key, though sometimes with 2 chips next to each other it wont work.

does your key look like this Google Image Result for http://thmb.inkfrog.com/thumbn/JOEFRIDAY2/chrysler_y160_nologo.jpg

Re: attempted theft....
 

ok, i think i may have confused you here, it is still the busted one i am using, yes my key does look like that one, and i still had all the parts , when they tried to steal it, they couldnt get it going, so when i found it, i went out, hoping i could drive it to the garage, so i put the pieces back together pretty much, and used the key, while i kinda had to hold everything in place , it did turn over and did start, but wont stay going, i know i am being a bit difficult but i really dont know much about what i am talking about.. sorry for that.. i was just hoping maybe i could reset something and it would stay going, kinda like when your battery goes dead on some cars and u need to push a bunch of buttons on your stereo to get it going again, just hoping some sort of thing might be the same..

just hoping so i dont have to pay for the tow,

Re: attempted theft....
 

It sounds like the car isn't recognising the key so the antenna around the ignition might be damaged or even unpluged.

is there a light on your dash that looks like a key with a line through it? if there is turn your key to the ON possition without turning the car on, does the light go out or does it stay on or flash?

Re: attempted theft....
 

ohh ok , now that makes sense, the cover where the key goes in, was gona altogether, and i found the insides on the floor, so whatever was connected is not connected anymore, i will look for the flashing key, and see if maybe i can reconnect that wire,

that for putting up with the sketchy details, hopefully i can figure something out from there, if not i know where to ask, thanks again

Re: attempted theft....
 

as long as you have all the parts there you have a chance of getting it to start, atleast then you can drive it to the jeep dealership instead of getting it towed.

Goodluck with it.

Re: attempted theft....
 

Hey Peter......don't you have insurance?

Re: attempted theft....
 

yeah i do, but its 500 deductable, so unless its gonna get into the thousands, i dont think it would be worth my while.