Nissan Dealer Says: "Needs a BCM!"...or Does It? (NATS-Immobilizer No-Start P1610-P1614) 

Diagnostic tools required: Scanner, PicoScope, AES Wave Key Tool, LED Antenna Reader, Working Nissan (a huge ask!)

What surprised me was that the dealer called both parts as bad. I would expect the dealer to get one part, but both parts is very good. Hat's off NISSAN. And BTW, NISSAN charged him $400 just for the diagnosis. Parts and replacement would have probably been over $2,500.

Most likely corrupt data in the eeprom memory on the bcm. Could try to virginize it and try do a reprogramming. Need good backup of eeprom and some tools to do it though .

Wilbert's?

2 schools of thought. A. I think Nissan has seen this before, and knew from experience that both parts are bad. I doubt they tore this car down and scoped the components as Ivan did. B. As a non dealer tech with limited knowledge of the system, I think Ivan used a very scientific approach with scope diagnostics to prove each part was indeed bad! IDK how else it could be done. I'm VERY glad he didn't plug the old antenna in! LOL. Side note: It seemed the car tried to start with the 1st ebay antenna, maybe it was just the audio. Could the OE BCM be locked out from multiple attempts of cranking but not seeing the NATS signal? Just thinking out loud..

Very good job everybody in the world needs a good mechanic like this man

I had the sister car to this, a G35, have the craziest failure. You could turn the ignition on but then not turn off. You had to disconnect the battery to get the ignition to turn off. Turned out to be the internal relay to the ignition inside the IPDM was stuck on.

More proof that eventually, none of these "modern" cars will be running at some point in the near future due to electronics unavailability.

Ivan has many fake hot babe youtube account bots watching his videos the minute he posts them! Are these bots AI?? They are creepy.

Pretty interesting. The $400 to repair it at the dealer - I doubt it. It probably cost him at least 100 just to get it towed out of there, 400 to get it running would have been a bargain.

I had a problem with my 2009 Ford Focus .I turned the key and nothing turn it off and it would start It got progressively worse There is a mechanical linkage from the key cylinder to the electrical connector that goes bad over time .I had a Auto locksmith replace it He had a 09 escape with the same problem with the same part # in for repair later that day

Hi Ivan, Nice you could get the 350Z running again. I think you need a ratcheting right angle screwdriver to replace those NATS antennas. Stay safe.

of course ''service writers'' have the most knowledge no troubleshooting just maximum profit is all they need to know. even if parts not required or available.

Is this similar to the last overseas student that left their car at the accommodation while overseas. They seem to be well off for students, going home often and owning fancy cars.

Lol,my 66 plain jane straight 6 chevy pickup looks so good to me everytime i see one of these crazy electrical videos

I had a good idea that when you replaced the first antenna and it didn't work there was going to be more......We still had over half of the video left to go. It isn't often we get to hear that the dealer was right; 99% of the time they aren't, at least on your channel. I don't think it is a good idea to be removing parts from your wife's car; transmission failures, unfortunate rodents, squeaky belts that weren't installed correctly. Come on Ivan, you've put that young lady through enough. GREAT VIDEO!

Another great video for the books.

what hope is there for someone that takes good care of a car and wants to make it last if they dont even make parts for a car that is only 20 years old. Sure junkyard but their is a good chance thats why those cars are in the junk yard.

These systems to me defy logic . Why? They must have been designed by some government entity, totally redundant but do it anyway and never admit it was ludicrous. I’m done ranting now. Nice work as always Ivan. 👍👍🇺🇸

Well we know the BCM didn't fry the antenna at least.

Good morning

Super interesting video!!! Do these systems create more headaches snd expense, or do they stop more thieves? I mean, from a non-thief's perspective, it seems cars would be impossible to steal - and yet I know it happens in spite of this complexity😢

I'd like to say I was watching this by the light of the silvery moon. But I was watching this by LED light powered by a 1200W inverter powered by a lithium battery back-powering an outlet in my garage through a suicide cord. At least it's a pure sine wave inverter :-) Thanks Hurricane Helene from Ohio. Maybe it's finally time to get a whole house inverter with battery backup and solar input.

The owner thinks Ivan speaks jibberish too every question you ask he says 400 bucks 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 interesting video Thanks💰💰💰

Not your usual diagnostic, Ivan! Quite challenging to figure out and impossible without a scope! Other Nissans at hand were very helpful to figure out the unusual behavior of the immobilizer. For a change, the dealer was right!! Luckily customer had a working used BCM and all went well afterwards. It's so annoying to see a perfectly working car risk getting trashed, just because modules are no longer available from manufacturer. But, one day, used parts will run out too...

Another score! Really appreciate the geeking out on the components that are not documented and reverse engineering the system. Also really feel for the guys who try to diagnose but have no “known goods” to compare.

dealers also know what the most common problems are they get info from manufacturer data base.

Nissan mechanic know his Nissan it’s about tendency every make hast their very own as they older

Ivan NYC in the house always watch your video so much information.

Not often does Ivan say The dealer was right ! That's because the dealers aren't often right .

It was a beached turtle 🐢 Ivan to the rescue!!

In the early 2000's I worked at a Nissan dealer. On the 350Z you needed an access code from Nissan to program a key. The code changed frequently and you had to be a dealer to access it. If you entered the wrong code twice, the control module would brick and you had to wait 2 weeks for the module to unlock, or you could send it to Nissan to reset it sooner. Looks like luckily they changed that by 2006.

Blue smoke and low compression... should have scrapped the junk and made $200 instead of spending $200

Another dealership trying to pushing indirectly for them to buy a new vehicle!a scare price scam. These dealerships are hurting bad to sale

Ivan. Where on earth did you acquire so much knowledge. Have watched all you vids and I cannot find any where wherby you cannot fix any vehicle. Outstanding diag as per normal. These vids are amazing how you approach every problem. Dave in Guernsey, Channel Islands.

That was interesting, makes a change for the dealer to be right, wonder if they just guessed...

Great Datsun video

Ivan have you every tryed a used part out of a junk yard, I've had good luck doing that.

Cool video!

First!

Thanks for posting Ivan. Very complicated system that you explained to help the rest of us understand the basics of anti theft systems

Looked almost like the original bcm was shorting the clock and data lines together, fascinating stuff. I enjoyed this, thanks for sharing!

Another win for the dealer being right. Pine hollow loss for doubting them😂

Enjoy your weekend with all your family around you,Ivan,Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics 👍 SHREWD,Ivan,Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics Ivan,Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics, take care From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧 ⏰️ 18:14pm Good Evening the 🌞 is out 🌞 👌

Hi Ivan, this problem of not being able to buy parts for an older car is crazy, the auto companies should be required to allow their parts to be quality made by other companies when they stop making the replacements. I'm sure autos were junked just because replacement modules were not available. Rich

These modern cars get more and more ridiculous every year. It really is disgusting the way that these automakers are designing these things and selling these cars with known defects and then suspiciously have part shortages for the known defects, thus raising the price for the parts.

I don't know why the use of that immobilizer anyway, just a pain in the neck when they go bad, because a professional thiefs can steal your car easally even with that security system, I know a lady her car got stollen from driveway in front of house, and many people the same thing happen to them, the best security is the old school one, lock the steering wheel or put a boot or more on the tires, or both.

yet another example of a security system securing itself against its owner. Inexcusable. It's a crappy design.

Soon their be lot of used cars for sale buyer beaware they could of been in a Flood in Florida the electronic maybe destroyed and may have electrical problems

At least some people will pay the bill. One of the guys I know is a mobile mechanic too. He worked on a customer vehicle. The customer waved a $100.00 bill and told him. That's all I have 😅😅 I told him, pull the ecm and walk away.

You did a lot of editing to bring this one to us. Well done.

Well, this is pretty interesting. I've got a similar year Infinity sitting in the lot. Recovered theft, missing key. It's push button start. I haven't actually looked at it yet. But the locksmith that came out to make a new key for it says the new key has been cut and the key fob has been programmed, but it's a no crank, no start issue now. These too have a NATS ring for the start button. And for some reason, someone removed the start button assembly from the dash. I just hope the antenna wasn't damaged in the process.

We have gone insane. We allowed the car industry to add sooo many mouse traps, bells and whistles to our vehicles for a 1000 different reasons. nobody expected what the engineers did would fail. BAD NEWS... electronics circuits have LIMITS. even arcing and sparking your battery during a jump start can cause latent damage to semiconductor junctions, or outright burn them up after a sparking incident. Ivan hook up your scope to a power supply and test load..then tap your alligator clip on the load and make it spark. What you will see on your scope will be scary.😮

I KNEW before I clicked you'd be able to diagnose/fix it. I hope the owner let you test drive it.:o) Thanks Ivan!

Your diagnostic skills. analysis and thought processes shone brightly on this repair. I had my fingers crossed at the end saying to myself -no Ivan DO NOT try the old NATS - a sigh of relief when you opted not to risk it. Well done my friend...well done.

All that garbage hanging off the keys. Ive had to replace my daughter truck key cylinder twice now. Because of the garbage. The cylinder gets worn out and then the keys fall out. 😅😅

Good fix on this one. My 06 Frontier came with programmable keys, but they were not programmed and it ran that way. Interesting! My 2020 RAV4 definitely needs a programmed FOB.

You are good at what you do. I have a 2014 BMW X6 35i. When the car gets hot and I’m driving on the highway and I accelerate to a higher speed the car stutters. If I’m driving at a normal speed it’s fine. What do you think it could be. I changed the spark plugs and coils.

Why not mail off the ECU to UpRev and delete the NATS? On older Nissans NATS is more trouble than it's worth. Nissan dealers have monetizing rather than fixing problems down to a fine art.

In my 2002 model Holden VY SS Commodore it has an actual metal plate which reads the key which sends a signal to the body control module then data is sent from that to the powertrain interface module then to the VATS (vehicle anti theft system) part of the PCM (powertrain control module) which enables the engine to start. I have noticed that if the key blade is loose inside of the transponder module which is also used to unlock & Lock the doors as well as to arm & disarm the anti theft system that the starter motor won't attempt to crank over the engine because the key blade is the ground for the module. The car is 22 years old this year & sometimes the original key won't open the door whereas my 10-12 year old key which replaced the other original key will,I will open the door with the newer key & somehow if I start the engine with the "dead" key it will then remember how to unlock the doors. I think that the non replaceable battery is going flat inside of it,I could probably modify it to accept replaceable lithium ion coin batteries I want to get those VGate transponder programmers to reprogram a transponder unit(s) which are made in China now because Holden obviously don't make parts for my car anymore & a lot of the GM parts such as door locks, ignition barrel repair kits, ignition switches & those transponder units are made in China anyway for GM. I am pretty sure that the replacement key blade & transponder unit that I bought over a decade ago is made in China as well, the VGate programmer will save me going to a locksmith to have the new key cut & programmed !

Brilliant, was worth watching just to see the guys reaction to his car firing up, nice work Ivan buddy. I'll just say well done to which ever Nissan dealer did the diag on the car too, they called BCM and RF Ring and got it spot on. Most the time we end up knocking main dealers for wrong diagnostics, sometimes just lying to take folks money so it seems fair to big up whoever got it right.

Glad to hear the dealer was right. But extra satisfying to prove it out with meticulous, troubleshooting, and validation. You never know :-)

Great job Ivan. That was an excellent bit of detective work to verify the problem with very little technical data. Also, kudos to the State College Nissan dealership for getting it right on their diagnosis. Seems like nearly all of the prior dealership diagnoses on cars you wound up fixing in the past were wrong.

Does anyone else find it incredible that this car will not run because the antenna does not work? This is a pretty good example of how far the idiots that design these things have departed from the engineering KISS rule. "Keep It Simple Stupid"

The look, expressions & excitement of the car owner, lol. That's one happy customer! Ivan is a rock star in automotive industry

Ive done alot of GM vats bypass repairs and just added a kill switch for anti-theft ! So easy ! Not sure about nissan but if possible i probably would do the same !

It almost breaks my heart to see that dealer was right.... for a change. Of course they were going to charge an arm and a leg.

Maybe the coil went open or short and this killed the bcm circuit. When dealing with antennas, you can get all sorts of spikes of high voltage and or current if the impedances are mismatched.

I would rather you did a Russian hack than chance screwing up another customers antenna. In the future when no one has any antennas available everyone would benefit from a bypass.

Wow! Can't believe it - the stealership techs actually got one right. At least they didn't say he needed a new wiring harness. Great job with the diagnosis.

even with your fancy tools it took a while to interpret the signals great work you showed the tools you need to read the key and signal

Very interesting! Bonus that you had a Nissan at the shop to compare data with. Seeing the owners excitement has gotta make you feel good. Nice stuff!

The dealer knows about all faults of their own brand and they don't even have to scan car, but when things goes off the protocol they will not be able to repair car's

I cant believe the used bcm just keyed up and worked. I never get that lucky. Good diag

What's it like getting parts for Nissan's over there here in Ireland it's getting difficult

Why are Nissan having so much problems getting their parts they seem to be always on back order

Right customer for the right car. Together the right picture. Now let’s get rolling...

You should have tried it, now you'll never know. Great videos Ivan!

Once again if don't have a scope and know how to use it you can't do a proper diagnostic. Nice work my friend.

Best way to get a discount at a Nissan dealership is to have those Long John Silvers gift cards in hand.

aint nothing more aggravating than trying to diagnose stinking computer components on vehicles

On my o5 nissan truck I just leave a extra key near the speedometer and never had a problem since .starts every time.

Good job Nissan dealer. Guess a blind squirrel can find a nut every now and then

I won’t try the old antenna either .. you fixed it, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

Hopefully no new codes on the replacement bcm.

Bcm probably has water in it. It's in an ever so lovely spot.

So the dealer was correct in this case Between parts and Ivan i bet it was$400+

Your videos are invaluable. Thank you so much!!!

They are notorious for their key needing a binding for the car to work

Argghh! It's electrickery I tells ya! As mysterious as smoke!

Just way too much electronic crap on all these cars these days. Just give me a fuse, a wire and maybe a relay and let it go at that. At least you can bypass a relay if it goes bad.

Thanks Ivan, for your experience

Highly doubt the dealer would only charge $400.00 for all of this, Not in my town, Maybe $1400.00, Great Content, Was a little concerned about you trying that old antenna without destroying the good computer, I suspect someone reversed battery connection's or jumped it backwards on a Dead battery, burning up these components, While the Key was turned to start.

Don't think so hard, or all your hair will fly away. 8:14 :D

That engine compression does not sound very good

A BCM off a Maxima or 6 cyl Altima should work on a Z. They are like $40 at a self-service junkyard.

It's working, don't mess with it.

Thanks Ivan!

Your programs are never boring thanks

Sounds like he has a dead cylinder