engine wont start when check engine lights blink

I have a problem with the car starting. I turn the key on and the check engine light starts blinking, while it is blinking the car won't start. The engine cranks but doesn't start. If I turn the key on and the light is not blinking it starts right up and runs like a champ.

it a 2000 jimny


I did fit a brand new battery.
I wonder myself could it be a loose connection at the starter?

it's probably your key


todo with the imobiliser

I had that problem, one day I left my normal key in my dads van and he left earlier for work than me, leaving me with only my spare


I was buying lunch and when pulling change from my pocket I dropped the key

didnt realise the red cap came off, I jumped back in the jimny, and it wouldnt start, the chip in side fell out

I had the dash blinking at me, then I realised the chip had fell out the key, If you aare using a cut key?

check its still in there

when I first jumped back in, it started up for couple of seconds then cut out and would fire up again, theres a sensor in the stearing column may be abit faulty

The sensor in the steering column is a coil shaped like a ring around the outside of the keyhole. This can become disconnected.

However, if you have two chipped keys on the same ring, eg the spare, or the one for the other car (mine's a Toyota ) they interfere with each other and it wont work. Might be your problem.

One other thing. Some people lose the spare key, so they get a couple of plain keys cut (without the chip) and take the binnacle off the steering column, then tape the chipped key inside, so any key will work, as there is a chipped key in range.

Then when they come to sell the car, they find the spare chipped key, and give it to you, and dont say anything. sometimes the two keys interfere, sometimes they don't, might be worth checking, you will need to take the cover off round the keyhole to check the sensor coil connections anyway.

We only bought this car of a dealer yesterday. he sold it to us for 850. it was mechanicly 100% he said . just the paint was a bit rough. it just past the nct test a day before.

we have two keys given. both of them are suzuki keys.

and both of them cause the problem.

! moment it might work , and an other time it wont at all.
check engine light keeps flashing , but it doesnt display a fault code.

feel very disapointed as we had spent all our money on buying this car, and had to travel 380 miles too collect it.