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Flashing red LED in the center of the dashboard

8K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  MikeHersee 
#1 ·
Hello!

Being new to the forum and a new owner of an MG ZR 160 I have been studying the manual for an hour now but was unable to find the part descriving a certain LED on the dashboard. Perhaps a silly question but its located between the tachometer and speed counter is a small circular red LED indicator that constantly flash every second when out of the vehicle. If I unlock the car it stops flashing and shows a constant red light. If I open the door it goes black until I park the car and leave it again.

Now I know the car got an alarm but never tested it. Is this LED the alarm indicator?
 
#3 ·
As above the led is linked to the alarm and immobiliser. When the alarm is on the led flashes. When the car is unlocked but the immobiliser active the light stays on. When the immobiliser detects the key and disables it goes out and the vehicle can start, well that's how mine works anyway...
 
#5 ·
And does anyone have a list of signals from this LED and what they mean? I've just had a new 5AS installed and after aa few days of normal operation, now when i unlock the car i get the following signal for several seconds: flash-flash, flash-flash, flash-flash, flash-flash, for about 5 seconds in total. What is it trying to tell me? I don't have the original handbook, and the 5AS was off a petrol ZR and I've got a diesel ZS
 
#6 ·
I would think it is indicating a mis-configuration - something that it was programmed to do on the ZR which is not available on the ZS perhaps? I think there was also a function which could be programmed to make the LED flash if the battery in the fob was becoming weak, but I don't seem to think this was enabled in the Rovers and MGs; it isn't mentioned in the owners handbooks.

The Lucas 5as can be configured in different ways to suit the car it is fitted to and I would think that having come from a ZR I would expect it may be configured differently from a ZS - there were also changes made to the ZR security features in 2002 which may not apply to your ZS.

I would think you may need to visit an MG Rover specialist who has Rover T4 diagnostic equipment (or at least someone who has diagnostic equipment capable of talking to and configuring a 5as) to find out what the flashes indicate and get it set up to suit your car. Apart from an MG Rover specialist, all current MG Motor dealers have the diagnostic systems to deal with the Rover/MG Rover cars, and also Land Rover dealers will have T4 and knowledge of Lucas security systems as a similar Lucas system was also fitted to Land Rover vehicles.

You could try contacting Paul Brown (www.technozen-electronics.co.uk) for further advice, although I am unsure how deep his knowledge of the Lucas system runs - he is principally the go-to specialist for the later Pektron security system, but certainly has more detailed knowledge of the 5as than most people who frequent the forums.

Although this type of signal isn't mentioned in the owners handbook, it would probably be worth you getting hold of one off eBay - take care to get the right edition for your car as there were several reprints over the lifetime of the cars to take account of changes to the spec/equipment of the cars - not sure about the 45/ZS, but there were 5 different editions of the handbook for the ZR!!)
 
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