info on 2004 v70 immobilizer (tell me everything)

[markthomas]

Hello all:

Need to know (in no intelligent order):
1. Where to apply tester to test antenna ring (I hear 5 ohms is best)
2. How to test whether my immobilizer is being affected by cold/damp (heard on here that this is a thing, fairly certain this is the case with mine, but want to be more than fairly certain before I pull up stakes and move to the Southwest US, even though I've always wanted to do so anyway)
3. Whether immobilizer is supposed to prevent cranking (mine does nothing, no noise, nothing, no click, nothing, though headlights will dip when turning key to Start) or to prevent the car starting (e.g., start then immediately die)? The fact that car will make no response to key rules out fuel issues, correct? I know what "no-fuel" no-start noises sound like...
4. Whether, if immobilizer is tripped, there always be a message? (I don't have one)
5. Whether the fact that the little blue illumination lamp is significant (i.e., is it any sort of tell on a deeper sickness)?

This'll do for starters! Thanks everyone...


UPDATE ALREADY:

Plugged antenna ring back in yet again, and well, it started. But this time it went like this: I plopped back into the driver's seat, and just for SNG (I mean, it's never going to start again, right? Might as well f*** around) I put the key in and cranked with antenna ring still in my lap. Nothing of course (except a headlight dip). Then I saw, for the first time, a START PREVENTED, TRY AGAIN message. Try again? Sure. Why not. Plugged the ring back in, turned the key, and was stunned. (What, no tricky sequence of locks and unlocks and ons and offs required?) Then tried it again (after running heat and AC for a bit, as insurance) and success.

So, new set of questions:

1. So ring is fine....?
2. It stopped raining two hours ago (after raining all day and the night before). Would that really be enough dry-out time?
3. It seems that the immobilizer (that is, the whole immobilization system, that is, that circuit switched open) stops anything from happening at all (except draw of power from battery; meant to ask before whether I might have too weak a battery, but I guess not).
4. Did the lack of message before indicate that I had not in fact been tripping immobilizer all this time? What difference, if any, did my initial ring-less start make here? Was it actually cleaning the pins in the connecter with repeated unplugs and replugs that finally changed things (meant to ask about this too; pins never looked fouled to me)?
5. Dead bulb was not in the ring this time. Relevant? (Pretty sure I didn't have it in for the past several attempts...)

Thanks again...

[markthomas]

Well, I am now afraid I cannot start my 2004 V70 because my bad alarm system is telling CEM to immobilize. (Assuming it isn't the entire CEM going haywire, as I'm only now learning CEMs of this model and year are famous for?)
I seem to be having this problem chronically since arriving in San Diego. Cold and damp here (very heavy nighttime condensation). Was driving for weeks before this in TX, NM, AZ, no issues. Original post was back in NY after heavy rain.
Today I did the alarm test where you lock the car with fob, reach in open window, open door with handle; no alarm sounded (I can, however, get alarm to sound using panic button on fob). Have never run this test before today, but the car has never "beeped" when locking car with fob.
Tried to test starter today by having someone crank while I took readings at terminals. Voltage normal between engine ground strap and positive terminal, but 0V from (white?) remote starter wire? Is this possible? Shouldn't there have been some reading?
How can I further test here?