Jez900IE, man you are a life saver!!! your answer is buried under thousands of posts of people crying about not having that damn red key and no one saying I have it, now what?. THANK YOU!! I can use my red key to get it started after its been immobilized. " how to start an immobilized ducati 999 with the red key". There, now maybe it will come up in search engines
The red key is a master key that initially codes the dash/ECU. Two coded daily use keys are then coded to the system. The purpose of the red key is to control the reprogramming of keys to the system not to start the bike if immobilised. The dash holds the hex code of the red key and two black keys. The immo system looks for this data and allows the bike to start. If the bike is immobilised then a bypass code calculated from the red key can be used through a routine with the throttle to start the bike. There is usually a reason for immo failure but most times it is linked to immo antenna failure. There have been issues with immo failure in the ST4S and Monster linked to failure of the immo system and the solution has been to disable the immo wake up signal in the ECU. The bike will then start. If you have a red key and no bypass code card then the immo chip in the key can be read, converted to hex code and the bypass code calculated. If you do not have a red key then, depending on bike, the dash can be taken apart and the immo eeprom read. The 3 key hex codes can be identified and then converted for coding to a chipped key. Not having a red key is not the end of the world and black keys can be easily cloned. I have had a 999 since 2005 and have never had to use the bypass code. Later bikes switched to a 2 black key/code card system with no red key.
So, i've not got my red key and one of my black keys (long and boring story) I've got my original ECU and a Termi ECU. I've also bought a ignition switch that comes with the red key and two black keys off eBay, do i need the original dash from the lock set off eBay or will it work with the dash that came with the bike? If the original dash with the lockset is needed, what is my best option?
Transfer the key shank from the ‘new’ red key to your original Red Key. Just pull the shanks out with a pair of pliers. You can then use the Original Red key with the new lock set. The Original Red key will be recognised by the dash and allow programming mode. You can then program the two new black keys to the dash/ECU. At least three keys (included the RED key) are necessary to program the immobilizer up to max. 8 keys (included the RED key). Programming the immobilizer If one or more parts of the immobilizer are replaced, such as black keys, decoder or engine control unit, system must be reprogrammed. Proceed as follows: - ensure that battery poles are correctly connected and the battery is in perfect operating conditions - take the red key and the black ones - insert the red key (3) in the ignition switch (4) - turn the key to ON so to switch on the instrument panel. The multifunction display will show the number of inserted keys (here "1") and a countdown starting from 30. Important: ensure that the ignition switch was to OFF for at least thirty seconds before performing the above - ensure that countdown has started and turn the key to OFF before it reaches zero (about three seconds) - remove the red key, insert a black key (5) and set the switch to ON within the next 15 seconds (display shows the number of keys inserted, in this instance 2, with the countdown from 30 to 0 at the side) - ensure that countdown has started and turn the key to OFF before it reaches zero - within 15 seconds: remove the black key, insert the other black key (5) and turn it to ON. - The multifunction display will show the number of inserted keys (here "3") and a countdown starting from 30. - ensure that countdown has started and turn the key to OFF before it reaches zero - remove the black key, insert the red key and set the switch to ON within the next 15 seconds (display shows the number of keys inserted, in this instance 4, with the countdown from 30 to 0 at the side) - ensure that the countdown has begun and set the key to OFF before it reaches zero. The LED (1) on the instrument panel will flash to indicate successful programming. Now two black keys and the decoder inside the instrument panel are successfully programmed. Continue as follows: - turn the red key to ON within 15 seconds; - leave the key positioned to ON for 5 to 15 seconds (not less than 5 and not more than 15 seconds) to allow data transfer from the decoder to the engine control unit and then turn the key to OFF - allow 10 seconds before turning the key to ON again. Now the programming procedure is over. Immobilizer programming is completed. The above procedure must be fully complied with even though just a part of the immobilizer system needs to be programmed. Partial programming is not allowed! When finished, ensure that the engine starts if programmed black keys are used.
