Make Your Porsche 993 Easier to Drive with the IMMO BLOCK

Porsche 993 automatic immobilizer is disabled, but the system is available at the push of a button.

If you drive a Porsche 911 in North America from the 1995 through 1998 model years, you are probably familiar with the automatic immobilizer system. This system automatically disables the ignition system when the car has been left unlocked, preventing someone from jumping in and firing it up to steal it. The problem is that the system cannot be easily disabled, so every time a 993 owner gets into the car in the garage in the morning, they have to lock and unlock the system with the key fob. This is an annoyance that causes unnecessary wear to the locking mechanisms and the battery in the fob and in the past, there was no easy way to disable the system.

That is where the IMMO BLOCK comes into play. This handy plug-and-play device was developed by Jay Mingrone, who worked with members of Rennlist to perform the beta testing. The result is a gadget that allows Porsche 993 owners to disable the automatic aspect of the immobilizer, but the security system is still in place when the car has been locked with the key fob.

Porsche 993 Immobilizer Function

The way that the automatic immobilizer works in the Porsche 993 is simple. If the driver shuts the car off and gets out, the system waits 90 seconds then it disables the engine. When that happens, the engine will not start until the key fob has locked and unlocked the doors. Whether you are at the gas station, at the race track or in your garage at home, this system automatic prevents the car from starting. This is an annoyance for anyone who keeps the car in a secure garage, or who uses a 993 for a track car.

Fortunately, the IMMO BLOCK disables the automatic aspect of the system. The Porsche owner simply removes the fuel gauge from the dash and behind it, they will find the relay for the door chime. The door chime relay is removed and in its place, the IMMO BLOCK is plugged in. At that point, the automatic immobilizer has been disabled, but when the driver locks the doors with the key fob, the immobilizer system still works as intended. Should the owner decide that they want the automatic immobilizer to work once again, they simply replace the door chime relay and the 993 is returned to factory functionality. There are no long term effects of the IMMO BLOCK and the unit can be removed from one Porsche 993 and installed in another, should the owner sell one car and buy another.

Speaking with the Creator

We reached out to Mingrone, who makes his living as an electrical engineer. He used his professional experience to first create a product that would make his own Porsche 993 more user-friendly, but when he saw the demand from others, he turned this into a successful business.

“In my long experience designing systems and products, I’ve discovered that every innovative idea always start with great excitement and enthusiasm – the mousetrap that’s going to change the world. It’s only when you start digging into the details that the wheel falls off. Either it already exists, it’s been patented before, it gets too complicated, it’s too expensive, the market’s not what you thought, etc. IMMO BLOCK was different. Every step of the way it just seemed to get better and better. Very unusual. It started as a hack to the immobilizer: remove seat, extract immobilizer, cut stuff out, install new stuff – delicate and risky. Then it became possible to do the same thing without hacking the immobilizer: the first DIY defeat. The final advance was plug and play: “screw-in-a-lightbulb” easy, no mods to vehicle. Improvements almost always come with a tradeoff – but even that didn’t happen. It simultaneously got simpler, easier to install, less invasive, less risky, less expensive and in the end, 100 percent reversible. Feature for feature it blows away ECU-type defeats – at half the cost. And…..you don’t give up full anti-theft protection.

I always wondered why people were still complaining about the immobilizer even after 25 years when there were fixes out there. I concluded that the cost and invasiveness of the ECU-type defeats were the barriers. My hope is that a simple, plug-in defeat that costs less than a key FOB encourages mass adoption and we eventually we hear less and less immobilizer complaints. That would make it all worthwhile.”

If you are interested in more details of the IMMO BLOCK, click here for more information from our friends at Rennlist.com.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com