Hi all, looking for a second opinion here.
I have a 99 Montero that was built in Puerto Rico -- it's the Dakar Edition. It has the 3.0 v6, so same engine as the 95-97 LS in the US, but some of the electronics are similar to the '99 US models.
The battery died on me last week, and I needed to get a jump. After that, as I drove to the shop to get a new battery, I noticed some clicking sounds behind the center dash, almost like a turn signal sound and cadence. With the new battery installed, I turned the key and the starter cranks, but the engine doesn't catch/start. Also, when I unlock the car/try to start it, the clicking sound behind the dash begins, and then after about 60 seconds, the doors will lock themselves. The LED light/switch is flashing but pushed all the way in and probably broken there. Finally, I couldn't get two different OBD readers to connect that have worked before. Checked the power and ground there with a multimeter and it showed 12v.
I am thinking that it is the anti-theft system, but the only weird thing here is that the starter will turn (as I understand it, the anti-theft system is supposed to inhibit the starter). Maybe different because it was sold in Puerto Rico?
Had it towed to a shop, where they diagnosed it as needing a new starter, which I am leery of considering the other electrical problems.
Any insights would be much appreciated, thanks.