remote keyless entry question

18 years ago

Hi all. I just bought my first "nice" car... it's a 99 Honda Accord (no Alero for me, they were simply dreadful!). The only problem is that the keyless entry remote works intermittently. I replaced the battery with a new one... I didn't notice the problem before I replaced the battery, but now I do with the brand new battery. It works sometimes, and at other times, the car doesn't respond at all when I press the lock or unlock button. Any clues as to why this could be the case? Do you think the reciever inside the car could be in its way out? Afterall, the car is 9 years old and has 126,000 miles on it.

Thanks

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Comments (4)

jemdandy
18 years ago
I hope that someone has an answer. I've got a 98 Jeep Cherokee that has a similar problem. After I bought the vehicle, I purchased a second key fob from the dealer. Both key fobs were programmed together and shortly after, I had the same problem. Both fobs had new batteries, and thee batteries checked good by a voltmeter. The dealer replaced one fob and then reported that both fobs were transmitting. I still have the problem.

After locking the car with the remote, it will unlock if tried in a time period up to an hour. If the car sits overnight, it may not unlock. One work-around: Press the lock button and if it responds, then it will unlock.

If you unlock manually with the key, it will set off the 4-way flasher. Starting the vehicle will not stop the flashing. The work-around: Press the master door lock button on the driver's door, first to lock then to unlock.

I note that my key fobs were made by TRW.
johndeere
18 years ago
Since you say it worked fine until you changed the battery?I would check to make sure that the battery is in secure and not loosing contact.
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As I always try and point out, testing during a failure is the only way to be 100% sure about what is wrong, and then especially to prove that the car is genuinely repaired. That being said, the Ford factory scan tool, such as the IDS that I have will access the PATS system and even allow me to monitor which button is being pushed on the drivers door pad. The seals on the door button pad fail and eventually the contacts start to corrode and you can end up with symptoms that would match your description. Another symptom associated with this button pad corrosion is the interior lights can come on by themselves, which occurs if the BCM senses that one of the buttons has made contact. On my scan tool I would see either a NO for no button pushed or 3/4 as in if the BCM thinks it sees the 3/4 button pressed. A false or incorrect response from the keypad while monitoring the scan data is all I would need to confirm the pad is failing. The odds are better than 90% you will need to replace the key pad on the drivers door.
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Hi All, I had the same issue recently and here's what I found out (through a LOT of research) and the solution (yes, there is one!): As described by many, when you can't get both the remote and the wireless pad to work together it means your garage door opener can accept both rolling code and billing code technology, BUT not at the same time. When you reset all codes (normally by pressing a button on the opener for a period of time e.g. 6 seconds or more), you erase all codes and remote "pairings". Then when you follow the manufacturer's procedure to pair again (which could be the wireless key pad first OR the remote first), the first pairing determines the technology for all subsequent pairings. Example: if your first pairing/programming was with the wireless keypad, and if it was rolling code technology (normally the case for newer models), then the garage opener will only recognize and accept rolling code for subsequent pairings. If your remote(s) are older (billion code technology) then the opener won't even recognize the signal (e.g. led won't blink when trying to pair/program). And vice versa if you start with your remote after erasing all programming (then your keyless pad won't work). But here is a potential workaround! For newer wireless keypads (e.g. clicker from chamberlain), you have an option to select the type of opener you are using as you do the initial password set up (normally indicated by a number e.g. 1 for models built after 1995, 2 for models built between 1997 and 2004, etc). Each choice is associated with a technology in the background (e.g. either rolling code or billion code). If you are programming your wireless keypad first after erasing all codes / programming, if you chose the "recommended" option for garage opener, chances are it will be rolling code and that means you won't be able to program your older remotes (billion code) after that. So how can you chose the option that will match your remote??? Here's what you do: start by pairing / programming your older remote first after erasing all codes / programs. That sets the technology (e.g. billion code). Then, go ahead and program your wireless keypad, but you may have to go through the process several times by trying the different options until you find one that works! For me, I had to try 4 options before making it work. Options 1 through 3 (mind you, options #2 was the exact match for my garage door opener model but it would cause the problem discussed here e.g. wireless keypad would work but not the remotes) would not even be recognized by the opener in this procedure (LED would not blink), but it did work once I hit option 4. I hope this will help you with your problem. Let me know if it's not clear. Cheers!
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jemdandy
18 years ago
The instructions for changing the battery in my key fob warns not to touch the battery contacts or the contacts in the key fob, else skin oils and dirt may interfere with circuit continuity. I guess this means you should handle the battery only by by its edges.
john_g
18 years ago
When replacing a fob battery, "GENTLY" brush the battery contacts with a pencil eraser. This will clean surface corrosion which could cause a voltage drop and reduce the transmitters output.

Cost plays a huge role here, but even with all of the tools and equipmnent that I have I do not and cannot reasonably afford to purchase the additional equipment that would recieve signals from a key fob to measure it's output and attempt any servicing for many of those systems. We truly are limited to dealing with the components onboard the vehicle, following any appropriate service bulletins, and then if unsuccessful either leave it unrepaired, or go into parts swap mode. (Which I HATE doing, and usually would turn the vehicle away)

In order to protect vehicle security it is necessary to make purchasing the things needed to perform this kind of service expensive, that's why a dealer will have the equipment for the brands that they sell, but it is not reasonable for someone like me to get involved with beyond the level that I do.

Keep in mind some systems use the vehicles radio antenna for the key fob reception. (The radio in this case IS the reciever and communicates the command signal to the BCM). One thing that I can do with my scan tools is watch for the communication to occur between the modules. If I don't see the communication, which if the system does not unlock the doors is quite likely the result I would then do testing to confirm that the modules can and do "wake-up" with certain commands. Then from there attempt to be certain that the antenna system is working correctly, even if that means pull the radio and use a substitute antenna.

In the event the car works for a while like Jems, but does not work after a specific period of time I would suspect there is a vehicle problem where the BCM deliberatly shuts the system down to protect the vehicle battery. I would be testing that car to make sure modules eneter sleep mode at the right times, and then of course wake back up when commands are given. A radio reciever that does not wake up to the fob transmission can never send an unlock command to the BCM, likewise even if the radio does send the command, if the BCM cannot or will not follow the command, the result is the doors don't unlock.

Keep in mind, the problem could easily be a door lock solenoid failing, as well as the latch simply stiffing up and requiring to much power for the solenoid to operate.

remote keyless entry question

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jemdandy

johndeere

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