Where in the car is the receiver for the key fob door locks located? Under adverse conditions, like weak fob battery, frozen lock, so I can't insert the key, where would be the best place to attempt unlocking with the fob? I often have to wace the fob around to unlock, especially from the back. (Yesterday while I was out I could not unlock the car with my fob and could not insert the key because the keyhole was frozen. Got a ride home and today came back with a fresh battery in my fob and some lock de-icer. The fob still did not work, but the de-icer did.)
oldyellr
There's also the issue of lead failure(s) at the door / frame cable interface...
Make doubly-sure you can return any key FOB you elect to buy online;
Make doubly-sure you can return any key FOB you elect to buy online;
- More often than not they can not be programmed to the SKREEM - even if you have two (mandatory) existing and fully operating keys that are already recognized
- Dealers will not entertain programming aftermarket keys.
I was thinking the linkage may have frozen. Anyway, all's well that ends well.
BTW, in checking and replacing batteries in the four keys that I have, I found two didn't work. The original Chrysler one appeared to have a broken solder joint, which I fixed, but it still didn't work, and another one with a broken case was intermittent, then stopped working. It physically unlocks the door, but will not turn in the ignition. Maybe the circuit board is pooched. With only two working fob keys, time to order another from Amazon so I don't have to spend big bucks at the dealer if I lose a key.
BTW, in checking and replacing batteries in the four keys that I have, I found two didn't work. The original Chrysler one appeared to have a broken solder joint, which I fixed, but it still didn't work, and another one with a broken case was intermittent, then stopped working. It physically unlocks the door, but will not turn in the ignition. Maybe the circuit board is pooched. With only two working fob keys, time to order another from Amazon so I don't have to spend big bucks at the dealer if I lose a key.
That screen shot was from the Parts Manual, but I now found Transponder Key in the Service Manual. Thanks!
The door lock mechanism; that could be the key tumble, pushrod, solenoid etcetera...tumbler could have frozen - but only if water was forced into the mechanism and quickly froze. The solenoid that locks / unlocks would not be affected.
Also, its unlikely that all four doors would fail in any one or more of the aforementioned modes simultaneously.
Also, its unlikely that all four doors would fail in any one or more of the aforementioned modes simultaneously.
What happened was that on a very cold day I unlocked the car with the key fob and drove into town on an errand. When I was done I tried to unlock it with the fob but it didn't work and the door handle keyhole was frozen. A family member came out with a spare key fob, which didn't work either. I got a ride home and checked the battery in my key fob and it was 2.75 volts, so I replaced it with a new one. The next day we came back and the key fob still didn't work, so I used lock de-icer to get the key in the door to unlock it. When I got home the key fob worked fine. I suspect the door lock mechanism might have been frozen. But thanks for the tip about holding the key against the chest.
You're over-thinking this...it would be rare indeed that a passive mechanism, in this case a fixed / on-board (PCB, circuit-level copper traces on board) antenna system would be the issue - either on the RKE or the remote key (transponder) side.
Range issues are many and varied and can be the transponder key or the RF environment around you.
Or, it could be the PWR supply side within the key; our keys are well-known for failing to operate properly / consistently if they have been abused. Dropping a key just once can cause one of the solder joints to fail (dropping it over and over is a really bad idea) Not immediate failure as there are other negative-side solder joints to ground (GND) within the PCB.
Side note: waving it around the key to improve antenna reciprocity is hit-or-miss. Putting the key against your chest - then pressing buttons is more effective as the other side of any antenna is a GND plane (every EMI / RIFI travelling through the ether has an X and Y component). Your body acts as an effective GND plane for carrier frequencies in the ISM band.
Range issues are many and varied and can be the transponder key or the RF environment around you.
Or, it could be the PWR supply side within the key; our keys are well-known for failing to operate properly / consistently if they have been abused. Dropping a key just once can cause one of the solder joints to fail (dropping it over and over is a really bad idea) Not immediate failure as there are other negative-side solder joints to ground (GND) within the PCB.
Side note: waving it around the key to improve antenna reciprocity is hit-or-miss. Putting the key against your chest - then pressing buttons is more effective as the other side of any antenna is a GND plane (every EMI / RIFI travelling through the ether has an X and Y component). Your body acts as an effective GND plane for carrier frequencies in the ISM band.
So you're talking about the antenna around the ignition lock. Where is the antenna that receives the lock/unlock/panic signal from the key fob from outside the car? Under ideal conditions I can do that standing at the window inside my house, but sometimes I have to wave the fob around standing right next to the car.
The key receptacle housing has the ring antenna sensing assembly that queries the key's passive radio frequency identification (RFID) strip. In other words the coin cell / supplied current has nothing to do with the RFID sensing process.
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