05 STS: Spare key fob not working

Wiring, DIY, lighting, etc.
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

05 STS: Spare key fob not working

Post by kevm14 »

I pulled the right front tire off of the SRX and brought it to Tire Pros because the leak had gotten beyond reasonable. So Jamie had to use the STS. She was like...give me your keys. No, no. We have a second fob with your seat settings and stuff. If you use mine every time you get in the car you'll have to move the seat and mirrors back and stuff. She remembered where the spare is kept (very rarely used) and I was about to leave to go get her tire. She was unable to enter the car. I get out to inspect. Sure enough, nothing was working. The buttons on the fob did nothing and it would also not proximity unlock the driver's door.

I quickly ran into the basement and threw another 2032 battery into it. That didn't fix it, either. Did it lose programming from when I disconnected the battery last time when I did the shocks and stuff? I decided to try inserting it into the backup pocket for when the battery dies as this would tell me if the car at least recognized it as an authorized fob, or not. Then I could deal with the issue appropriately. Well, it recognized the fob so....it was a fob issue.

I pulled it apart again and realized I had inserted the battery wrong. I fixed that and....no joy. However, the proximity part was now working. You could open a locked door and turn on the ignition. But the buttons still didn't work. Some reading on forums said the contacts can be dirty. I'm like.....eh, this is probably not my issue. Still, I opened it back up, cleaned the contacts with alcohol and a Q-tip and.......fixed!

Side note: I decided to try the key in the door through all of this process just because I don't think I ever have. Well, turning the key actually pops the door open. It may actually do this if the battery is disconnected and I never realized it this whole time.
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