Remote Weirdness

J

John O

Every couple months my remote entry thingy starts acting up. Seems that it
works if I press the unlock button *six* times. Then the seventh will open
the other doors. Not two, not four, but the *sixth* press opens the driver's
door.

Removing the battery in the remote, and replacing it seems to fix it, but
I've had to fix it twice now. The battery is a few months old, and I use the
remote four times a day, on average. '99 OBW. Any ideas?

-John O
 
Removing the battery in the remote, and replacing it seems to fix it, but
I've had to fix it twice now. The battery is a few months old, and I use the
remote four times a day, on average. '99 OBW. Any ideas?

Hi John

I'd replace the battery first -- the one you have now may have been sitting
a while in the store. It could be near empty.

Remco
 
I'd replace the battery first -- the one you have now may have been
sitting
a while in the store. It could be near empty.

Good idea, and that was my first thought, too. I tested it with a battery
tester that provides a load. It checks out good, well past the 'marginal'
range for button cells. It even looks Ok when tested as a AAA cell.

The clincher with this is that when I remove the battery, then put it back
in, the remote works for a month or so at a distance. (I believe the max is
about 30 feet for these, or thereabouts.)

John O
 
John O said:
Good idea, and that was my first thought, too. I tested it with a battery
tester that provides a load. It checks out good, well past the 'marginal'
range for button cells. It even looks Ok when tested as a AAA cell.

The clincher with this is that when I remove the battery, then put it back
in, the remote works for a month or so at a distance. (I believe the max is
about 30 feet for these, or thereabouts.)
Does your battery tester allow you to switch between voltages? Not all
button cells are equal. Some are 1.5V, like a AA cell, while some are 3V.
In fact many remotes use one or even two of the 3V cells. Mine, an
aftermarket unit, uses something called a 23A or A23 which is 12V. If yours
only tests 1.5V cells, testing a 3V one, even a weak one, is going to check
out good.

-Matt
 
Does your battery tester allow you to switch between voltages? Not all
button cells are equal. Some are 1.5V, like a AA cell, while some are 3V.
In fact many remotes use one or even two of the 3V cells. Mine, an
aftermarket unit, uses something called a 23A or A23 which is 12V. If
yours
only tests 1.5V cells, testing a 3V one, even a weak one, is going to
check
out good.

Yeah, it's a pretty decent Radio Shack tester. But whattya know...it IS a 3V
cell. (I had to look once you mentioned it.) I'll check that out this
evening, and use a real voltmeter and a real load. 200 ohms then 100 ohms
should be decent test loads. Lots of possible tests to do... (shame on me
for missing that voltage, I really should know better)

But...that doesn't explain why the remote works on the *sixth* attempt. I
could see a low battery making it work on random tries, but why on exactly
the *sixth* try, even if I hold the remote right on the windshield? LOL,
that's probably going to be an unsolved mystery.

-John O
 
(CLIP) why on exactly the *sixth* try, (CLIP)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6 X 1.5 volts = 9 volts. Maybe it needs a 9 volt battery. <G>
 
(CLIP) why on exactly the *sixth* try, (CLIP)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6 X 1.5 volts = 9 volts. Maybe it needs a 9 volt battery. <G>

Now that's something I hadn't thought of. I wonder why. <g>
 
Hallraker wrote:
Does your battery tester allow you to switch between voltages? Not all
button cells are equal. Some are 1.5V, like a AA cell, while some are 3V.
In fact many remotes use one or even two of the 3V cells. Mine, an
aftermarket unit, uses something called a 23A or A23 which is 12V. If yours
only tests 1.5V cells, testing a 3V one, even a weak one, is going to check
out good.

-Matt

I'm curious about your aftermarket unit. I didn't even know such things
even existed. Is it a straight replacement for the stock remote or does
it do something different?

I've noticed my 04 Forester remote has a significantly shorter range
than my former car, an 01 Mitsubishi Galant. Does the aftermarket remote
increase the range?

Matt
 
MattB said:
Hallraker wrote:


I'm curious about your aftermarket unit. I didn't even know such things
even existed. Is it a straight replacement for the stock remote or does
it do something different?

I've noticed my 04 Forester remote has a significantly shorter range
than my former car, an 01 Mitsubishi Galant. Does the aftermarket remote
increase the range?

What I have is a combination remote start and keyless entry unit. It's an
entire aftermarket system that can be retrofitted to most cars without
keyless entry. Unfortunately, the remotes that came with it are pretty
flimsy, and both have lasted about two years each. Replacements are in the
$99 area if I'm not mistaken, so when the 2nd remote finally goes, I'll
probably take it back to where I had it installed and just have the system
yanked, as the power lock actuator likes to fight against the old locks,
which I believe are cable driven. That's only when the remote isn't used
though.

-Matt
 

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