Hi

(it's OK to have laugh about it 😉 )

I forgot to take the fob out of my jacket before it landed in a 2 hour wash at 40 degrees.....

After finding out that it had been washed (in hindsight) I should have immediately taken the battery out, but didn't instead I placed it on a mild warm heater.

After about an hour I tested it from inside the house and checked through the window that it still unlocked and locked.... how happy that made me 🙂

However, one day later I used the fob and it wouldn't unlock the doors. Got the second fob out and opened the doors. Left the "Good" one outside and closed the driver door. hmmmm the car won't detect the "washed key" that inside the car. I thought that the battery might have died. However, placing the fob where the key barrel should be it "sees" it and the car starts...well at least that.

from that point I can drive the car with that "washed key" but only for a while. If I step out of the car and then back in it won't recognise it again, unless I hold it close to the "barrel".

I replaced the battery with a known good one (and the correct way up) but the remote still won't open the doors and also still doesn't allow the car to start unless it is under the steering wheel.

Could it be that I have to reprogram the fob? If I do what is the procedure on a Galaxy 2013? Please don't tell me to turn the key 4 times ON/OFF as the car is keyless 😉

I also have tried to simulate what a key does, but pushing the start button 8 times which simulates the ON/OFF 4 times with a real key. That procedure won't put the car into program mode.

I read that one can use a clip and bridge some connector under the glovebox to get the car into program mode, is this a thing on these cars? My manual does not instruct in how to program a fob on a keyless version.

any ideas please?

regards

CF

I'd recommend washing at 30...no real need to wash at 40 with modern detergents, save money and the planet.

Oh you wanted ideas on the car...    Sounds like the PCB will be knackered now.  There's still a separate chip for the immobiliser in the fob which is why you can start the car with it near the steering column pickup, but the PCB with the locking & proximity parts have failed.  I really don't think you'll be able to resync it, but as it's probably dead anyway you might as well open it up and try to dry it out and see if you can see the corrosion on it.

Well yes I did open it up and had a go at reflowing each component on he board. There was no apparent corrosion but I guess that there must have been as the board started working again after that. All good again. Now I better keep it away from the washer. But I still would like to know how to program a fob on a keyless ford.

Good result there then!

You can't program the keys easily if the keyless immobiliser part has failed.  You would need Ford IDS or I think Forscan may be able to do it nowadays. 

You can re-sync the remote locking as long as you still have one working key.  It's something like unlock with the good key, sit in car and press & hold start button while pressing 'lock' on the bad fob.  That's the equivalent to cycling the ignition in a non-keyless car.