Keyless entry Fob stopped working after fob battery change

[sja]

Focus 2016-17 1.5 Petrol Ecoboost  estate.

My Way Forward from here ?. Hi Folks . Car Has a full service MOT etc at an independent service center . As per usual on driving home , warned that fob key battery was low . This seem usual after their service ( Blunderbuss approach to resetting the oil change warning ? , everything reset?) . As per usual I changed the CR2032 in my FOB . The old battery was 3.03 volts ( looks OK , but the manual say change it yearly anyway , so hay ho) . New vartra cell 3.29 volts .  Now the fob don't work a all  via remote button or proximity range. Can only get in the car via manual key blade . Will start the car  with fob in  the emergency start position  ( arm center  console  storage well location). I tried leaving the fob battery out overnight , but still nothing next day on trying again , even tried  with the old fob battery !.  Cleaned contacts with cotton bud and isoproyl alcohol in fob and cell, but still nothing doing.  The other fob (Mrs) still works fine . The "in car  menu" says there are two admin keys , which I guess you need to introduce a third key . I assume they must both be working to do this. This suggests an expensive trip (more than the full  independent service)  to the main dealer to sort this requiring a complete  set of new fobs and re-programming  etc. Unless anyone knows different ? Cheers sja

 

[DaveT70]

Undo remote and ensure that you have fitted the battery the right way round and that the contacts are touching the battery

 

[sja]

Tar DaveT70

       whipped the back off and the volts across the circuit board contacts decayed away from 0.4V towards zero via my multi-meter (capacitors discharging, I would expect an initial quick drop with the cell disconnected , too fast to read) . Implies the battery cell was making contact  . The actual cell volts have now dropped to 3.24V so that 0.05V in a day , which seems OK  (something taking current,). I tried having both fobs in the car and starting (Car can disable a key if it's locked in the car , but that was not the scenario  , but still nothing via  my fob subsequently ) . It's like it's the wrong fob , but as i said the emergency start location works .

[billyboy]

If the fob worked before the battery change I would fit a new Duracell battery, the Varta one may have the volts but maybe not enough current.

[StephenFord]

15 minutes ago, billyboy said:

If the fob worked before the battery change I would fit a new Duracell battery, the Varta one may have the volts but maybe not enough current.

With respect, I totally disagree with your analysis. If the battery is pushing out  the correct voltage, the brand is immaterial. It's not like 'Varta' is made in Germany, a country whose products are renowned for quality...

[Eric Bloodaxe]

48 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

 If the battery is pushing out  the correct voltage, the brand is immaterial. It's not like 'Varta' is made in Germany, a country whose products are renowned for quality...

I normally go for Duracell myself, but one of our fobs has had a "cheapie" Morrisons own brand in it for a couple of years, and is still working fine. 

 

[billyboy]

6 hours ago, StephenFord said:

With respect, I totally disagree with your analysis. If the battery is pushing out  the correct voltage, the brand is immaterial. It's not like 'Varta' is made in Germany, a country whose products are renowned for quality...

Volts and Amps are totally different, it's not about quality it's whether the batteries are an equal match.

[StephenFord]

1 hour ago, billyboy said:

Volts and Amps are totally different...

I know! P (power)=I (current) x V(volts)

I remember my 'A' level physics LOL 🤣 Still, that's a heck of an assumption that Varta batteries are rubbish and not up to the job of powering a simple key fob...

[sja]

well , today's volts is 3.23 (Varta) . The cars been out for a few miles , with suspect key on the emergency start location . Locked in the car (with other working fob) . That should disable it . Left an hour and then driven back home . That should enable it as far as the car is concerned . Still nothing .

Changed the cell for a GP Lithium CR2032  (dl2032) 3.30V . Still nothing

[unofix]

2 hours ago, StephenFord said:

that Varta batteries are rubbish and not up to the job of powering a simple key fob...

it's all about the 'State Of Charge' 🤣  Maybe half an hour with a Maypole charger will sort it out 🤣🤣

[TomsFocus]

Duracell.  For a hundred million reasons. 

[StephenFord]

Just now, TomsFocus said:

Duracell.  For a hundred million reasons. 

Duracell use to promote their 'anti leak' properties. A few years back, they leaked all over a very lovely expensive radio I had. After various communication with their office (in France from memory) they compensated me for a new radio. Don't think they tell folk they don't leak anymore!

[TomsFocus]

3 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Duracell use to promote their 'anti leak' properties. A few years back, they leaked all over a very lovely expensive radio I had. After various communication with their office (in France from memory) they compensated me for a new radio. Don't think they tell folk they don't leak anymore!

I was attempting some light hearted humour...  But in hindsight, this ad campaign may not have been a hit in NI!

 

[TomsFocus]

On the subject of leaks though, I'll try to grab a pic of my alarm clock battery tomorrow, pretty sure it's a Duracell.  It swelled up about 5 years ago, loads of fur on it...but was still working.  I'm now purposely seeing how long I can make it last, never expected this long!

 

[StephenFord]

2 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I was attempting some light hearted humour...  But in hindsight, this ad campaign may not have been a hit in NI!

 

I've never seen that advert LOL Obviously, someone in their head office thought it wouldn't go down well here either 🤣

[billyboy]

14 hours ago, StephenFord said:

I know! P (power)=I (current) x V(volts)

I remember my 'A' level physics LOL 🤣 Still, that's a heck of an assumption that Varta batteries are rubbish and not up to the job of powering a simple key fob...

I think you've mixed me up with another post, I never said that Varta batteries are rubbish and not up to the job.

[TomsFocus]

18 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

On the subject of leaks though, I'll try to grab a pic of my alarm clock battery tomorrow, pretty sure it's a Duracell.  It swelled up about 5 years ago, loads of fur on it...but was still working.  I'm now purposely seeing how long I can make it last, never expected this long!

Pics as promised...definitely getting my money's worth out of that!!  And yes, the low battery light has been on for the past 5 years.

 

[Kieron W]

On 9/29/2022 at 9:33 AM, sja said:

Focus 2016-17 1.5 Petrol Ecoboost  estate.

My Way Forward from here ?. Hi Folks . Car Has a full service MOT etc at an independent service center . As per usual on driving home , warned that fob key battery was low . This seem usual after their service ( Blunderbuss approach to resetting the oil change warning ? , everything reset?) . As per usual I changed the CR2032 in my FOB . The old battery was 3.03 volts ( looks OK , but the manual say change it yearly anyway , so hay ho) . New vartra cell 3.29 volts .  Now the fob don't work a all  via remote button or proximity range. Can only get in the car via manual key blade . Will start the car  with fob in  the emergency start position  ( arm center  console  storage well location). I tried leaving the fob battery out overnight , but still nothing next day on trying again , even tried  with the old fob battery !.  Cleaned contacts with cotton bud and isoproyl alcohol in fob and cell, but still nothing doing.  The other fob (Mrs) still works fine . The "in car  menu" says there are two admin keys , which I guess you need to introduce a third key . I assume they must both be working to do this. This suggests an expensive trip (more than the full  independent service)  to the main dealer to sort this requiring a complete  set of new fobs and re-programming  etc. Unless anyone knows different ? Cheers sja

 

My did same I had to disconnect the battery on car left it then connected it back up and it all reset and been ok since

[StephenFord]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Pics as promised...definitely getting my money's worth out of that!!  And yes, the low battery light has been on for the past 5 years.

Great pics Tom. I only raised the issue of 'leaking' Duracells, because many folk here believe them to be the best brand on the planet, I was just trying to say yes, they're good, but they're not indestructible. Perfect illustration with your clock. I'm betting that when you do get round to removing them, a few minutes with some cotton buds, and isopropyl alcohol will clean that battery compartment right up LOL

[sja]

Today's Fob voltage is now 3.22 V (Back to Vartra) . I have charged the car battery today . It's now 12.71 V from 12.3, but nothing works from my remote Fob (Mrs Fob was still working at 12.3).

(I think Duracell used to be made in Belgium when they were guaranteed leak proof ) I have never come across a leaking lithium coin cell of any make

[sja]

Took Fob to main dealer (where we bought the car from) . They had a fob tester that measured radio signal when you press a button . They swapped the battery with a know working fob , after demonstrating that working . Nothing from mine . Bad luck on my part when changing battery . The fob can now only be used as an emergency start spare , annoying the neighbors as the alarm goes off . Ball park figures was £100 for a new one (which would not be retro fitted with a movement detector to stop relay theft  , but upside is that can't be done anymore as the fob don't send an intercept-able signal) and another £100 to program it . So it's just an emergency start spare now. Don't think you can program an after market cheaply with this generation .Tar folks