Remote unlock issues

Richos

Richos

Forum Member
Joined
May 5, 2014
Messages
19
Location
Perth
Car Year
2007
Car Model
Forester
Transmission
Auto
I'm having issues with my central locking remote it's working intermittently. I've replaced the battery in the sender and cleaned out the internals however it's still no better. I tested both the old and new batteries and both were putting out 1.5v.
There does not seem to be any pattern to the times it does/doesn't work it's totally random and may work fine for a whole day even 2 days then goes back to working just once a day.
It's not a huge deal but a bit of a pain so if anyone has had this problem and maybe able to offer a solution I'd be most appreciative.
Ps it's an 07 forester x
Regards, Richo
 
Gidday Richo

With Roo2, if I press the lock button instead of the unlock button, then immediately press the unlock button, the system sometimes gets itself tied in a knot and won't respond at all.

Using the key to open the D/S door, then operating the door's central lock/unlock button to unlock all the doors returns it to normal again.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the quick reply, unfortunately that doesn't work. I think it may be a problem with the remote receiver? I might have to check the book and see if they list it in the troubleshooting page.
 
Maybe a loose connection from the locking system to the remote module?

I'm just guessing here.

Taza would be able to give you a lot more help, I suspect.
 
Hi Richos
I had this same identical problem you are explaining! Tried new batteries, cleaning contacts in the key etc. In the end it was the battery! Didn't matter what brand of battery I put in it, it still didn't work. Went to my local Subaru dealer and asked them about a new key and they suggested a new battery. So they put one of there batteries in and tried it and it worked everytime. In conclusion they said the batteries they supply for there customers are of a high quality and have been specialy sourced for this application. Believe it or not but it worked for me! I was sceptical of this because I'm a mechanic myself but it is what it is!
 
^ This has just reminded me of something from the camera world.

Varta are about the only people who make button batteries that are the "correct" voltage for any given application.

As Andrew has said, there are batteries, and batteries ... :iconwink:.
 
Cheers for that guys I reckon you may be right as the new battery (some generic brand) and the old battery showed the same voltage on the multimeter, so perhaps the required voltage is a tad higher than the standard 1.5v battery.
 
Cheers Taza will do.
 
I have a similar sounding problem, hpwever I found when replacing the battery it would work well for about a month, but then proceed to get worse and worse untill it only works after multiple attempts when standing next to the car. Is yours the same?
 
Gidday David & Richo

My remote works from up to around 10-15 metres from the car, mostly.

When I confuse it, it plays up, but only until I "un-confuse" it. This usually just involves waiting about 30 seconds then trying again - i.e. waiting until it has forgotten that it got confused ... :lol:.

Sometimes I need to manually unlock the car, then lock/unlock the doors with the door mounted switch. This is very rare.

I have noticed that there are some specific places where it becomes very iffy. Outside the Nepean Highway Highett Office Works store is one place that it always gives trouble. This is odd, because there are no mobile phone towers or such like within sight there.
 
I also have the problem with the intermitted working remote. I have noticed when you squeeze the remote it works more reliably and new batteries it works for a while (but I think that is because you have pulled it apart and moved all the contacts around)

The current attempt was pull the key apart and clean all the contacts there are a couple of taps on the face with the battery. I bent those bit to make better contact with the electronic bit.

If you look closely at the electronic bit where these taps touch the electronics on mine there is a bit of wear on the circuit board. I think the wear is enough to be through the copper and therefore not complete the circuit- bending the tabs seems to have repositioned the contact and get the remote working again.

The next step for me is to mix and match the two halves of each remote to move the contacts relative to the circuits.

PS looked at a new key to solve the problem and was quoted $500 or 600. That aint going to happen I will fit aftermarket central locking before that.
 
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It has been my experience that if one presses and holds the remote firmly (i.e. don't quickly click and let go), it works far more reliably. A firm push and release, rather than a quick jab ...

The actual switches on the remote are sealed units on the other side of the PCB. The contact for the battery on the PCB is gold plated, and appears to be quite thick on mine.

IME, when handling any kind of button battery, I always clean the battery between a handkerchief, then do not touch it with my fingers while fitting it. Ditto with the internal terminals. Wipe them with a soft dry cloth before reassembly.

BTW, the battery in my MY06 remote is a Panasonic CR1620, 3V (nominal). The part number is printed on the PCB in my remote. It appears to be the original battery, and has an actual voltage of 3.06V measured just now.
 
^ just beat me to it - get a Panasonic CR1620 as that is what Subaru supply.
 
Gidday Kevin

Just checked the battery in our SH key (MY10). It is the same part number and Panasonic, but made in Japan. The Panasonic battery in my SG key is made in Indonesia. This may be relevant, or not ... :poke:
 
I remember having a few issues similar to this a couple of years ago.
Some days it was good & other days it wasn't.

It ended up being the Keyless Entry Module :iconwink:

BTW I too will recommend the Panasonic CR1620 battery :)

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
^ Yes, it does ...

I just re-read Richo's OP, and he said that both batteries he had were 1.5 volts.

The CR1620 is nominally 3.0V - actually, even the 8 y.o. battery in my key is reading 3.06V, so the actual voltage of a new battery should be a little higher than this. These button cells are dead if their actual voltage is anything below their nominal voltage IME, even if only by a little bit.

By the sound of things, Richo has a battery that is physically similar in size, but the wrong voltage/type.

The prefix ("CR") is important, as is the battery number ("1620").
While the prefix does vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, there are direct equivalents across the board.
The "1620" part means that the battery is 16 mm in diameter by 2.0 mm thick. The first two digits give the diameter in whole mms; the second two digits give the thickness in tenths of a mm. A CR2032 is 20 mm across and 3.2 mm thick (and has a nominal voltage of 3V).
The nominal voltage is usually stamped on the battery.

The upshot is that one should always use the right type, nominal voltage, diameter and thickness for a given application.
 
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