Ford Focus: Remote Key Fob not working Well!

Chris H wrote:
 

I had the same problem also on a '99 UK Focus. I tried resetting the fob to
the car using the "ignition on/off" method with no success. (Google in this
group for details). As a dealer sourced and programmed key was about 100UKP
I decided to manage without.

Some time later I needed a CR2032 battery whilst fixing a friend's door bell
so I used the one from my fob. About a month later I was scrapping a
computer motherboard when I realised it used the same battery, so I removed
it and put it in my fob. To my complete suprise my fob then worked! In fact
it seemed to work better than when the car was new. That was about two
months ago and it is still working.

I can't offer any explanation for this, or suggest how long it would be
necessary to leave the battery out for, but maybe it is worth a try?

Of course I may have tempted fate by posting this and it will never work
again!

Chris also
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Remove prejudice to reply

"Chris Whelan" <com> wrote in message
news:bedSe.68$ntli.net... 

I've noticed the same thing with mine. After taking the battery out and
giving the connections a quick clean and sticking the battery on a battery
tester, it's been back to normal. Battery been out for no more then ten
mins.

Can't offer an explanation either. Though I have noticed with alkaline cells
used in low drain situations, that sticking them on a tester or *briefly*
short circuiting them restores them to health when they appear to be dead
but you know they aren't because they're relatively new. Though of course
you wanna be careful short circuiting batteries...



Gary.

Gary McClean wrote:
 


Well, yes but the OP mentioned that he had replaced the battery with a new
one. I had tried two new ones in mine from different sources. Oh, and the
Focus key fob battery is definitely *not* an alkaline cell!

Chris

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Remove prejudice to reply

Thanks everyone for the advice. I've tried removing the battery, cleaning
the contacts, and even breifly shorting the battery termials, but it makes
no difference. The battery still has plenty of charge, so that's not the
problem.

I'd like to try resetting the key fequency with the 'ignition on off method'
that is mentioned by an earlier poster. Does anyone know how to do this?
I've had no luck finding instructions on google.

Thanks
Chris


"Chris Whelan" <com> wrote in message
news:WpgSe.122$ntli.net... 

Chris H wrote:
 

This only works for certain remotes - there are at least two types. Mine is
a Siemens one, although I don't know if that is relevant.

Get in car and close all doors
Turn the ignition key from fully off to fully on 4 times within 6 seconds.
Stop at fully off position.
The door open/lights on alarm will "bong" once.
Press the open button on the fob.
The alarm will sound once more.
The procedure is complete.

Not that although I tried this half a dozen times or more, it made no
difference to my fob. When the fob finally stopped working altogether I
didn't get the second alarm bong.

If you do get it working by this means, or by my other suggestion of leaving
the battery out for an extended period, please post back and let us know.

Chris

--
Remove prejudice to reply

"Chris Whelan" <com> wrote in message
news:WpgSe.122$ntli.net... 

Indeed. Perhaps I could have phrased my last post better. The battery is of
course a Lithium one. I was offering the observation that I've seen problems
with alkaline batteries before and it might be something to try, as it's one
of the things I did and *may* have contributed to the solution. Though of
course in essence I will never know! Lol. I've had the OP's problem with
brand new batteries too, and have never found any concrete explaination as
to the behaviour.



G.

"Chris H" <co.uk> wrote in message
news:zfkSe.4706$news.blueyonder.co.uk...
<snip> 

Worth a try I suppose, but isn't that only telling the car to recognise the
key? I could well be wrong, but I can't imagine it actually makes any
changes to the operation of the key.

Oh I've just remembered that one of the other things I've tried with mine
was to bend the terminals up slightly so they make better contact with the
battery. Being careful not to snap them off of course. As mentioned earlier,
this is only a suggestion based on my own observations!



G.

Thanks for this, it seems to work!

Having followed the ignition on off method of resetting the key (Siemens
type), I can now remotely lock and unlock my Focus from about 10 metres
away. I guess the key must have been transmitting slighty off the optimum
frequency before.

Chris
"Chris Whelan" <com> wrote in message
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