Car Care Corner
2
So we have a computing forum thread and I have a car question. In this case I welcome Googled answers because I was on the web yesterday trying to track down where my keyless entry keypad factory number might be. Turns out nobody has ever found it actually in real life except on a card distributed with the car when it is new…which of course I don’t have. I’m going to have to go find a friendly Lincoln dealer to pull it out of the computer.
Some asshole has posted an answer that doesn’t even match the car’s features but it is repeated all over as canon. So fuck car forums and fuck Google today.
Here’s my situation I’d like help with. I have an '04 Lincoln and a '02 Mercury. They both appear to use the same little keychain fob to lock/unlock/trunk etc.
Does any body know if I can program a clicker like that to open both/either/or cars? Or is it a 1 clicker, 1 car thing? It would cut down on the confusion for me if the 4 fobs I have would unlock either car.
I just can’t face any more rabbit hole car forums or Google today, thanks.
- 10 comments, 36 replies
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https://lifehacker.com/program-a-single-key-fob-to-unlock-multiple-cars-5586261
Actually, I didn’t watch the above clips.
I have programmed my own new key fobs using the ignition of the vehicle, it’s pretty easy.
@daveinwarsh Thanks Dave! I had one key fob that I thought had a dead battery that came with the Lincoln but come to find out after the new battery I had to do that “key dance” with the ignition 8 times in 10 seconds to get the car into pairing mode. I got the dead fob working with the Lincoln.
I’ll try tomorrow to pair up the Mercury’s fobs with the Lincoln and vise-versa tomorrow.
@mediocrebot I am! This is exciting!
@mediocrebot @therealjrn
Good Luck!
/image cross fingers
Low-tech solution - wrap 2 with colored electrical tape so you know which is which.
Seriously, my experience with these is that the fobs are programmable, the cars are not. You would need to re-program one of the cars to the same frequency as the other. While it may be possible, I highly doubt it would be a DIY job, or cheap.
I have no idea about the keyless entry code thing. I assume it’s not under the fuse cover or some other expected place?
Well, looks like I may be wrong! Imagine that! I blame the scapegoat.
@aetris is the shadow on the moon at night. Filling your dreams to the brim with fright
@aetris Nice ride!
Generally, it’s one-to-one.
Now if you don’t mind doing some button programming and getting into the door panel:
https://smile.amazon.com/Solidremote-12V-Universal-2-Channel-Transmitters/dp/B01JGDV8UM
You will give up the alarm, but given the age of your vehicles and that neither are “high demand” brands, you’ll probably be alright.
yeah…everyone on the net claims the number is on a sticker down by the fuse box. sometimes it is, sometimes it’s not. I went through this same shit when I bought my '09 sable back in '14. I bought it from a Honda/Toyota Dealer that knew fuck all about Fords. took it to the ford dealer, they pulled the code (which they SHOULD do for free, however ymmmv) but it still didn’t work. took it back a week later, they pulled it again, Oh, oopsie! we wrote down one of the numbers wrong…(like a one instead of a 7 or vice versa)
In the Mean time,looking all over the webs, like you I found “check this box near the fuse panel in the driver’s foot well” Mom as the same year Taurus, with the same equipment, and it’s February(Polar Vortex Y’all!), and hers is in the garage, lets check her car before fumbling around under the dash in the negative windchills…
find the box in question, by golly! a 5 digit number!
try it on the key pad, it works! ok, so pumped about that working, I traipse through the blowing snow to my sable, crouch down and contort myself to the right position…nothing…
as for the remotes…esp the ones you linked to, (and garage door openers, etc.) when you click a certain button, it will always send out the same coded signal.
each fob’s transmitter is coded a but differently, but the car’s system has the master key to decode the signal.
when you “Program your Remote”, what you are really doing is programming your car to recognize that particular coded transmission as safe.(same with garage door openers, each time you push t e button it sends the same signal, when you program it, you’re really telling the opener that this signal is OK.)
each vehicle(or GDO) can “remember” a finite number of signals. usually around 8.
for the gen of fords you’re talking about there is a certain “keydance” you can do to put the vehicle into programming Mode.( there SHOULD be a section on this in the owner’s Manual if you have it…)
if you, or a friend have a Windows Laptop, and an inexpensive OBDII adapter, there’s Free Software that can do pretty much anything the dealer’s computers can…esp with the (also Free) extended License.
the program is called Forscan. (Forscan.org)
it IS Russian, if that bothers you…
with the extended license you can reprogram modules( I activated the DRLs on my car and moms, fully disabled the seatbelt chime on my car), program PATS(chipped) keys, etc.
your cars are old enough the configurable options will likely be fairly limited…
if you happen to be anywhere near the Lima, OH area, hit me up in a whisper, we can meet up, and I’ll see if i can’t pull the codes for you…
@earlyre That is interesting how all that works.
@earlyre Yep–that’s what I found–except for the 04 Lincoln LS you’re supposed to find a module with the number on it by the right rear seat. Sheese. Fairy tales and fantasy. Thanks so much for your kind offer! You’re only about 12 hours from me and I do go to Nashville sometimes to see my song-writing cousins…
I did hear about the Forscan and I have yet to try to sweet-talk a dealer into pulling the code. I called the closest Lincoln dealer on Saturday but he was busy and short-staffed so that wasn’t the day to schmooze. Thanks again!
Seems like that would be a security risk that car makers wouldn’t want to allow… If both cars are parked next to each other in the driveway, the fob would unlock both cars when you leave in one which would leave the one still in the driveway susceptible to thieves. I don’t think yours have remote start, but that would be another scenario where you wouldn’t want the signal to go to both cars. Further, can you imagine if the panic button gets out of sync in some way where it is going off for one car, but then you try to disarm it and it activates the other car? I don’t know… seems like it would cause issues.
I had a TV remote that would turn on two different TVs, (one used as PC monitor) so I had to be careful to make sure I didn’t point it towards the other room or I could mess with someone using the computer…very frustrating.
@medz most cars that i have had with keyless entry would relock the doors after 30 or 60 seconds if they were unlocked and not opened to prevent against stray button presses leaving them vulnerable.
My old Saturn Astra did this, too, but it had a flaw. If a locked door was closed only partially, pressing that door fully closed would unlock it. Kind of like how if you start turning the coil in a snack machine, it turns itself to make a full revolution to get back to the known starting point.
@djslack I’ve never had a car do that
I had to use my phone recording a video to be able to see the code in a new-ish Ford Escape. Upper-right of the fuse box under the passenger dash. I had to use video because there was no way I could fit my hand in there to take a photo and get it in focus. This pic shows the location, but I was eventually able to get closer to make-out the code on the sticker.
@medz The location is a feature. Right? I believe you call that a way to keep the dealer repair department in business.
My car, a 2012 Honda Odyssey, suddenly started running very rough this morning and the traction control and check engine lights came on solid. I parked it and walked home.
The dealer says the engine might be missing but it should be safe to drive the 23 miles (mostly highway) to the dealership.
Can I get a second opinion on whether driving it for 40 minutes is a good idea? A tow would cost a bunch.
@sammydog01 Do you not have towing on your car insurance?
@Barney They will tow up to 5 miles. That leaves 18.
@sammydog01 That’s what you get for buying insurance from those cheap ass companies.
@Barney Stupid AAA.
@Barney @sammydog01 My car insurance has a roadside assistance thing on it. I noticed it when I added the Lincoln to my policy recently. Maybe call your agent to see if you have that too? I too, have the AAA 5 mile tow card which does not cover very far.
@Barney @sammydog01 Oh, nevermind, I see you were asked that already.
I made it with limited engine smoke. Fingers crossed it’s something simple. It is never something simple.
The dealer called. Something about rings and pistons. Ring job? Or is that the dirty one? Anyway $3000. Except Honda is taking care of it so it’s FREE! FREEEEEEEE! I love you Honda!
@sammydog01 Here you go:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cars.com/amp/articles/2011-2013-honda-odyssey-piston-ring-issue-1420682568913/
@sammydog01
???
I would think a missing engine would make a car run very, very smoothly - downhill, at least.
@narfcake That’s it! I’m glad I took it to a good dealer.
@sammydog01 Yep! And if you really want to know what’s involved, here’s the technical service bulletin:
https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/web/A13-081.pdf
@sammydog01 OMG you got incredibly lucky. And reading what @narfcake posted even with 2 years to spare. Too bad your car was a victim of that though.
All I can think of when I see the lead picture is: “Ran when parked.”
@blaineg I was just trying to figure out what car it is. Not a Volvo, that’s for sure.
/image Volvo TP21
@blaineg @narfcake It’s not a Lincoln? boo.
@narfcake Looks like a mid-to-late 1930s Chevy Suburban
@rockblossom I believe those were only in two door and they didn’t have a humpback.
/image 1936 Chevrolet Suburban
/image 1937 Chevrolet Suburban
/image 1938 Chevrolet Suburban
/image 1939 Chevrolet Suburban
@narfcake More like this one, but I don’t know what year or model variant this is:
or maybe a 1937 Packard?
After my father in law passed a few years back nobody knew the code to his f150’s keypad. I took apart the passenger footwell to find the bcm and get the keypad code off of it.
Only after doing that work did I understand what the number that was written inside the driver’s doorjamb in sharpie in his handwriting was.
@djslack
/giphy DOH!
@djslack that was brilliant!
Hope you don’t mind if I post this here, didn’t think it warranted its own thread, but had to share…
Also, don’t know if this link will work for everyone but-
Or, if that doesn’t work, here’s where I found it: https://jalopnik.com/local-morning-show-reporter-fired-after-shooting-segmen-1839271841
I just hope for that moron’s sake that the owners of those cars have good self-control and anger management skills…
If I saw that guy do that shit to my fucking Corolla I’d have a hard time not introducing him to my tire-iron, never mind a prized, mint condition, vintage T-Bird.
If he gets assaulted by any of the owners, I would hope a court would find it justified.
edit: the door ding makes me cringe the most, and after rewatching, I actually think the fucker did it on purpose - he looks down at it just before he dings it.
@DennisG2014 Wow, empty air-head talkie person. That was outrageous. He probably has a cat just like Mike808’s.
@DennisG2014 that dick. I hope if he somehow continues to be a reporter the only thing he can report on with his interactive style is sewage backups and record maggot herds out back of the slaughterhouse.