Hello,

I seem to have a problem with the passive keyless entry in my '96 vette that I could not find an answer to in the owners manual.

This morning while driving the Passive Keyless Entry light (on the driver information center) came on and it sounded like the locks were trying to lock and unlock (for about 5 seconds). Then it stopped just as suddenly as it started.
Then about 5 mintues later both doors locked themselves and the Passive Keyless Entry light came back on.

Since then the Passive Keyless Entry isn't working. When I walk away from the car the car doors do not lock and when I walk up to the car it does not unlock.

I do have 2 transmitters so I went and tried using the other transmitter and that one is not working either.
Just in case the problem is the battery, I went out and bought a battery for the unit but the Energizer equivalent to the Duracell DL2450 does not fit into the unit properly and I have not been unable to locate a Duracell battery for the transmitter.

Before I go nuts trying to find a Duracell battery for the transmitter does anyone know there is possibly something else I should try doing.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
TIA
Lisa

 

Try rotating the battery in the case. That was the only way I could get the battery to fit properly. And don't bother wasting time looking for the battery around your area. No manufacterer makes the battery (that I could find) that has the groove on the right side. By the way, the Duracell battery doesn't work either.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. After trying to put the Energizer "equivalent" of the Duracell battery into the transmitter (and I tried all sorts of things to get that darn battery in there with no luck) I just put the old battery back in until I could find a battery.

This morning when I went out the PKE wasn't working and the Passive Keyless Entry light did not come on in the Driver Information Center so I checked the manual and apparently the system was off. I'm not sure why it would have deactivated itself. I didn't do anything that the manual states to do in order to turn off the system. Anyway, I tried turning the system back on and after 2 attempts it is now working again.

This is definitely weird!

Does anyone have any idea why it would have done this in the first place, or why the PKE light would come on (in the Driver Information Center) while driving down the road to begin with.

Also, has anyone found a battery that does fit into the transmitter?

TIA

Lisa

 

Watch out! When my PKE light goes on, and stays on for a while, I usually come back to my car after a very long day to find that my hatch has opened itself. This has happened three times. I ended up pulling the fuses for the PKE until I have a spare moment to troubleshoot it. Just don't put anything too expensive in the hatch. Thank God no one took my briefcase that had my Ipod and PSP in it.

 

"When my PKE light goes on, and stays on for a while, I usually come back to my car after a very long day to find that my hatch has opened itself."

When your PKE light goes on do you hear clicking as if the door locks are locking and unlocking? When my PKE light came on yesterday it also sounded like the locks were trying to lock and unlock and then it stopped as suddenly as it started. Fortunately, my hatch hasn't opened up on me and I usually don't keep anything in my car unless I am out shopping (this is my daily driver).

Has anyone else had these problems and does anyone know how to fix it?

TIA

Lisa

 

I am going to try and troubleshoot the car sometime this week. Have you tried pulling the diagnostic codes?

 

My PKE has been thru the ringer and somehow still works. The place for the key chain broke off so i drilled a hole through it. The snap that holds it together broke off so i put two little screws in it to hold it together and it still works. Here is a pic of the battery I put in mine. The battery doesn't fit perfectly but if you have it under the contact where i have the arrow pointing when you put it together it should work. Hope this helps.

 

I had luck finding batteries with the "groove" at a watch repair store of all places. The guy had two with the grooves and several without so I bought the grooved ones as spares. I had previously tried a non-grooved battery and this resulted in breaking the plastic clip that holds the edge of the battery. You can try filing down the edge slightly but it is a shame the the correct batteries are not readily available

 

Yeah, my '96 did the same thing. The PKE light stays on, except for an occasional flicker or two (usually with the radio turned off). Took it to the dealer and was told the receiver needs to be replaced. I'm hoping it's a bad ground somewhere. Please let us know if you're able to figure it out.