2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission keyless remote

[dseabaugh]

Does anyone know how to program the keyless remotes on these things? Dealer says they can only program new remotes specific to the model and year vehicle and it will require an appointment and one hour shop time to do it . ( a total of around $170. 00 per vehicle per remote). I have a 97 ram , my wifes car is a 96 Chrysler Cirrus. I would like to be able to carry one remote instead of 2. Also my wifes remote for her car died and she bought one for $12. 00 on ebay and would like to program it to the car. Someone told me it only takes a few seconds and there is a sequince of turning the ignition switch on and off and punching the remote to do it. . I have a hayes book on the truck and the car and it doesn't tell. Also I would like a wiring diagram for the sport conversion on a '97 if anyone has one. Thanks.

 

[Scrappy]

transmitter

Good idea, but no such luck I wanted to do the same thing but I have been told it is not possible to program one remote to work on both vehicles. As to the sport conversion, are you wanting to put later model sport lights in your '97?

 

[dseabaugh]

Yes, I want to put 99-2001 sport lights in so I have the 4 bulb set-up rather than the factory 2 bulb. I am on my 3rd brite box. Genos has been real good to replace them but it is agrivating when the lights refuse to turn off when they go bad.

 

[jrobinson2]

I just looked in my '99 service manual and it says the RKE (Remote Keyless Entry) transmiter codes must be programmed into the RKE receiver in the CTM (Central Timer Module) with a DRB scan tool. It also says you can program up to four RKE codes into the receiver. It sounds like if the transmitters are the same you could theoretically program the vehicles to accept each others remotes, at least on a '99... ... since they changed about everything electrical in '98 this may not apply to your truck.

Jared

 

[Scrappy]

transmitters

The problem that I was told about is, you can only program for one vehicle. But if you tried to program it for a second vehicle, it will erase the first to accept the second. The transmitter can't "remember " two vehicles.

 

[dseabaugh]

Than would mean that the transmitter has to have the ability to both send and receive and I would not think it would have that comunication ability.

 

[jrobinson2]

First I should say that I have no knowledge about this other than what I read in the factory manual last night. That being said, You don't program the transmitter, you program the remote keyless entry transmitter codes into the RKE receiver in the central timer module in the vehicle with a DRB scan tool. Nothing is programed into the transmitter. The book says you can enter up to four different transmitter codes, I don't see how the RKE receiver or the DRB tool could know if the codes had been programed into a different vehicle. It may be that there are different codes for different years and models but from what it says in the book it sound like any compatible transmitter codes can be programed.

Jared

 

[dseabaugh]

That is what i thought. I also read that it can accept several different remotes codes. Sooooooooo ... Does anyone have any idea how to do it ?

 

[OTRPU]

Bought used vehicle. . . previous owner had a driver that ran off with the remote and noone knows where that sucker is. Can I purchase another unit from a dealer? Is the required code tied to the VIN or something? How much will I be contributing to the dealers 401k to purchase one of these?



Cheers,

Steve J

 

[tbrudder]

Here's the TSB for 99-02 model reprogramming, previous models may be similar. It can be done either with the scan tool, or one of two sequences described in the TSB using only the transmitter and key on cycles.



Looks like this is the pertinent one:

Program Method B (Customer Program Method)



1. Press [LOCK] button 5 times at 2 second intervals to resynchronize transmitter. Attempt to function transmitter, it working as designed discontinue programming.



2. Turn ignition to the run position (Allow Ignition chimes to stop).



3. Using original transmitter, press and hold the [UNLOCK] button on the transmitter for between 4 and 10 seconds.



4. Continue to hold the [UNLOCK[ button and press the [PANIC] button. A chime will sound to indicate that the transmitter programming mode has been entered (Allow 3 seconds for chime to sound).



5. Press a button on all transmitters to be programmed into the system including any previously programmed transmitters; a chime will sound when each transmitter has been programmed.



6. Turn the ignition to OFF position to exit the transmitter programming mode.



Seems to me that if you had another person do the same steps in the other vehicle at the same time, both would get sync'd up with the transmitter.



As far as how the transmitter works, How Stuff Works has a good description.



Basically, when you hit the unlock button, the unlock code gets sent, but so does a security code. This code can be one of a few million numbers. If the code that gets sent doesn't match what the receiver in the car expects, it doesn't pay attention to the unlock code. When they match, it unlocks the doors, and uses a pseudo-random number generator (basically a mathematical formula that gives 'random' numbers in a certain sequence) to figure out what the next code should be. Your key fob transmitter changes this code to the next one with every push of a button.



Usually, there's a window of about 256 codes, so if you push the button a few times when out of range, it will still unlock the next time you try it. Hit it 257, though, and you'll have to resync it.



That's what the procedure above does. By putting the vehicle's receiver in program mode with the DRB or key cycles, it listens to the remote, figures out where in the sequence it is, and sets its own number generator there. Since it looks like these RKE systems are basically the same across Chrysler platforms of similar model years, I'd imagine that having both vehicles sync their receivers to the same transmitter at the same time would allow you to use one key fob for both. Only problem is, when you hit 'unlock', I'd imagine both vehciles would do so, if they were in range.



All this is just theory (the multi-vehicle part, anyway), and I doubt DC intended the system to be used like this. My truck had a Viper system when I bought it, so I can't try it out (and I don't have another DC vehicle to try on, either). Anyone feel adventurous?