Does key recharge in ignition??

[Tron2004]

Put my beast in the garage last night and went to lock it but... ziltch, wouldn't lock.
As tho the battery in the key was dead.
Used the spare set to lock it.
This morning, used the spare again to unlock.
Placed "dead" key in ignition and went for a drive for about 15 minutes. Got back and key then worked (lock / unlock).

This has happened once before and was wondering about my key sorta losing the plot.

What does the little metalic ball thingy do that you can see just sticking out from the left side of the black plactic section of the key (where the key itself is sandwiched between the plastic), when it's inserted into ignition where it makes contact with the circular metal strip around the ign??

Gee, that was rather long winded but it is a bit hard to describe. :confused:

[Devil CV8]

The key isn't recharged from the ignition. what happens is the key gets out of step with the rolling code and when placed in the ignition and used to start the key the rolling code is "resynched"

this is the easy answer. there is a more indepth answer available.

the key makes contact via the metal part of the key and the "ball thingy"

[hsv1413]

You may also find that the contact points have become loose from dropping it etc. The contacts are soldered to the battery inside, and do break away after a while.
Every now and then, the key will work, and then stop when the contact breaks. It then amazingly re-attaches itself and works for a while, then breaks away again.

The key bouncing around in your pocket, from a keychain, hitting the floor etc, makes and breaks the contacts.

I used to have to squeeze mine together to make it work.....

[SSJB]

Where does the key get its power from if it doesn't recharge off the ignition?

whatever, when my remote locking died one day I cleaned the contact point on the key and the barrell and lo, never another issue to date.

[Tron2004]

You may also find that the contact points have become loose from dropping it etc. The contacts are soldered to the battery inside, and do break away after a while.
Every now and then, the key will work, and then stop when the contact breaks. It then amazingly re-attaches itself and works for a while, then breaks away again.

The key bouncing around in your pocket, from a keychain, hitting the floor etc, makes and breaks the contacts.

I used to have to squeeze mine together to make it work.....
Thanx for that.
I must remember to stop throwing em on the ground in future when they refuse to work. :cussing:
Gawd I hate things that don't work.

That's why I bought a Holden. :thumbsup:

[SS--SS]

Damn good idea having the key recharge from the ignition !
But then holden wouldn't make $100 everytime a $2 battery went flat

[Devil CV8]

Where does the key get its power from if it doesn't recharge off the ignition? from the battery in the key head. Grab a multimeter and see what sort of voltage /current is available on the ignition to key contacts...not enough to even trickle charge a battery.


whatever, when my remote locking died one day I cleaned the contact point on the key and the barrell and lo, never another issue to date.there are actually 2 contact points on the key, the little metal nub and the key itself...

[Y2kGoofball]

I had been told they recharge in the ignition but I cant see how when its not a rechargable button battery.

I always thought it was the rolling code, and if you didnt use the key after a while it lost synch or something, as mentioned earlier.

We had a problem the very first night we owned the Adventra. We went from the dealer, loaded it with stuff being a station wagon, and headed down the south coast.

That was obviously quite a long drive. Got to the place, left it for a while then went out to grab a mobile we left in the console and she was dead.

Wouldnt unlock at all. In the end we had to bight the bullet, unlock, set the alarm off at 4am, whack the key in the ignition - she fired up then died but the alarm shutup at least. Pull out, now it would lock and unlock so we did, then put the key back in and it fired up.

holdens explination was that the rolling code on the key may have been unsynched for god knows what reason, they said because it may not have been used while in transport etc but the car was only manufactured less then a month earlier, and we had been using this one key all day and it spent a good 4 hours in the ignition once we left home to go to the coast, plus the many times it was in and out and lock/unlock of the car during the day.

Strange but its never done it again so I dunno, maybe theres some truth to it temporarily blacking out

[brettarmst]

The key has a battery similar to a watch battery inside (not rechargable), no option but to buy a new button, move the key (the metal bit that goes in the ignition) on to the new button and get the button programed to your security system.

Some people have had some luck splitting the button and soldering in a new battery but most end up falling apart at some point in the future.

[EvillBill]

You can get rechargable lithium button cells, but the recharger needs to be pretty sophisticated. Lithium batteries tend to misbehave in a spectactular fashion when improperly charged, and my guess is Holden would not have wanted to risk 1 in 1000 cars set on fire due to cell fires.

[cutter bob]

Damn good idea having the key recharge from the ignition !
But then holden wouldn't make $100 everytime a $2 battery went flat


heartland holden only charges $40 for a new one from memory