ALXXe

Hi guys,
I have recently bought a 2002 996 Targa from an auction. It only comes with one key with the remote head, but the remote is not working; when I pressed any of the three buttons, nothing happens to the car and no red LED blinks. So far I am not able to see any broken bits on the circuit board. I tried the following but neither worked:

1. replace the battery
2. clean the circuit board
3. press the buttons after turning the key in the car

I know that there is probably no other way than to get a replacement key from the dealer (RIP my pocket). But I still want to save the current key remote as much as I can. What are the potential causes of this problem and how do I know from my key? So far I have read about buying the Suncoast keyhead + program by dealer solution, what are some other ways to fix this that I can try first?

Thanks in advance!

wdb

The rubber on my 2002 targa keys was so perished that several of the little pushbuttons would not even activate. I purchased new OEM key bodies and a kit for replacing the pushbuttons. Two functioning keys now, yay!

I guess the question is, how mushy is the rubber on your pushbuttons? Are you able to verify that contact is being made? Since you looked at the circuit board it sounds like you might be handy enough to try a jumper across one of the switches to see if that works.

All that said, the remote function in general on my car is hit/miss a lot of the time. I have to be pretty close to the car, and I have to watch it to see if it actually locks. Kind of annoying in a 'first world problems' way.

EDIT: link to the pushbutton repair kit -- https://batee.com/products/986-996-b...ter-repair-kit

ALXXe

Thank you so much! I will check the switches again. Do you happen to have a tutorial of putting the jumper to check the switches or know how to do it? I am not 100% confident as this is my only key.

Cheers

Dr_Strangelove

This is a stab in the dark but give the battery polarity reversal a shot. Basically just hold the positive terminal downward for 10 seconds put the cover back on for 10 or so seconds, take the cover off and install the battery correctly again. I guess this is supposed to "reboot" the circuit board if it is indeed functioning correctly. I have the TSB from Porsche attached to my post.

wdb

Well, the little pushbuttons are soldered to the circuit board at each end. You would need a piece of wire or even a paper clip. Put one end of the wire/clip on each end of the pushbutton, where it is soldered to the board. You need to make a metal-to-metal connection. That will "short" that part of the circuit, just like the pushbutton does when it is pushed. If that makes the door lock or whatever, then the pushbutton is your problem.

I agree with some other posts regarding battery connections. They suck too. Make sure the battery is contacting its contacts!

Idaho911

Bit of a thread hijack, but one of my Targa keys lights up/responds when keys are pressed but doesn't lock/unlock/open anything. Does the battery trick apply here or is it something else?

ALXXe

Just tried, didn't work even after changing several batteries, I am having the bad luck