Porsche Key
07-31-2011, 05:23 AM
#16
Update: got the key. The circuit board is a perfect match and no problem exchanging the blade (0nce I got the hang of it.) However...........
The transponder is glued in a slot in the old case and I fear breaking it if I pull it out. It is glued on all sides. I was able to remove the new transponder with some difficulty but trying this on my only working key is problematic.
The transponder is glued in a slot in the old case and I fear breaking it if I pull it out. It is glued on all sides. I was able to remove the new transponder with some difficulty but trying this on my only working key is problematic.
07-31-2011, 07:59 AM
#17
Boolala, I couldn't really tell if you meant that you actually DID get the glued in piece out? If you did, tell me how. I was convinced I was going to bust it, so I gave up. You are right, that baby is really stuck in there (I'm sure for good reason). Thanks.
07-31-2011, 08:05 AM
#18
Boolala, I re-read your post and now I understand. That was my dilemma. I was convinced that I was going to break the thing, couldn't tell what the material was. I was pretty forceful on my attempts to get the transponder out and just ended up bending the case edges along side the "rod". I gave up. Let us know if you come up with a way to do this.
07-31-2011, 12:53 PM
#19
What I have been thinking of doing now is to remove the transponder with the plastic case that surrounds it. That would destroy the original key but I'm replacing it anyway. I have already removed the transponder from new key. Even though it was glued in I was able to get it out with a nail file. Of course since I was not going to reuse it I was not worried about damaging the new transponder. I would then simply remove the plastic surrounding the transponder in the new case and drop in the entire (old) transponder/case as a unit in the new key.
I tried putting the new case (with key) in the ignition and simply placing the old glued in transponder in the vicinity of the key lock but that doesn't work. The transponder does not have an independent power source but, rather, is powered by electromagnetic induction and has to be in the center of the key lock. It's not like a bluetooth thing.
I tried putting the new case (with key) in the ignition and simply placing the old glued in transponder in the vicinity of the key lock but that doesn't work. The transponder does not have an independent power source but, rather, is powered by electromagnetic induction and has to be in the center of the key lock. It's not like a bluetooth thing.
08-01-2011, 10:41 PM
#20
Success!
With some trepidation I went after the glued in transponder with a nail file. (I think that a #11 surgical blade or exacto knife would have been better, however). I was careful to put most of the stress on the case and sacrificed the old case to remove the transponder as atraumatically as possible.
If anyone needs step by step instructions let me know.
With some trepidation I went after the glued in transponder with a nail file. (I think that a #11 surgical blade or exacto knife would have been better, however). I was careful to put most of the stress on the case and sacrificed the old case to remove the transponder as atraumatically as possible.
If anyone needs step by step instructions let me know.
08-02-2011, 03:07 AM
#23
The gen 2 key replacement I used was the one with 2 buttons that I linked to in my first post above. Although the gen 2 key is slightly bigger on the outside the innards are identical except that it has a different sized locking tab (for the key) so keep them separate.
The key consists of several parts: 1) the battery case which contains the battery, transponder and key blade with spring and locking tab 2) the "button" half which has only the buttons on the outside and 3) a circuit board enclosed in a removable rubberized container which is sandwiched between the two case halves. The rubberized circuit board container is identical in both cases except for the color so you can either transfer the circuit board with old container or put it in the new "rubberized" container.
Tip: I would recommend starting on a clean, uncluttered single light colored surface as, if you place everything on a granite countertop like I did, you will never find the spring and locking tab if they fly out which they have a tendency to do.
In the first diagram below I've labled the parts. The new (recipient) key on the left and the old (donor) key on the right. The new transponder has been removed from the recipient key and is shown below it. As you can see it fits in a small cavity in the battery compartment surrounded on 5 sides and exposed at the top. Also the transponder is shown in the picture in profile view and is "upside down." The transponder compartment has a matching "base" with the narrower end toward the key blade and that is how the transplanted transponder should be replaced in the recipient key case.
Step one: after seperating the key halves remove the circuit board and its "rubberized" container. Place it in the recepient key half which has the small buttons on the outside. Note that the rubberized container faces the plastic keys on the outside) and the circuit board faces the battery compartment half.
Tip: wedge the the circuit board and its container into the key half instead of trying to place it in the battery compartment. This will ensure that the plastic external keys will remain in place when the two halves are put together.
Step two: push the spring (above battery in diagram) towards the key blade with a sharp narrow object (I used a metal nail file). You can then ease out the spring and then remove the plastic locking tab. You will not be reusing these as they are a different size in the new case.
Tip: be careful when removing the spring as it has a tendency to fly out and is easily lost.
Step three: you now can remove the blade from the donor case. I would recommend grabbing the proximal end of the blade with a pair of pliers and wiggeling it back and forth as you pull it out. Expect considerable resistence as you do this. It will come out with some sustained effort as, by now, nothing else is holding it in place. Note (in picture 2 below) that the proximal end of the blade has two prongs, one notched and one straight. When replacing, the notched end will be inserted in the recipient case on the side of the spring.
Step four: remove the spring and locking tab from the recipient case. Insert the blade into the new case (with notched prong into hole that has locking tab and spring). Replace the plastic locking tab and push it all the way towards the key blade. Now insert the spring first into the slot in the locking tab. Then use a nail file to push the other end into the plastic compartment. It should seat effortlessly.
Tip: remove the spring and locking tab before putting the blade in as, otherwise, the spring and tab will fly out if you insert the blade without removing them first.
Step five: remove the transponder from the old case. This is the hardest part as it is glued in on all sides. I first scored around the top of the transponder with a knife. Then I inserted a metal nail file and seperated the transponder by leveraging it against the case. At this point you need to preserve the transponder and put most of the pressure againt the case. I actually had to cut away the outside of the old case in order to remove the transponder. With some patience and care it will come out.
Step six: you need to remove the transponder from the new case. In this case you can place most of the effort into preserving the (new) case and not worry about damaging the transponder. In my case breaking a small amount of plastic holding the transponder on the lower end (in the diagram) allowed me to "bend" the transponder and it snapped out in one piece.
Step seven place the donor transponder into the new case noting the proper orientation (narrow end towards the key blade).
Step eight: put the key case halves together and you're done.
The key consists of several parts: 1) the battery case which contains the battery, transponder and key blade with spring and locking tab 2) the "button" half which has only the buttons on the outside and 3) a circuit board enclosed in a removable rubberized container which is sandwiched between the two case halves. The rubberized circuit board container is identical in both cases except for the color so you can either transfer the circuit board with old container or put it in the new "rubberized" container.
Tip: I would recommend starting on a clean, uncluttered single light colored surface as, if you place everything on a granite countertop like I did, you will never find the spring and locking tab if they fly out which they have a tendency to do.
In the first diagram below I've labled the parts. The new (recipient) key on the left and the old (donor) key on the right. The new transponder has been removed from the recipient key and is shown below it. As you can see it fits in a small cavity in the battery compartment surrounded on 5 sides and exposed at the top. Also the transponder is shown in the picture in profile view and is "upside down." The transponder compartment has a matching "base" with the narrower end toward the key blade and that is how the transplanted transponder should be replaced in the recipient key case.
Step one: after seperating the key halves remove the circuit board and its "rubberized" container. Place it in the recepient key half which has the small buttons on the outside. Note that the rubberized container faces the plastic keys on the outside) and the circuit board faces the battery compartment half.
Tip: wedge the the circuit board and its container into the key half instead of trying to place it in the battery compartment. This will ensure that the plastic external keys will remain in place when the two halves are put together.
Step two: push the spring (above battery in diagram) towards the key blade with a sharp narrow object (I used a metal nail file). You can then ease out the spring and then remove the plastic locking tab. You will not be reusing these as they are a different size in the new case.
Tip: be careful when removing the spring as it has a tendency to fly out and is easily lost.
Step three: you now can remove the blade from the donor case. I would recommend grabbing the proximal end of the blade with a pair of pliers and wiggeling it back and forth as you pull it out. Expect considerable resistence as you do this. It will come out with some sustained effort as, by now, nothing else is holding it in place. Note (in picture 2 below) that the proximal end of the blade has two prongs, one notched and one straight. When replacing, the notched end will be inserted in the recipient case on the side of the spring.
Step four: remove the spring and locking tab from the recipient case. Insert the blade into the new case (with notched prong into hole that has locking tab and spring). Replace the plastic locking tab and push it all the way towards the key blade. Now insert the spring first into the slot in the locking tab. Then use a nail file to push the other end into the plastic compartment. It should seat effortlessly.
Tip: remove the spring and locking tab before putting the blade in as, otherwise, the spring and tab will fly out if you insert the blade without removing them first.
Step five: remove the transponder from the old case. This is the hardest part as it is glued in on all sides. I first scored around the top of the transponder with a knife. Then I inserted a metal nail file and seperated the transponder by leveraging it against the case. At this point you need to preserve the transponder and put most of the pressure againt the case. I actually had to cut away the outside of the old case in order to remove the transponder. With some patience and care it will come out.
Step six: you need to remove the transponder from the new case. In this case you can place most of the effort into preserving the (new) case and not worry about damaging the transponder. In my case breaking a small amount of plastic holding the transponder on the lower end (in the diagram) allowed me to "bend" the transponder and it snapped out in one piece.
Step seven place the donor transponder into the new case noting the proper orientation (narrow end towards the key blade).
Step eight: put the key case halves together and you're done.
Last edited by boolala; 08-02-2011 at 04:00 AM.
08-02-2011, 04:16 AM
#24
Some additional notes and clarification: the circuit board controls the door and trunk locks and gets its power from the button battery. The transponder controls the ignition. You need to transfer BOTH. The transponder does not have a source of power in the case. Instead when the key is placed in the ignition it is powered by induction from a ring around the ignition switch. It then exchanges a "signal" with an engine module allowing the computerized ignition to start.
In the post above when I say that the (removed) transponder is "upside down", I mean by that that I placed it at random on the table. The straight edge of the transponder would be "on top" as viewed from above and the "bent" end sits in the bottom of the case. You can put it in only one way and have it fit so this should not be an issue.
In the post above when I say that the (removed) transponder is "upside down", I mean by that that I placed it at random on the table. The straight edge of the transponder would be "on top" as viewed from above and the "bent" end sits in the bottom of the case. You can put it in only one way and have it fit so this should not be an issue.
08-02-2011, 09:23 AM
#25
I did this as well about a year ago. I think you'll find in the archives that that transponder is referred to by some as "a small black grain of rice" if you do a search.
Far and away, getting the transponder out of the old key was the most difficult part. In the end, I just cut away the housing from one side of the transponder using an exacto knife and then I did another side (being careful to cut the housing and not cut or pry on the transponder) it took quite a bit of force. And finally I cut a third side of the housing away. What was left of the housing was what looked like a "spoon" with the transponder on it. I was finally able to lightly pry the transponder away from the housing.
This is not for the faint of heart, there were times when I was putting full force on the exacto know with my arm, expecting the blade to break. Luckily the transponder is made of a hard silica like material and the housing is a softer polypropelene like material. My transponder was heavily glued and it didn't look pretty when it came out but it worked great.
Far and away, getting the transponder out of the old key was the most difficult part. In the end, I just cut away the housing from one side of the transponder using an exacto knife and then I did another side (being careful to cut the housing and not cut or pry on the transponder) it took quite a bit of force. And finally I cut a third side of the housing away. What was left of the housing was what looked like a "spoon" with the transponder on it. I was finally able to lightly pry the transponder away from the housing.
This is not for the faint of heart, there were times when I was putting full force on the exacto know with my arm, expecting the blade to break. Luckily the transponder is made of a hard silica like material and the housing is a softer polypropelene like material. My transponder was heavily glued and it didn't look pretty when it came out but it worked great.
08-02-2011, 09:27 AM
#26
Rennlist Member
Great job and write-up. You're right about the spring and locking tab - I had them pop out multiple times and was lucky the first time in finding them on a variegated carpet (down on my hands and knees with a flashlight), the second time I never could find the spring so I put the lock tab in place and superglued it in. In addition to the satisfaction you received in doing this, you saved the cost of having the dealer program the transponder. Good work!
08-02-2011, 02:15 PM
#28
Thanks. Comparing the gen 1 and 2 key cases I now see that they are actually the same size and shape. The newer one is all black with a chrome "handle" and feels much more substantial which made me think at first that it was actually bigger in size. But it's not. The pic below shows the before and after. The scotch tape was being used to hold the nearly disintigrated key case I was replacing. You can see the small cutout on the right side where I removed a piece of the case to get the transponder out atraumatically. Just happy I could save a couple hundred bucks vs having the dealer program the new key. Good luck.
