Over the past couple weeks I am having intermittent problems with my keys. The problem first appeared when my keyfob wouldn't unlock the car. After getting mad at that problem and thinking the keyfob battery was dead I opened the car door with the actual key and tried it in the ignition. Putting the key in the ignition did absolutely nothing, no dash lights.

The battery in the car was last changed a month ago so that isn't the problem.

The last time this problem happened I popped the hood, put the key in the ignition and it started as normal. That is the only thing I touched from trying the key the first time with no luck and being able to start the car the second time. No other factor changed between the first and second attempt at trying to start the car.

Thinking for some odd reason that one key did not work I tried the other keys that I have. All of the keys did not work. What is really odd is it happens on and off without there being a pattern.

I posted this in the Under The Hood section of the forums and didn't receive a response.

 

Do you have an alarm, or just the OEM starter disable?

 

make sure there is no corrosion on the batt. terminals. sounds like a power related problem for sure. do your headlights turn on?

 

I was thinking that too. I don't think it's the immobilizer because if it were you still should have gotten dash lights but the car would just keep turning over without starting. Did your dome light come on when you opened the door? Did you have to reset your radio stations after the incident? Like 9k said, check your terminals, sounds battery related.

 

Could be that the battery is dying a long, slow death...not just crusty battery terminals (but start with the corrosion )

 

Is there a chip sensor in the ignition switch itself? Maybe shoot some compressed air in there for the hell of it.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys but the battery was changed about a month ago so that isn't the problem.

 

[QUOTE=CBR2200,Dec 5 2007, 05:16 PM] Is there a chip sensor in the ignition switch itself?

 

azdavid, you just made the biggst mistake... i hope you weren't ever planning on becoming a technician with that thought process. please, forget all that nonsense. i had to learn it the hard way when i started working on boats...

just because it is new desn't mean it is good.

it isa new battery yes, but it may not be good. it could've dropped a cell that fast. i had one that i started my car, drove 1 mile o sonic. i turned it off, went t restart after i ate, and it was done. didn't want to turn over. it had dropped a cell just like that. it can happen, and does more than you think. i wanna say out of every 100 parts i put on, 3 of them were bad rght out of the box

 

Every S2k has an immobilizer. It's a chip inside the key that matches to the ecu. When I first joined S2ki I bought the JDM key that doesnt have a chip inside. I had the key cut and tryed to start the car, but it wouldn't start. Everything else happened as normal, but the car would just turn over like it was out of fuel. Gauges lit up, stereo came on, just no start. I had to remove the chip from my Valet key and put it into my JDM key. It was a whole lot of work just for a little JDM Bling. Anyways, long story even longer. From your earlier statements about no dash lights when you tried to start the car, this is why I don't think that it is a problem with the immobilizer.


I know that you said that it is a new battery, did you install it yourself? Humor us all and just go check and make sure the terminals are tight. Another thought, maybe it is a problem w/the key cylinder.