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I'm not talking about opening the shell and the battery cover to get to the battery – that's easy. The part with the three buttons, the one the battery slips into, seems "hermetically sealed." From a visual examination there is no way to expose the circuit board where the button switches make contact. I got clumsy and dropped my keys into a puddle of water and now the buttons are intermittent. I wanted to dry out the circuit board & wipe it down with a q-tip & isopropyl alcohol but I can't see a way to open this piece up.
Right now I push a button & see the LED blink once – or not at all. The battery measures 2.67 volts so maybe I should try replacing that first (but it was working fine before I dropped my keys). Of course I wiped the whole thing down, removed the battery and cleaned the battery compartment with iso alcohol, and I shot a hair dryer on it for a minute or two. This did not fix things. Any ideas are appreciated, thanks!
The OEM remote shell is glued together. Not sealed.
Are we talking about the same thing? This is my "shell" – not OEM, but an aftermarket product that holds my key and transponder & FOB. It's held together with screws:
What I was talking about in my original post was the guts:
Today it was completely dead. I replaced the battery and it's working for now. Maybe it was a coincidence that my battery died the same day I dropped my keys in a puddle? Or maybe some moisture got into this and there is a short that is draining the battery – I suppose I'll find out soon enough. Anyway, my question was about opening up these "guts" (the transponder?) to try and deal with any moisture that may have gotten in through the buttons. There are no screws I see that hold this piece together. I also looked for some kind of slot that I might put a small flat-head screwdriver into to pry these halves apart. I'll just hope that it was the battery and nothing else. Thanks for your reply!
Last edited by reezekeys; 01-25-19 at 07:08 PM.
Reason: speling
And now, 2 days later, the new battery is dead. So I assume there's a short inside this piece. Again – has anyone ever disassembled one of these? TIA for any assistance!
The only thing we've ever been able to do with the 3-button/transponder is replace the battery.
The good news is, sounds that the security system is still recognizing the security chip in the transponder, so you have a working master-key. If you're lucky, you can find someone on eBay selling just that three-button transponder... worst case, you have to buy an entire new key (and have it cut) with transponder. Program the new master key with the old master transponder, then just toss the old one, or keep it around for emergencies.
We ran in to this also... the lock-button stopped working on our old master (unlock, trunk, and security transponder still worked), bought a new Genuine Lexus master (with working buttons), had it cut, programmed it, then keep the old master around, in case someone locks the key in the car, or we need to start it for some other reason.
Then again, we have a '98, which if we lose the master, means an ECM re-flash... so we're a little obsessive over this one.
There are a few options out there. 1010keys on ebay offer OEM style key and remotes, a seller on Facebook offers full replacement flip style keys in a few style and colors. Just a matter of taste and budget.
Thanks for the reply. This is a somewhat old thread and I've resolved the FOB issue - I think I might have even started a different and more recent thread about that (it's a blur because I have an even more recent thread here about another FOB issue – but your info is helping me there, so thanks!)
In a nutshell, I fixed this original FOB by spraying it with "Pro Gold", an electronics cleaner. Everything is working great now, the battery is not draining prematurely.
My next quest was to get a second key for myself, on the cheap. I found an Ebay seller that cuts a Lexus key from a photograph – for about $15! I took a chance and the key works – all locks turn. At least I can get in the car if I lock my master key in. The shell of this new key is empty so I was looking for just the FOB "guts" to put in it. I've downloaded all the programming instructions so all I need are the electronics, and I hope they'll fit the shell of this new key. I will check out 1010keys right now, thanks again!
Thanks for the reply. This is a somewhat old thread and I've resolved the FOB issue - I think I might have even started a different and more recent thread about that (it's a blur because I have an even more recent thread here about another FOB issue – but your info is helping me there, so thanks!)
In a nutshell, I fixed this original FOB by spraying it with "Pro Gold", an electronics cleaner. Everything is working great now, the battery is not draining prematurely.
My next quest was to get a second key for myself, on the cheap. I found an Ebay seller that cuts a Lexus key from a photograph – for about $15! I took a chance and the key works – all locks turn. At least I can get in the car if I lock my master key in. The shell of this new key is empty so I was looking for just the FOB "guts" to put in it. I've downloaded all the programming instructions so all I need are the electronics, and I hope they'll fit the shell of this new key. I will check out 1010keys right now, thanks again!
You can sometimes find on eBay singles of the fob insert, yet all I can find right now is batches of 10.
Might be easier to just buy a complete uncut key, either Lexus or non-oem, and have that one cut. Then you'll have a working master, with remote and key.
I sent a message to this seller asking if I could extract the FOB guts from his key, he says he needs the FCC ID# from my original FOB. I wrote back saying that his listing already claims his part is compatible with my car (2001 GS300) so why does he need the FCC ID? His answer was to ask me for the FCC ID# again.
I already have a freshly cut key that works (i.e. the locks turn) – I just need the electronics, and don't really want to pay for another key cutting. I'm thinking of just taking a chance with this listing.
Quick Google says that the '01 GS uses the HYQ1512V, which that auction is, yet as it's not Genuine Lexus, keep pushing. It might be a key shell that has a non-removable insert, or that removable insert might not fit in a non-Lexus or Lexus key.
Here's an auction for what appears to be a Genuine Lexus, that are already cut, yet with a Lexus fob-insert. Do your due-diligence (Genuine Lexus? Working buttons? etc...), yet looks like you could take out the insert, toss the already-cut key, and get the fob working again:
01-24-19, 01:20 PM
Can you open the key fob?
