Cobra Alarm Fob Old Age

[Ancient Wedgie]

It's pretty sad how little I've used my 2005 laser blue elise. Just passed 17000 miles taking her to be smogged.

While I was at the smog station I perforated the A key (the plastic is old and brittle).




ADMINISTRATORS: I tried to insert a picture of the fob here using the manage attachments key, but it did not respond with anything but forum rules that shed no light. (Not that much is working for me here today. I has been a long time since I've posted anew here, but really?)

The fob refused to work to allow me to start the car. I took my code card out of my wallet and tried to disable the immobilizer without any luck. (I can explain my troubles later in the hopes some can tell me why instead of blinks of light I got beeps.) Needless to say I had to leave her there and go home and get the duplicate fob and key which works fine.

But what I'd like to know is

1. is this fob now dead?
2. if it is dead, where do I get a new duplicate?

Furthermore, after this ordeal was over I discovered that for the first time I could not get the rear lid to lock. The plastic child safety release handle came loose and the cable end is now there by itself. I'm not sure if this is the problem. However, I CAN close the latch with my finger and the key will release it, so that is not the problem even though now if a child somehow could fit in there he now can't get out if I could lock it.

[Aedo]

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

I have edited your post by uploading the photo to LT in the usual manner - not sure why you had trouble... anyway its there permanently now

Now safely home have you have a couple of options depending on whether the fob is actually working or not. If it is working you can buy the case on its own off ebay (they used to go for a couple of dollars but the cheapest I can find quickly is around $15 - cobra alarm fob | eBay).

If the fob isn't working you obviously need to splash out on a new complete fob... so test yours first (put new battery in it and see if the LED works... then you should be able to resync it to the car (hold both buttons down while very close to the car until the LED comes on fully, then press the large button)).

Hope that works... else SirLotus will be along any moment with a fully detailed response

[Ancient Wedgie]

Thank you for the assist Aedo. It's possible pop-ups are suddenly blocked, but firefox usually lets me know when it's blocking them. LT responded the first time I clicked manage attachments and added a forums rules box to the lower left of the screen. But subsequent hits on manage attachments did nothing at all.

The fob worked at home when I left. It only failed when I next hit it after I tried to start it at the smog station, and that was simultaneous to when I perforated the skin as seen in the photo. It's my guess something foreign entered then or it's shorting. If that is the case, then maybe the only way to test it's innards is to take what is there and insert it into my working spare fob.

I'm not sure that is a good idea cuz if I screw up then I have no working keys until I find new fobs.

About my deck lid issue. I looked at pages 7-9 of the body fitting section in the repair manual, and it doesn't provide much help. So I suspect I'm gonna need some street advice.That belongs in another thread. I didn't find an old one when I searched. Should I start another new one or do you know of an existing one? It's a lot harder to search here now that this isn't EliseTalk only anymore.

[SirLotus]

I have fob parts, PM me.
Michael

[xxxotic]

My fob had the same type of hole in it, but I was still able to get it to work by pressing the button. I found a new fob case on line ( it took a while to get, so the Viper might be able to send it out faster) and replaced the battery and it didnt work, so I had to play around with it and resynch it a few times before it would work again.

[Aedo]

Originally Posted by Ancient Wedgie

Thank you for the assist Aedo. It's possible pop-ups are suddenly blocked, but firefox usually lets me know when it's blocking them. LT responded the first time I clicked manage attachments and added a forums rules box to the lower left of the screen. But subsequent hits on manage attachments did nothing at all.

I use firefox and have LT listed in the exceptions for pop-up blocker

Originally Posted by Ancient Wedgie

The fob worked at home when I left. It only failed when I next hit it after I tried to start it at the smog station, and that was simultaneous to when I perforated the skin as seen in the photo. It's my guess something foreign entered then or it's shorting. If that is the case, then maybe the only way to test it's innards is to take what is there and insert it into my working spare fob.

I'm not sure that is a good idea cuz if I screw up then I have no working keys until I find new fobs.

Don't worry about swapping the mechanism into your working case - you can use it out of the case. The issue may be just a flat battery.

Originally Posted by Ancient Wedgie

About my deck lid issue. I looked at pages 7-9 of the body fitting section in the repair manual, and it doesn't provide much help. So I suspect I'm gonna need some street advice.That belongs in another thread. I didn't find an old one when I searched. Should I start another new one or do you know of an existing one? It's a lot harder to search here now that this isn't EliseTalk only anymore.

Just start a thread here - Interior/Exterior - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community -

[Ancient Wedgie]

Originally Posted by Aedo

I use firefox and have LT listed in the exceptions for pop-up blocker.

It's unblocked now. I'm not sure about before. Let me check right now... YES! the popup window now appears. Now if only the rest of my problems....

Originally Posted by Aedo

Don't worry about swapping the mechanism into your working case - you can use it out of the case. The issue may be just a flat battery.

I took the battery out and checked it. 3.1+ volts seems right. Key light battery is 1.35 volts and that works.

I have taken out the unit and I am getting the telltale light to either stay on or flash fast, but it's not doing what I think it should.

It flashed fast once for I don't know what reason. The only way I could stop that was to pull out the battery again.

The only way to get the light to be solid is either when I first replace the battery or if I hold down button B for a few seconds. Then the telltale stays solid for several seconds, close to a minute.

Oh, and the good news is I've been able to get the immobilizer to shut down with my four digit code for the first time. I think what happened while I was at the smog shop was that after the 3rd on off sequence I didn't keep it off long enough for the light above the tach to go on for 3 seconds. I had already turned on the key after the 3rd off. Duh! So I know my code is good on my card now (In 8 years I've never had cause to use it.)

Originally Posted by Aedo

Just start a thread here - Interior/Exterior - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community -

I will. Especially since I solved the lid latch problem in an unusual way. Others might want to know.
Latch Repair on Elise Engine Cover.

[Aedo]

I typed the resync instructions from memory... a poor one as it turns out

See Michael's thread - Remote Key Fob, Immobilizer & Misc Alarm Programming for full programming instructions. Re-sync only is as follows:

REMOTE KEY FOB - RESYNCHRONIZATION - USE WHEN EXISTING REMOTE CEASES TO WORK
1) Remove battery & wait 10 seconds before re-installing (re-sync can fail if this step is missed)
2) Hold down both buttons (remote fob LED will light) for approx.10 seconds until LED turns off.
3) Release both buttons and LED will turn on constantly.
4) Press large button for one second, LED will flash…re-sync. complete

[Ancient Wedgie]

Good news.

I took the unit completely out of its case as you suggested.
I got beside the car and held both white squares down until the light went out and I waited 10 full seconds anyway just to be sure.
The light came on solid.
I depressed the right white square and I got a flash.
The right square then unlocked and locked my Elise at will.
I put the unit back in its case, and closed it up, being careful not to depress any buttons while doing so.

This fob now works by my pressing the white square through the hole in the case.

I am now retiring this fob, to be used only in backup.
I am now using the old backup fob as the primary.

Thank you very much for your help. Maybe I can get another 8 years out of this one before its rubber oxidizes and punctures. Hopefully I'll put on some more miles in the interim, but I so rarely drive this great car any more. Heck, MW came to visit at Christmas and didn't even find time to drive her to San Diego as she originally planned. She's not getting enough exercise. (And her plastic may not last much longer seeing as she needs two new oil cooler grills. They say the eyes are the first to go for humans. With Elise it looks like her grin becomes toothless.)

[Kimgt]

you can buy a new case/button assembly for $11-16 on ebay.

[fitfan]

buy a nukey - guts go in it.