Hello To All,

I'm new to all of this so bare with me.

I come from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) and as you can imagine cars in general are a different beast there. As for the moment I am still getting the hang of terms used with cars here, left side drive, hehehe, and other things involved with this experience in the United Kingdom.

Let me get the stats out first.

1997 Fiat Brava 1.9 Turbo Diesel (TD100 - ELX)

I bought the car from a friend and it was supplied with the red key, 2 blue keys, and an alarm key. It needed work then like it still does now but that is just another detail when it comes to second hand cars I think we can all agree with.

The alarm was switched off via the round key slot in the fuse panel under the steering wheel. The button on both blue keys never worked. For a while the light on the blue keys would flash to indicate they worked in theory but never functioned for the sake of locking and unlocking the car remotely. After my wife had both sets of keys in her pocket and washed her jeans the keys never blinked again. :-(

I will state the obvious that the car can be unlocked manually and started with no problems using these damaged blue keys. No alarm but more importantly, no central locking.

My first question would then be can I get 2 replacement blue keys for my car that have a chance, given the right method of programming, to work the central locking? What would the proceedure be for something like that?

I can only assume that it is something like getting two blank keys from Fiat and have them cut for my locks. Then somehow programming them to my car and that would be that. It sounds simple but with most things on my car, I doubt it is.

Any links to information about this process would be helpful or answers here would be even better.

Thanx,

Danny

Hi there when you unlock the car with any of the keys, regardless of there remote central locking abililty the normal key turned central locking should still work (i'd have thought) sounds like the central locking relay is nackered, a replacment will be found in any scrapped Brava, i dont know where it is or what it looks like but am sure someone will tell you in a wee bit.

The fact the keys have gone through the was has prob only damaged the batterys, if you look at your keys theres a wee slot to put a screwdriver, put one there and twist and the key should pop open, i'd remove the batterys as even although there dead batterys can leak acid after a time, and possibly damage your keys. If there is any clean it up with some acetone (nail varnish remover) and a cotton bud. The ligh you saw was the keys trying to communicate with the cars alarm, obviously if this is switched off (key switch in fuse compartment) then it wont work.

I dont know if this would affect the normal key operated central locking.

to program new (or second hand) remote keys into your central locking, you need the 4 digit code from a remote key that is already programmed to work. that would include either of the 2 original remote keys.

what code? i hear you asking yourself. each remote key has its own 4 digit code. this code is on a small keyring when new, as shown in the following pic.



fiat did not keep a register of these codes, so if your codes are missing, they're missing for good. if you buy new keys, even with their codes, you still cant program them into your central locking unless you have the code from a remote that has already been programmed in to the central locking.

if you have either code let me know, the procedure to program remotes is very easy and something you can do yourself in 2 mins.

personally i think both of your remote keys can be repaired, and they should work the alarm and central locking when it is switched on using the alarm master key in the fusebox switch.

since your remote did not operate the central locking & alarm even when it did work, if the alarm was switched on at this time (using round key in fusebox) i would wonder if there is another fault on the car that was causing the problem.

my first attmept would be to repair the other remote key, the one that has never worked for you. first try replacing the battery (it takes 2 CR2016 cell batteries), second try cleaning the 2 silver coloured contacts on the PCB. one is round (where the batteries go) and the other is a small rectangle next to the circle. try scratching both surfaces with a screwdriver to make sure a good electrical contact is made. finally take the PCB out of the key and check on the other side that the 4 soldered connections on the switch are not broken (common fault). these can be easily repaired by touching a hot soldering iron on each connection for a second. 99% of the time trying all this will get the remote working again.

Did reddyforbed not have a way to obtain the programing code?

last i heard he was looking into it.

Thanks Guys,

Well... I never received a piece of paper with the blue keys with any code on it. The keys themselves, when opened, have a 4 digit code printed on a small sticky paper. The codes for each key are different, however they are both 4 digit numbers. Maybe these are the codes you refer to.

As far as the condition of the keys themselves, they are dead. I have had new batteries and a volt/(m)amp simulator on them. By testing certain components I've found that the 25 transistor seems to be the faulty item. None the less, it's a simply matter that the overall effect must be to get the keyless entry and/or the alarm working by the remote.

I guess then what I need to know is once I've gotten the new keys from Fiat and have had them cut, what is the proceedure from there.

By the way, getting this problem sorted out is purely a comfort. I wish for it to work because it should, if you get my drift. My big problem now is I have lost a glow plug somewhere on the bottom of the engine. I have never seen a harder job on any diesel engine then this one. It is a nightmare to get to the glow plugs. The first cylinder (drivers side) is the easy one and that is where it ends. 2 you can get to with a universal but drop it like I have and your done! 3 is worse because you pretty much have to remove the throttle assembly, an air box, and the top right brace for the engine cover stud. That brace is even a pain because of the wire harness attached to it. 4 looks easy once all that is removed but still might require a universal.

Anyway, I plan to post a lot more as I get the information I need along with any helpful tips.

Just a side note, is it just me or does the CV boot (driveshaft gator) need replacing more then usually on the brava? I think it's because of the stabilizer arms nut on the bottom rubbing the gator when you turn the wheel left. My advice if anyone changes their's...get a cone and some tire straps. The job is so much easier then.

Thankz

Xaviertancanis said:

I guess then what I need to know is once I've gotten the new keys from Fiat and have had them cut, what is the proceedure from there.

Click to expand...

to program a remote you simply:

-Press the button that is between your courtesy light and the ultrasonic sensors on the roof of your car (near sunroof switch)
-Release the button after a second or two
-After a couple of seconds the LED will flash once
-Enter the first digit of your 4 digit code by pressing the button the relevant number of times
-After a couple of seconds the LED will flash once
-Repeat this for the next 3 digits of the code.

If the code was correct the LED will flash for approximately 10 seconds.
(If the code was incorrect the LED will remain on for 10seconds, so start from the beginning when the LED goes out)

-With the LED flashing press and hold the button on the car and then press and hold the button on the key. Keep them both pressed until the LED stops flashing and remains on.
-Release the button on the remote, then the one on the car.

now what heppens next depends on the age of the car. some cars have a red LED others have a green LED.

for a red LED, if the programming was successful the LED will flash 6 times, but if it was unsuccessful the LED will flash 18 times

for a green LED, if the programming was successful the LED will flash 8 times (i think, maybe less), but if it was unsuccessful the LED will stay on for a few seconds (8 i think?)