doors locked on it's own,keys in ignition?

[wieser]

it only did this once, so i take the keys out all the time ,In the garage leave them close to car so i can get in an out , it will sometimes lock the car when I move around in garage ( keys laying on the hood), lots of times i walk by and it clicks and the interior lites go on , this is strange any answers to this? also when i try to unlock doors it has no response from the remote , ( shouldn't it work manuly as well a passive?), but the passive works great , thanks , first time user , DENNY

 

[6 Shooter]

Bummer !!!

Welcome to the

How long have ya owned your Corvette?

Is the cold weather getting close?

Post a few pictures of your Corvette when ya get a chance, Yellow Corvettes are Great !

Later . . . . . .
6 Shooter

 

[Hrtbeat1]

it only did this once, so i take the keys out all the time ,In the garage leave them close to car so i can get in an out , it will sometimes lock the car when I move around in garage ( keys laying on the hood), lots of times i walk by and it clicks and the interior lites go on , this is strange any answers to this? also when i try to unlock doors it has no response from the remote , ( shouldn't it work manuly as well a passive?), but the passive works great , thanks , first time user , DENNY

Welcome to

I would guess a weak battery in the fob. I would think it would work manually as well.

 

[MsSchroder]

I'm moving this to the C4 General section, hopefully you'll get some answers there.

Welcome aboard.

Tammy

 

[vee93]

What you're doing is wiggin' out your anti-theft system. Deactivate the PKE system if you're gonna be in and out of range of your Vette. When you use the key in the driver's door, that will negate the passive key system. And if your anti-theft system is activated and you leave the keys in the ignition AND close the door close the door, then yes, the doors will lock. After a few seconds the driver's door or both doors, depending on how you set your syster, will snick unlocked.

 

[Robertwav1]

I find that 90% of the time the anti-theft system works just fine. Sometimes it goes a little wacky, like in all electronics but corrects itself. Sometimes I can't open the garage door when the car is running....I have to shut it down, then it opens fine. I have even tried using the keypad to open the door when this happens, still won't open till I shut the car down. Happens once in a while.

 

[Vettelt193]

The PKE is pretty much a confusing system because it works completely different than a 'regular' system...

Here are some tips:

-The "door" button on the remote only operates the passenger door. the system can be set up to auto unlock both doors or just the drivers door... if you have it setup to unlock both doors it will only be used for...

-If you hold the door button while next to the car and wait, the locks will cycle (lock then unlock). this is used to turn the system on and off. this is the easiest and best way to keep the system from driving you insane.

-The 'antennas' are on the car, looking for the fob, so you need to be near one of them (5 ft. from the drivers door, 3 ft from the center of the rear of the car, and 3 ft. from the passenger door). in a nutshell, you gotta be within arms reach of a keyhole or back hatch for this thing to work.

-The key fob is motion based. as long as it is moving, it is sending a signal. If you drive the car every day, it is a good idea to take the keys out of your pocket and put them in a safe place whenever you can so the battery won't wear down so fast. and...

-If you leave the keys in the car the fob will turn off, thus locking the car. if this happens rock the car back and forth to activate the motion sensor. this turns the fob back on and will unlock the doors.


Hope this helps...

 

[Greg Gore]

PKE Locks the Doors

I have experienced the same problem with my 96 coupe I think Denny is trying to relate. With the keys in the ignition (PKE in the car attached to the keys not in my pocket) just walking around the car produces various responses from the car; door locks cycle, lights turn on and off, etc. Somehow the system seems to be able to sense someone walking close to the car. Perhaps the antenna is sensing an electronic effect called "body capacity" I don't know. I suspected the battery in the remote might be at fault so changed that but it still acts the same. I was going to read up on the system operating parameters in the factory service manual in order to better understand it but have not done so yet. Perhaps someone who has been through this can shed some light on what we are experiencing here. I am considering buying another remote just to have a spare and that would also allow me see if there is different behavior from a new remote.

Regards, Greg

 

[wieser]

well i tried the simple thing , that was, change the battery in the remote , now the remote is dead , nothing happens even on old battery now does nothing , will not even lock or unlock on it's own ,

 

[tlong]

Do you have an owner's manual? Helms has pages on it. How about a Chevy dealer nearby? There are procedures to re-activate it to varying degrees. They may take pity on you at the dealer and help you for free if there's a guru there.

I think search in here will have some directions. Good luck. Once it's right it works well. New Lexus uses this type system of owner recognition. I wish it would say "Hi honey, wanna drive me real hard right now?" C5 '97 scrapped the PKE I think.

Never had it do anything when walking around the car while keys in ignition. That is peculiar. (The Force is strong in this one) It did lock itself once. Just shook it awake. The former owner didn't know that trick and spent $200 on new keys.

 

[Robertwav1]

well i tried the simple thing , that was, change the battery in the remote , now the remote is dead , nothing happens even on old battery now does nothing , will not even lock or unlock on it's own ,

Probably when you changed the battery it no longer is making a connection. Get a magnifier and check the small chrome battery connections for corrosion or even a break. The electronics inside are fairly robust and seldom wear out or brake down. Good Luck!

 

[wieser]

also the replaced battery is a duracell , a little thicker than than maxcell , but the old one should aleast work as before , i'll go inspect and see , thanks denny

 

[wieser]

that looks good , still no fix it eorked before but not now ,i even tried repograming no luck

 

[Vettelt193]

I have experienced the same problem with my 96 coupe I think Denny is trying to relate. With the keys in the ignition (PKE in the car attached to the keys not in my pocket) just walking around the car produces various responses from the car; door locks cycle, lights turn on and off, etc. Somehow the system seems to be able to sense someone walking close to the car. Perhaps the antenna is sensing an electronic effect called "body capacity" I don't know. I suspected the battery in the remote might be at fault so changed that but it still acts the same. I was going to read up on the system operating parameters in the factory service manual in order to better understand it but have not done so yet. Perhaps someone who has been through this can shed some light on what we are experiencing here. I am considering buying another remote just to have a spare and that would also allow me see if there is different behavior from a new remote.

Regards, Greg

If the keys are left in the ignition and doors are shut the car constantly (with some timeinterval) tries to unlock the doors. This is normal. the car should never lock with the keys in the ignition if the PKE is on.

 

[jmccloud]

PKE wierdness

My cell phone drives the PKE function nuts. If the phone is in the car and charging, the PKE is totally nonfunctional. If the phone is in my pocket, the PKE range is severely affected. Do you carry a cell phone? Mine is an older Nokia operating on a Cingular network.
The comments on the garage door opener indicate that the PKE and door opener may be 'having a discussion' too. My door opener works a lot better near the windshield but sometimes is OK in the console.
My wife hung a horseshoe on the porch door jamb for luck. It was near our 25+ year old garage door opener keypad/receiver and was too close to the keypad/receiver so it totally killed the remote open function. Moved the horseshoe to the other side of the porch door and no problem.
Sorry to be so windy, but you've got to consider lots of sources for RFI.

 

[skydiverc]

I have experienced the same problem with my 96 coupe I think Denny is trying to relate. With the keys in the ignition (PKE in the car attached to the keys not in my pocket) just walking around the car produces various responses from the car; door locks cycle, lights turn on and off, etc. Somehow the system seems to be able to sense someone walking close to the car. Perhaps the antenna is sensing an electronic effect called "body capacity" I don't know. I suspected the battery in the remote might be at fault so changed that but it still acts the same. I was going to read up on the system operating parameters in the factory service manual in order to better understand it but have not done so yet. Perhaps someone who has been through this can shed some light on what we are experiencing here. I am considering buying another remote just to have a spare and that would also allow me see if there is different behavior from a new remote.

Regards, Greg

I'd suspect that the car is responding to variations in the RF field coming from the FOB. RF is a strange beastie it'll bounce of objects and do other odd things. So simply by walking around your car the RF siganl from the FOB is bouncing off you changing the signal strength the car is recieving. Its all related to the antenna pattern generated by the FOB. Its not evenly distributed there are high and low points and you are also effecting that pattern as you walk around. I've been working with RF devices for many years and have seen stranger things that this. My C4 does it too, but since I understood how RF works to me it was obvious.