DIY car alarm alligator keychain repair

In detail: do-it-yourself car alarm alligator keychain repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

It would seem that what is easier - to take and replace the battery in the alarm key fob. The owner himself will be able to perform this action without errors. Only now, after the replacement, the connection between the key fobs and the signaling is somehow lost. In fact, there is a loss of synchronization, and the consequences of this "loss" can be corrected according to the text of the manual supplied by the manufacturer. Here it is considered what actions should not be allowed when repairing car alarms, as well as immobilizers and key fobs.

A key fob with feedback, or the so-called pager, contains several elements in its design. The display is connected to the printed circuit board via a ribbon cable. But it is difficult to solder this part (loop) in practice. This is precisely why the replacement operation has an increased cost.

Nevertheless, you can do this replacement yourself. What is proven in the video.

Having disassembled and opened the plastic case, you will notice an important detail covered with a metal shell. The cylinder is a watch quartz, and you need something similar.

Let's say the pager display shows that there is no connection. In this case, the repair of the alarm key fob is done as follows:

  1. Solder the junction with the antenna, perform assembly, check;
  2. If the defect remains, change the main quartz.

In general, the repair of car alarm key fobs does not involve searching for defects using special equipment. More often they are guided by logic, changing "suspicious" nodes and details. They also strive to eliminate mechanical defects: they replace button modules, restore contacts. The main thing is to remove all power supply elements before soldering. And wait 20 seconds.

Video (click to play).

Do-it-yourself keychain repair is a painstaking and difficult job. Having removed any battery, it will be necessary to restore the synchronization. But the equipment working with the dialog code does not lose synchronization.

Any modern car has a module that automatically blocks the engine. Such modules are called "immobilizers", and their malfunctions are characterized as follows:

  • The starter cannot be started even with your own (standard) keys;
  • Commands from the remote control buttons (key) are not perceived in any way.

It happens that the malfunction lies in the electronics of the console. But hardly anyone will undertake to repair it.

Here, it is considered how to repair the immobilizer, more precisely, the antenna and the main unit. The unit itself, at least, can be disassembled by hand, without using special equipment.

The standard equipment of the MAZDA GF-626 car is an immobilizer, in which the main communication frequency is set by a ceramic resonator. The specified detail looks like this.

Over time, the parameters of the parts change. Therefore, the repair of the immobilizer will consist of the following: we solder the "bad" resonator, install a new quartz in its place. The frequency of the quartz resonator can be selected experimentally (here the numbers 2.4576 are indicated on the case).

Let's make a digression regarding the choice of resonators. Having bought a replacement quartz with the corresponding numbers, a good result can not always be obtained. The reason is the following:

  • Low thermal stability;
  • Frequency jitter.

In general, a new part is selected as one of several. What you need to know when repairing an immobilizer, key fob and even an alarm. Who said it would be easy?

The immobilizer reads the data from the key, establishing communication with the latter by radio.For standard car systems, the following is characteristic: an inductive antenna is wound around the ignition lock. For example, you cannot start the starter even with your own keys, stitched in the memory of the main unit. Then the immobilizer repair begins with checking the antenna, completely disconnecting it from the connector.

The external view of the antenna module is shown in the figure above. It may turn out that the resistance between the black and white wire is equal to infinity (open circuit).

No one will be able to wind a similar coil with their hands. But you can do the following:

  • A soldering iron without solder is installed between the turns, and each turn goes through this way until the ohmmeter shows 5-10 ohms;
  • The gap is eliminated, even with the appearance of short-circuited turns.

When carrying out alarm repairs, you will not encounter the problem discussed here. The antennas are located there in a separate module, and their appearance inspires respect.

Consider the diagram of the main module of a homemade alarm.

The value of all resistors sometimes has to be selected so that the operation is stable. This must be remembered when repairing an immobilizer or signaling that does not have electromagnetic relays in its circuit.

Alarm repair is a difficult task, and special training is needed to solve it. But the block design provides for the replacement of blocks. This property should not be neglected in practice. The choice between the speed of repair and the cost due to the price of a block or module will be made by the owner.

There are many publications on how to fix a car's electrical equipment with your own hands. These publications provide advice: you need to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery. Probably, no one should neglect this recommendation. We wish you success.

Unfortunately (for car enthusiasts), fortunately (for entrepreneurs), services that have a column in the list of services: repair of car alarm key fobs are flourishing, and all because they have enough customers. The installation of a security system designed to protect against theft of a vehicle, it would seem, should solve all the problems of the car owner, but no one is insured against breakdowns. And, as a rule, the most vulnerable element of the system breaks down, namely: the alarm key fob.

If the car alarm stops responding to commands from the control panel (key fob), then first you need to understand what is the reason for this development of events and only then decide what to do in this case?

Image - DIY car alarm alligator keychain repair


There are enough reasons to either contact a company that repairs alarm key fobs, or spend time studying this issue in order to further self-repair the key fob. For a list of the most common keyfob malfunctions and their causes:
  1. The buttons do not respond. The problem may be due to:
    • sticky buttons;
    • failure of the button itself, contact or wire as a result of natural wear and tear or mechanical impact (shock);
    • the absence of a sufficiently strong fastening of one of the elements of the main board (the contacts have moved away).
    • Weak backlighting. The indicator LED is dim and the screen is dark. A malfunction can be triggered by:
      • insufficient charge of the power source (battery);
      • failure of the controller;
      • the departure of quartz from the processor;
      • violation of the integrity of the fastening of the contacts (often observed after the fall of the car alarm key fob).
      • There is no feedback. The system does not respond to commands sent from the remote control. Possible causes of the malfunction:
        • decoupling the keychain (violation of synchronization between the remote control and the elements installed on the car);
        • wear (breakage, damage) of the transmitter reception antenna;
        • the installation of the alarm was performed incorrectly (errors either during installation or during connection).
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There are other reasons forcing the motorist to use the service: repair the alarm key fob or try to return this important element of the security system to its original characteristics with his own hands.

Image - DIY car alarm alligator keychain repair


If the key fob is broken, it is not at all necessary to immediately buy a new control panel. In most cases, a faulty key fob can be reanimated. Some breakdowns can be repaired by yourself. In this case, you need to act in stages:
  1. Step one (diagnostics). First, you need to identify where the failure occurred (disassemble the key fob into its component parts, ring the board contacts, the tester will point out problem areas, check the condition of the battery, carefully inspect every detail for damage or wear).
  2. Step two (assessment of opportunities). Based on the results obtained, decide how to proceed (contact the professionals or still repair the keychain with your own hands).
    The list of tasks that you can cope with on your own (if you have basic knowledge that does not imply special training) includes the following items:
  • replacement of parts (a car enthusiast can himself replace such elements of the keychain device as: case, display, button, but there is one "but": finding spare parts for some alarm models is quite problematic);
  • soldering contacts (gluing quartz with thermal paste);
  • reprogramming the control panel (detailed information on how to bind the key fob to the alarm, including the one already recorded in the system memory, can be found in the operating instructions).
  • Step three. Directly troubleshooting, performance check.
  • Image - DIY car alarm alligator keychain repair


    If it was not possible to repair the keychain using your own skills and abilities, it makes sense to seek help from specialists. At the same time, neither the brand of the alarm system (Starline, Sherkhan, Pandora, Tomahawk, Pharaoh and others), nor the type of security system (GSM, GPS alarm), nor its class (economy, business, premium) matters. Highly qualified craftsmen are able to restore the functionality of any alarm key fob (if possible and justified).

    The list of works available to clients of such a service includes such actions as:

    • diagnostics of the technical condition of keyfobs (carried out using modern equipment that allows you to get accurate results within just a couple of minutes);
    • replacement of parts (display glass, display itself, faulty button, damaged case, metal or plastic antenna, battery cover);
    • restoration of the microcircuit (elimination of breaks in the circuit of the main board);
    • car alarm key fob coding (reprogramming - in case of successful repair of the old one, binding of a new one - in case of an unsuccessful attempt to repair or its recognition by the masters as inappropriate).

    What are the advantages of a professional renovation? In 100% quality of the work performed, confirmed by warranty obligations and in a short time to solve the problem.

    What is the disadvantage? The need to part with your own finances.

    Summing up, I would like to say: in most cases, a car alarm key fob can be repaired. Breakage is not a sentence yet!