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1998 Toyota Avalon, keyless entry problems

I bought a used 1998 Avalon XLS in 2005, and recently I've been having problems with the keyless entry remotes.

First, they seemed to drain the battery much faster than they should -- I would have to replace my battery after just a few months of usage, but my parents (who own a Camry with keyless entry) have never had to replace theirs in a couple of years.

But lately, the problem has gotten stranger -- a few weeks ago, the unlock and trunk open buttons stopped working, but the lock button works fine. This happens on both remotes that I have for the car, so it led me to believe that there was something wrong with a component in the car. But when I replaced the battery in one of the remotes, the entire thing started working again, but only for a couple weeks, at which point the same problem as before started happening again -- lock works, but not unlock or trunk.

Does anyone know what might be causing this? The two problems (battery drain and lock-only) don't seem entirely related, but I don't really know what's going on under the hood. I hesitate to take it to Toyota because I'm sure they'd try to charge me an arm and a leg for something that isn't an urgent concern. Might a third-party remote be a solution worth trying?

Thanks,

- Tony

Reply to
Tony Allevato
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I'm no expert but it sounds like you have a short somewhere that needs fixing. I don't think a 3rd party remote is going to fix it myself.

There are others on this group far more knowledgeable than myself who will hopefully chime in.

Reply to
mrsteveo

Does your car have the wireless remote or smart key system? I'm not sure what was offered on a '98 model. Is there a possibility that the remote could be using batteries quickly because of the position it is stored in and function buttons are inadvertently being depressed?

Reply to
user

Just a basic wireless remote -- specifically this one:

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(with the alarm button on the back) I don't -think- the buttons are being inadvertently pushed, I don't think I carry mine in my pocket differently than most other people. I've never had it go off on its own while I'm near the car, for instance. And that wouldn't seem to explain why "lock" would still function while "unlock" and "trunk" don't, unless "lock" for some reason requires less power to transmit?

- Tony

Reply to
Tony Allevato

If you are sure you have a good battery (cr 2016 lithium? I think)in the remote, there are no trouble codes stored on the computer, and you are still having problems, you may have to have the remotes erased and re registered with the vehicle body computer. This can be done by the dealer easily. It can be done manually if you can follow the steps and complete the procedure in the alloted time. This will allow the door receiver that speaks to the body computer to recognize your specific remote. Watch for Ray O's post he may know the manual procedure. If not I think I can find and post it for you. On some cars, maybe not yours, it can be challenging to complete correctly the first time through.

Reply to
user

I am assuming that the battery that is being drained is the battery in the remote and not in the car itself. Carefully open the remote fob and clean the back side of the rubber buttons and the contacts on the circuit board with rubbing alcohol or tuner cleaner and see if the problem goes away.

Reply to
Ray O

Right, it's the remote battery that's being drained. Thanks, I'll give this a shot!

- Tony

Reply to
Tony Allevato

Let us know how it works.

Reply to
Ray O

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that did any good. I cleaned all the contacts and got rid of any gunk or particulate that had gotten in there, and I even put in a brand new battery for good measure. Same problem -- lock works, unlock and trunk don't. (Which is interesting, because when I last replaced the battery a little over a week ago, unlock and trunk -did- work again, but only for a few days.)

Both remotes exhibit the same problem, which leads me to believe it's got something to do with the receiver in the car, but this isn't an area that I really know much about.

- Tony

Reply to
Tony Allevato

I have the factory repair manual for a 1997 Avalon but it doesn't cover the symptoms you describe. As far as I know, the remotes transmit only and does not receive, so I doubt if the ECU in the car is bad. I'm thinking that you have 2 bad remotes. Look at the tiny circuit board inside to see if any of the components look like the soldering is loose, and try another remote.

Reply to
Ray O

You're welcome! good luck,

Reply to
Ray O

Looks like the Camry XLE type. But not sure. Anyway, the faxback from Fujitsu-Ten should tell you if they are compatible (Avalon/Camry).

I googled this number, not sure if it works: Fujitsu-Ten Faxback:

310-327-9905.

You can also do a current draw test using a volt meter. There should be zero drain when not used.

Reply to
johngdole

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