"Low Key Battery"

[Markr]

I have the "Low Key Battery"message in my display. The thing is, I changed the key fob batteries already, but the message won't go away. It's been just about 3 months already.

 

[joegr]

Are you sure that the new battery was good? Sometimes new ones are discharged, and sometime "new" was new several years ago when it was first put on the shelf.

 

[Markr]

Are you sure that the new battery was good? Sometimes new ones are discharged, and sometime "new" was new several years ago when it was first put on the shelf.

Yes, the new battery was good. I measured it with a voltmeter before using it just to be sure.

 

[joegr]

You only have one smart-key, or have you changed the batteries in both? If the answer is yes to either, then I guess your smart-key must be bad.

 

[Aquineas]

It just means your battery downplays things and doesn't get too unnecessarily excited.

 

[Bill in Alexandria]

Your battery voltage may be kosher on a multimeter, but you need to add a load to check its functionality. It can read 6V on your voltmeter let's say, but when a load is applied, it will drop.

Does your multimeter have a separate battery tester with green/yellow/red lights?

Joegr has a good point that many "new" batteries have sat in warehouses or have undergone a number of heating/freezing cycles where they're stored that will have a deleterious effect on their charge.

 

[Markr]

It just means your battery downplays things and doesn't get too unnecessarily excited.

Heh heh ... I've been making this joke for 3+ months and my kids (all teens) keep rolling their eyes at me.

 

[Markr]

Your battery voltage may be kosher on a multimeter, but you need to add a load to check its functionality. It can read 6V on your voltmeter let's say, but when a load is applied, it will drop.

Does your multimeter have a separate battery tester with green/yellow/red lights?

Joegr has a good point that many "new" batteries have sat in warehouses or have undergone a number of heating/freezing cycles where they're stored that will have a deleterious effect on their charge.

I tested the old battery when I took it out and it was about 2.7 volts. And then I tested the new battery (expiration date 03/2030) before putting it in and it was 3.15 volts.

 

[danenzmann]

I like the idea of a new battery in both fobs. I have also experienced when one fob seems to have a shorter reach than the other. It could have gotten damp and some corrosion had started, but not enough oxidation to disable it completely. Maybe it will improve if you remove the battery and scrub the circuit with a soft copper bristle brush.
Fobs are so expensive that buying a replacement should be your final alternative, but the ultimate solution.

 

[Markr]

I like the idea of a new battery in both fobs. I have also experienced when one fob seems to have a shorter reach than the other. It could have gotten damp and some corrosion had started, but not enough oxidation to disable it completely. Maybe it will improve if you remove the battery and scrub the circuit with a soft copper bristle brush.
Fobs are so expensive that buying a replacement should be your final alternative, but the ultimate solution.

It's funny, but I would never even notice if the reach changes because 99% of the time I get to the car and press the little button on the door handle a moment before I pull to open the door. I keep the fob in my pocket at all times and rarely, if ever, use the buttons on it. When I get out of the car, I press the button on the door handle to lock it, or if I get something out of the trunk, I press the lock button on the trunk lid.

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[carguy75]

I tested the old battery when I took it out and it was about 2.7 volts. And then I tested the new battery (expiration date 03/2030) before putting it in and it was 3.15 volts.

Like mentioned above; sometimes a battery can have the proper voltage on a voltmeter test, but still fail to provide the proper current on a load test which will drop the battery voltage below operating specs in the device when a load is placed on it.

Try a different battery and see if the problem continue.

 

[Aquineas]

Heh heh ... I've been making this joke for 3+ months and my kids (all teens) keep rolling their eyes at me.

lol some often unappreciated privileges of being a Dad are:

1. Your kids have get to listen to your jokes
2. Blaming one's flatulence on one's children
3. Teasing them about their crushes (especially my son)

 

[Markr]

Like mentioned above; sometimes a battery can have the proper voltage on a voltmeter test, but still fail to provide the proper current on a load test which will drop the battery voltage below operating specs in the device when a load is placed on it.

Try a different battery and see if the problem continue.

I just replaced it with a different battery and ... after a quick test, no "low key battery" message anymore. But I think that last time I changed the battery it also went away for a short period of time. So let's see what happens over the next week.

 

[Markr]

Ok, it's a week now ... and no more low key battery message. I guess my first replacement battery was a bum battery.

 

[carguy75]

Ok, it's a week now ... and no more low key battery message. I guess my first replacement battery was a bum battery.

I am glad a different battery works. Same thing happened to me a few times; new battery was bad out the pack.