Foreign Service

Motor, Mar 2005 by Marinucci, Dan

Next, carefully and firmly hold the junkyard master key against the duplicate key (as shown Ln photos 1 and 2 on page 12). The trick here is to hold the two keys together wink' you crank the engine. The immobilizer's power circuit (described last month on page 12) should turn on the transponder chip inside the junkyard key. In turn, the ECM should heed the transponder signal and start the engine. After the engine starts, retest and roadtest to be sure the junkyard ECM fiked the vehicle. If everything's okay, shut off the engine, slide die customer's key back into the ignition switch and register it as a second master key.

Registering Additional Master Keys

The typical procedure for registering additional master immobilizer keys is fairly straightforward. Carefully study the entire procedure first so you're ready to follow the directions accurately and promptly. Begin by having new master keys cut to match the original one.

Slide a valid existing master key into die ignition switch. (If you've installed a salvage-yard ECM as described earlier, the matching junkyard key is now the valid key!) Floor die gas pedal and release it five times within 15 seconds. After you've done diat, depress and release die brake pedal six times within 20 seconds.

Now, you must remove this key and insert the unregistered master key within 10 seconds of completing the gas-pedal/brake-pedal workout. (If you've installed a junkyard key, remove it. Then treat the vehicle's original master key as an unregistered key and proceed.) After you insert the unregistered key, floor and release the gas pedal one more time within 10 seconds. Now the security light or the word secURITY on the instrument cluster will begin blinking. Then the security light or secURITY stops blinking after about 60 seconds. This tells you the new key is registered,

Be ready here! If you want to register another new master key, you must slide it into the ignition switch within 10 seconds of when the light or SECURITY stops blinking. Then promptly floor the gas pedal anil release it. Wait for the security indicator on the instrument panel to stop blinking and the second key is registered. Usually you can register up to seven muster keys.

As I explained last month, you cannot create a new master key from a valet or sub key, which is gray. Wutch out for a well-used volet key that the sunlight has darkened so much it almost looks like a black master key, When In doubt, un OE scan tool can tell you which type of key is actually in the ignition switch.