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I'm aware of the following trending post also talking about the SLM, but this question is slightly different.
After a few days of the key fob only working when I get close to the car, I changed the batteries today. This opened the car once, after which the key fob wasn't working anymore. Also went and got the other fob, no luck.
I didn't get to the SLM yet as it's dark and rainy outside, but noticed when opening the boot/trunk that the lights in there are no longer working. Rest of interior lights are working as usual.
Could this be related?
I'll check fuse number 10 in the luggage compartment tomorrow, but is there any other fuse that I should check while at it? Couldn't see any fuse relating to interior or boot lights, but maybe I'm missing something.
Didn't try the reprogramming of the fobs yet as I really don't think that's the issue.
Security sounder is disconnected as it was blowing fuse number 3 in the engine compartment.
Thanks!
Last edited by GGG; Jan 10, 2022 at 10:46 AM.
Reason: I had to fix the Ligts :-)
Before disturbing the SLCM and possibly getting yourself into a very deep hole, have you checked the luggage compartment harness for integrity?
This is my 2005 XK8 Coupe (I don't have a photo of the open luggage compartment of my 2001 XK8) to show the harness (bottom left arrowed in RED:
Continued flexing with opening and closing the lid over the years can cause breakages in this harness. The cover has to be stripped to check individual wires.
A regular cause of the fobs suddenly stopping working for no apparent reason is the press stud lead connector coming off the aerial on the rear screen:
Sadly this isn't the cause and was already checked. The fobs stopped working two days ago without anything moving in the car.
After a few days of the range getting short, I've changed the batteries, and tried to check from a considerable distance. The car unlocked once, then when I tried it again as I was getting closer, no response, and nothing ever since. Therefore I assume nothing got loose, and it's unlikely to be a wire that suddenly moved as the car was stationary and wasn't being touched when the fault occured.
Have you disassembled your key fob and cleaned the circuit board contacts with a Q-Tip and alcohol or electrical contact cleaner spray? That includes cleaning the areas where the fob buttons press down onto the circuit board when you hold them down with your finger....
Back when I had my 2005 S-Type, my key fob for it would occasionally quit working altogether. I discovered that when I would go get my wife's key fob for this car and use it while holding my own key fob within a couple inches of it, my key fob would magically begin working again. This happened at least four or five times during my 9.5-year ownership period of that car. Strange but true....
Before I take the SLCM/SLM out and send it for repairs, any thoughts on any possible connection between the boot lights and the SLM
There isn't one:- boot/trunk light power is from the BPM. Graham's suggestion is the most common cause of this failure, assuming bulbs & fuses are intact. Are your vanity lights working OK?
Last edited by michaelh; Jan 10, 2022 at 01:48 PM.
Reason: spelling
There isn't one:- boot/trunk light power is from the BPM. Graham's suggestion is the most common cause of this failure, assuming bulbs & fuses are intact. Are your vanity lights working OK?
Vanity lights (and my vanity in general) are A-ok. Maybe these two are unrelated, I'll check it out separately then.
Fuses seem OK, so are the bulbs.
Yes, treat as two separate issues.
Here's the feed path from BPM to the boot lamps. If your vanity is intact then the BPM is outputting what it should.
There are several possibilities for non-working remotes.
i) The fob isn't transmitting, or is transmitting very weakly. Ensure the batteries (our fobs take 2 x CR2016) are good, and the contacts/rubber pads are clean, as Jon89 rcommends.
ii) There 's a problem with the antenna or coaxial cable. Check for physical damage, also that there's no sign of water ingress around its connection to the SLM.
iii) The receiver in the SLM is deaf. Could be due to ii), or an electronic problem.
iv) Both SLM and fobs are working fine but are not paired.
v) external interference.
I mention the latter as it's a real potential cause of intermittent operation. The European 433 MHz spot frequency is allocated to very low-power devices, but also to just about everyone else and his brother, some of whom are not so restricted. Crazy allocation.
The radio signals generated by the fobs are tiny, hence it doesn't take much to impact performance.
The SLM is low in the boot, and there have been some reports of water getting in there.
Luggage compartment lights working, I'm beginning to think I was missing something and they were fine all along.
SLM or Fobs still an issue, will follow michaelh advise on diagnosing.
Thank you @michaelh and @Jon89 for talking some sense into me with the detailed list of causes.
I gave the SLM a quick look, it's too high to get water into it and the boot was dry anyway (aside for British winter humidity), no water ingress signs whatsoever.
So I decided to think a little more about the fobs, and remembered that the second fob never worked since I got the car, I just assumed it was the batteries. Bought myself a little RF remote tester, lo and behold, both fobs not working even though the batteries are fresh (and tested for voltage).
Cleaned both remotes PCBs with circuit cleaner, the one that worked before is back to life but some buttons (the more used ones) are iffy, the one that never worked still doesn't.
Guess I'll get some conductive ink for the graphite pads of the good(ish) remote and send the bad one to be repaired.
Great relief. Many thanks to everyone who helped here.
SLM and Luggage Compartment Lights
(albeit 'out of stock')
