2003 Micra K12 SVE Auto - Keyless Entry Central Locking (and sometimes starting) issue

[highcontrast]

(Edit: car is an automatic transmission)

Hi all,

Apologies in advance as I'm know there's countless threads about this but I'm finding it hard to peice all thew bits of info together ?

Whilst not an owner of a Micra myself my mum is and i'm responsible for keeping it in good running order for her as she is diasbled and needs it to get about for shopping etc (I must admit I do enjoy driving it when i get a chance and it's very well equipped considering it's age)

Anyway, my mums (an mines) biggest issue with the Micra is the central locking! (and similarily the immobiliser/steering lock)

Being the SVE model, it has the fancy keyless entry system.

I "think" it's curently in anti-hijack mode, so one press on the fob to open the drivers door only and then the second press to unlock remaining passenger doors.

The issue(s) are as follows:

- Very inconsistent behaviour - basically the central locking only works occasionally.

- 50-60% of the time the drivers door will not unlock regardless of how many key fob presses, so you have go in through a passenger door and unlock from the inside. The divers door lock I "think" sometimes makes that noise that implies it's broken?

- 40% of the time none of the doors open and need to press lock/unlock several times before anything happens.

- 25% of the time you can't remove the steering lock - i've done the dry lubricant thing into the ingnition barrel which does help temporarily, but occosaionally have to resort to inserting the physical key into the ingnition barrel.

My mum changed the battery on the fob but she was "not" careful about touching the all important flat surfaces of the battery - so the battery may be an issue (i.e dirty) and need changing?

Also both the little black rubber buttons on the drivers and passnger door handles have persished, does water ingress on them cause an issue?

So my question is, what's the most methodical way of getting to the bottom of this?

1) Is replacing the fob battery my first port of call?
2) Is the actual drivers door locking mechanism faulty? How to confirm this?
3) Is it simply worth just toggling the modes i.e. anti-hijack on then off repeatedly?
4) I've read somewhere pulling out the appropriate fuse for a short while might help? if so which one is it? And where is the fuse box?
5) Is it worth disconnecting the battery for while? Also I tested the battery whilst it's not showing the best reading it's acceptable/average.

Any other suggestions welcome. And a dummies guide to Nissans keyless start/central locking owuld be great, as the manual is somewhat difficult to follow!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mika The Finn]

Pic's are easy to view in full size.

 

[drkeenor]

Sorry to suggest the obvious, with remove the steering lock, depress the brake pedal, push the ignition knob and turn it towards the Acc position while gently rotating the steering wheel right or left. This had me stuck in the filling station for a good 10 minutes whilst I flustered shortly after buying the car!

1) Is replacing the fob battery my first port of call?
If you've just put a new one in there, I can't imagine a few smudge marks being a problem.

2) Is the actual drivers door locking mechanism faulty? How to confirm this?
By pressing the 'lock', 'unlock' rocker switch by the handbrake, you should be able to confirm whether (both) the mechanism work and whether electrics are good. Does it behave consistently?

4) I've read somewhere pulling out the appropriate fuse for a short while might help? if so which one is it? And where is the fuse box?
Fuse box is under the steering wheel, just to the right (a little) and the fuse functions are marked on the back of the panel you remove to get to the fuses.

5) Is it worth disconnecting the battery for while? Also I tested the battery whilst it's not showing the best reading it's acceptable/average.
If you're going to try this, check you've got a radio code.

 

[highcontrast]

Many thanks for your reply @Mika The Finn , much appreciated.

I changed the key fob battery and it the actual fob signal to the car to lock/unlock seems a little stronger/more consistent, though maybe still not perfect, but the drivers doors lock/actuator itself is still showing it's normal flaky behaviour. I will try your suggestion of the internal door rocker switch to confirm its working as it should or not.

So do you think it's worth trying the fuse and/or battery discconection?

 

[drkeenor]

Prove that the central locking system is working (without the remote) first. If it is, then start looking at the keyless system. Have you tried each of the buttons (including the boot?)

Disconnecting the battery for half an hour (to let capacitors discharge completely) sometimes helps to 'reset' systems, but make sure you've got your radio code (or can get one) first. Worth a shot as a (possible) simple fix.

The car's got 3 entry proximity sensors (as black and red below) which should (when the cars not in anti-hijacking mode) allow any door on the car to open if the key fob is near to any of the door handles, i.e. the drivers door (by pressing the door button) can be unlocked if the key fob is by the passenger door. There are two other sensors (circled blue and yellow) that detect whether the keyfob is in the car or not, so that you can't lock the keys inside etc.

It's unlikely that all of these will have packed up or at least be intermittent at the same time. More likely the control module (below) if that's how it appears:

 

[Brinzb]

I had a problem with my K12 SVE Central Locking....turned out to be a loose wire connection to the boot light bulb. I believe it is part of the circuit.

 

[devries]

I had a problem with my K12 SVE Central Locking....turned out to be a loose wire connection to the boot light bulb. I believe it is part of the circuit.

Where is this located ? loose wire connection and boot light bulb ? Could be i have the same problem ....

My case: pressing the 'lock', 'unlock' rocker switch by the handbrake all works. I did put a new battery in my key. I went to a garage they confirm that the key is sending a signal. So problem the system is not responding to the remote key. I have no back-up key, tot test :-(

I remember i did transport a heavy door in my trunk. Hatch open. After that key did not work. Did i break something ? loose wire connection and boot light bulb ? Is there a relation ?