Has your Jeep key fob suddenly stopped working? If so, consider changing its battery. Read further to learn how to change the battery in a Jeep key fob!
We all know how frustrating it is to deal with a slow key fob! It’s extremely annoying, especially when you’re running late to reach somewhere important. So, it’s better to prepare in advance and change the battery of your Jeep key fob regularly.
The good news here is that you don’t need to hire a professional for the job as changing a key fob’s battery is super easy. To further assist you, here we’ve jotted down everything you need to know about a jeep’s key fob battery; when should you change its battery? How to Change the Battery in a Jeep Key Fob? How much does this battery cost? etc.
So equip yourself with this valuable knowledge and ensure that your daily life activities won’t face any interruption just because of a bad key fob! Let’s begin!
When to change your jeep’s key fob battery?
Your key fob battery is its most integral part as it powers the transmitter. So whenever the battery gets weak, the transmitter range also becomes weak. Resultantly, you have to stand closer to your vehicle so it could catch the signal. So, it’s the first telltale sign of a weak key fob battery.
The signal range of a typical key fob is around 30-60 ft but when it’s starving for power, the range may reduce significantly. Other signs are as follows
Inconsistent clicks
If you notice that you have to press the same button over and over so your vehicle could catch it, you should consider the key battery the culprit. It usually happens when the battery has almost run out of power so it has to face a hard time gathering remaining power to work. So, on noticing inconsistent and unreliable clicks, consider opting for an immediate key fob battery replacement.
Delayed executions
Maybe you need to press your key fob’s button only once but if there’s a delay of one or two seconds in execution, it also indicates a thin key battery. In other words, if you hear the car unlocking sound after one to two seconds of pressing the key button, there’s a delay in command execution.
How to change the battery in a Jeep key fob
Check the battery type
In the market, there are three major brands which are providing batteries for Jeep key fobs. These brands are energizer, Panasonic, and Duracell. Although you can purchase a battery from any one of these brands, it’s advised to go with the one which is originally embossed in the key fob by the manufacturer.
Thankfully, the battery brand is printed on the key fob body but if it’s not there, you need to open the fob down to check. Besides the battery brand, you also need to check which battery type your key fob support. The popular battery types are corner cut 3V batteries, teardrop 3V batteries, fixed key 3V batteries, and rounded 3V batteries.
Open the fob
Your key fob is made up of two plastic parts which are joined together. So the best point to open the fob is the seam.
Thus, to open the fob carefully, you first need to find the seam where the fob’s body opens in two halves. After finding the seam, get a thin-bladed screwdriver or a strong fingernail and dig at the seam. On doing so, the two halves of the key fob will pry apart and your key fob will be opened from the middle.
Don’t rush or apply too much pressure otherwise you might damage your plastic fob after which it will be nearly impossible to reattach it.
However, if it’s still not coming out of its place, try removing it with a flat-bladed screwdriver. However, don’t bend or twist the screwdriver to push open the fob. Instead, be patient, gently position your screwdriver’s tip on the seam and snap the fob open with slight pressure.
However, some jeep brands have pull-out metal ignition key fobs. So, before prying open such fobs, you first need to remove the extra metal key otherwise it might lead to severe safety hazards.
Observe the old battery keenly
On opening the key fob, you’ll find a large silver coin in it which is the battery. Over this coin, all the other details like positive and negative signs and battery size will be printed. Before pulling the old battery out of the key fob, note its orientation carefully. It will be much better to take a photograph for reference so you could place your new battery exactly in the same way.
Swap the old with new
Removing the old battery won’t be much more difficult since all you need to do is to press it with your finger and it will automatically pop out. You can also use a small-sized flathead screwdriver to remove the battery easily but you’d need to be extra careful while doing so.
Make sure you’re not scratching off or displacing any part of your key fob. Otherwise, its functionality will be affected. Once removed, insert the new battery in the same orientation of positive and negative ends.
Generally, the positive side of key batteries faces upwards whereas the negative side faces downwards. However, we’d still advise you to get help from your reference picture. And if you forgot to capture one, look for the sign symbols which are mostly printed inside the fob. Using these sign symbols, you can easily figure out how you should place your battery.
Snapping it shut
After swapping the old battery with the new one, the last step is to snap shut the key fob. However, doing so is not as simple as it sounds since you’d need to consider some alignments. For instance, you need to make sure that the circuit board is coming on one-half’s top. Likewise, check whether the keypad is going exactly into its designated housing.
Once confirmed, snap both halves (one containing the new battery and the one having the circuit board) shut gently. Remember you don’t need to apply too much pressure nor do you need to rush the process out otherwise you may damage the housing.
Start snapping these two halves from the keyring mount and then go along the seam line to the other end. This will ensure that the fob has snapped tightly and correctly. The same method can be used for the pull-out metal ignition key fobs.
Testing the key fob
Lastly, to check whether you’ve changed your key fob battery correctly, test it by clicking buttons randomly. Generally, a single click will be enough to confirm if your jeep catches the signal and respond accordingly in a flash.
But as stated before, a delay in signal transmission is possible due to bad weather. Besides, a key fob sometimes needs reprogramming, after the battery change, to reach its utmost functionality so in this case, you’d need to hire a professional (or read the paragraph below to learn how to reprogram a key fob).
How to reprogram the key fob?
The key fob programming method is different for different jeep models but the method we’re going to discuss below is the most common one. However, if it doesn’t work with your model, you can find the reprogramming information in the owner’s manual.
Jump inside your Jeep
After replacing the dead or weak battery of the key fob and testing it, you need to jump inside your Jeep with the fob (on the driver’s side). Once you’re in the driver’s side seat with all the remotes and keys, close all the doors of your vehicles. Remember that even if one door is open, you won’t be able to program your key fob.
Turn on the ignition and press the lock button
Insert the keys in the ignition and turn them on to power the electrical system of your vehicle. Make sure that the ignition is in ON mode, not on radio mode, so the engine won’t start. When both the ignition and key are in the ON position, press the lock button on the fob and turn the key to the OFF point.
Repeat the same process at least three times and end the last cycle in a way that the key would be in the ON ignition position.
Wait for a lock sound
If you follow the above-mentioned steps correctly, you’ll hear a lock sound in the end which will unlock your car’s door. This locking sound indicates that the programming mode of your jeep has successfully reached its end.
To make this whole programming process successful, click the lock button on the key fob immediately (maximum in five seconds). On the other hand, if your Jeep has an additional remote that you want to program too, press the lock button within ten seconds of the locking sound. Besides, you can also push both the lock and unlock buttons simultaneously to program the additional remotes.
Turn the ignition off and the test results
After performing all the steps and reprogramming your key fob & additional remote, turn the ignition off which will end the programming process. After this, take all the remote and key fobs with you and get out of the vehicle. Close all the doors and test the fob by pressing the lock and unlock buttons one by one.
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