I swapped my 98 EX radio for an 01 6cd and the steering wheel remote works fine.

it's not wireless, it's one wire on the harness.

What HU did the 01-02 LX get? Was it the same one as the SE with the single CD and tape? Maybe just that head unit doesn't work with the 98-00 wheel remote, only works with the 01-02 wheel remotes. The 01-02 6cd changer should work for both versions, if it works for my 98, and obviously was built to go with the 01-02 remote.