First a tiny bit of background for anyone searching for a solution to problems with a 1996, 1997 or 1998 Honda Civic with keyless entry that is having trouble or does not work. My wife and I own a 1998 2 door EX. It has just over 100k miles on it and factory keyless entry. The original head unit is the control center for the keyless entry system so if you have an after market head unit, the factory one has to be relocated behind the after market one. There is a special wiring harness that allows the keyless entry system to continue to work. Our Civic had the after market head unit installed when we purchased it so I can't give much detail about the wiring.

The keyless entry was not working so we took it to the dealership for warranty repairs. We were told the battery needed to be replaced and we would be in good shape. This worked for a time then the remote stopped working again. We went back and were told we needed a new remote, so we purchased one for around $50. This worked for a little longer (a few months) before it quit on us too! The long and short of it is that we have not had keyless entry working for over 6 years now.

I had to put my car in the shop today and drive the Civic (which is my wife's car) all day and simply couldn't stand having to use my key every time I got in and out of the car. I rarely drive the Civic and my company car has keyless entry (that works!) and I had forgotten what a pain in the butt it could be. I simply couldn't allow my wife to have to deal with that every day and decided to try and fix this problem myself.

The remote has a little red light on it that lit up when I pressed a button (most of the time) but I replaced the battery because it had been so long since I used the remote. In fact, I had to search the house until I found it in a drawer in the office. I tore my dash apart and removed the factory and afer market head units. Using the reprogramming guide here:

http://www.handa-accessories.com/civic/98keyless.gif

I was able to get the system to work for a couple of locks and unlocks before it would die on me again. After much searching on the internet and pulling my hair, i figured out the issue! The batter cover on the back of the remote is removed with a coin (nickel works best) and has a rubber gromit around the edge to seal out moisture. Once removed you can see the metal battery terminals on the bottom and side of the remote. Each time the battery is replaced, you have to reprogram the remote to make it work again. The issue was simple: the battery cover was a little too loose and the battery would lose contact with the terminals inside when the remote was jostled in just the right way. As soon as the battery lost connection, the remote was reset.

The solution? Simply place a small rubber piece between the top of the battery and the cover to force the battery to stay in place! I used a small piece of rubber shelf liner (the kind you put dishes on so they don't slip around) cut into a circle slightly smaller than the positive side of the battery.

Works like a charm and my wife is very excited, which makes me a happy man.

Hope this helps someone out there.

-Dash

 

Thank you so much! This worked like a charm for the 2 (formerly) broken remotes on my 97 EX. and to think i spent so much money thinking the batteries were always dying...

 

it worked like charm. I have a 99 Honda Accord, and i worked just the same.

 

Hope this helps someone out there.
after 2 yrs its nice to be able to use it again thanks so much!
-Dash[/QUOTE]

 

Thank you so much! This worked like a charm for the 2 (formerly) broken remotes on my 97 EX. and to think i spent so much money thinking the batteries were always dying...