Just to keep me on my toes and because I've been feeling smug about how well the fob has been working with new batteries and covers... I went to the car this morning and pressed the fob. Nothing.
Tried a few times, checked the red light was coming on the fob.. nothing
OK. unlocked the drivers door to get in. No central locking. OK, this'll be a resync I thought - I'd left the fob in range of little fingers last night, perhaps it's been pressed too many times for the rolling code.
So, fob into the lock, Position 2, tried lock/unlock. Nothing.
Hmm, is that the correct procedure? So I looked it up and did some dance with key to p2, out, hold unlock while pressing lock three times - it didn't work.

So, Nanocom, EKA, start and off to work.

I still can't lock/unlock on the fob and I thought the key should have resynced by now due to friendy sync in a 2000 model. What should I have done?

Mine a 2001 4.6 Vogue too - if the spec/year matters.

My battery was left unplugged for a few weeks while I did some work. When I connected it back up the fob didn't work. I was able to start the car etc but remote locking didn't work.

I'd left the car unlocked while the battery was off so it didn't need unlocking when I reconnected it.

The fob worked again after I locked and unlocked the car using the key in the door. I didn't have to press any buttons.

I wonder if your problem is a symptom of a dodgy microswitch in the door latch?

The relevant year is 2000+ when they changed to easy sync which should re-sync the fob when you use it in the ignition so we're using the same BECM version (largely, I guess) but the symptoms are a bit different. My car was fully charged with the battery still connected. The EKA lockout triggered because I locked with the fob and unlocked with the key when the fob wouldn't do the job.
Once the EKA had been entered, the engine started up so the chip in the key is talking fine - but I can't lock/unlock on the remote. Meh, I'll go try it again.

Yeah, it is a bit different. Mine didn't need the EKA when I put the battery back on.

I guess that as it accepted the EKA that means the door latch is fine.

I think I have unlocked the car with key after locking with the fob before and not needed the EKA though. Not sure if that needing the EKA in that scenario is normal.

I went out and pop - it worked first hit from 10m away!
Then it gave out again and the red light is no longer working on the remote. So it's the fob, I'll start with another set of new batts - it could possibly have been trapped under something last night and transmitting for ages. I hope so!

The friendly sync in the ignition is tied in with the passive immobiliser. If that has been turned off in the BECM, then the key won't sync in the ignition, and HAS to be done in the door.

The vehicle worked exactly as it was designed to. If you lock the vehicle with the remote, and unlock with the key, then you WILL need to enter the EKA (either via door lock or Nanocom if the vehicle supports it - IE BECM PAM V36 or above - which from memory is mid-97 onwards).

As far as I can tell, the idea behind it is that in the days where you had a valet key - you could leave the vehicle with the valet at your country club, give him a manual key and keep the remote fob. They could then start and drive it to park, lock with key in the door. They could then unlock with key in the door, start the vehicle and bring it back to you. Now, if they'd decided to copy your manual key and then wanted to try and nick the vehicle - assuming you had locked with the remote (which LR tell you to always do in the handbook) - they'd turn up and unlock the drivers door with the key blade - but then no be able to start the vehicle and drive it off... The EKA is there as a backup to the remote not working - so if you had locked with the remote, but then it stopped working for any reason, you could then enter the EKA code in the door to get the vehicle mobilised and moving.

So if your fob has stopped working, and you'd locked with the remote - then you only being able to open the drivers door is totally normal. Entering the EKA fixed that and got you moving. If the key isn't resyncing in the ignition, then try locking it with the key in the door and pressing the lock button on the fob, and then unlock whilst pressing unlock button. It should resync the key that way.

I don't know if your BECM has passive immobilisation turned off or not. But as I mentioned - along with turning off the feature where the vehicle will automatically re-immobilise itself after about 30s of inactivity and the key out of the ignition, it also turns off the friendly sync in the ignition.

Hope this helps clear up how it works, and why your vehicle did what it did... perfectly normal.

Thanks Marty. I was most of the way there - just confused as to why it didn't sync back up again. Now it has....
But it seems that the contacts in the fob are getting tired. Just by moving the battery cover I've managed to get the thing lighting up again. I really can't face a new fob this month, gotta hope this one lasts until payday!

Martyuk wrote:

Nanocom if the vehicle supports it - IE BECM PAM V36 or above - which from memory is mid-97 onwards).

That's what I'd always been told but the Ascot (mid '96) has V32 yet the EKA can still be entered with the Nanocom. Just to be awkward.

Ignore me, I'm just thinking Thor upwards which is clearly wrong.