This has happened to me as well - when I was repainting the disco I screwed up installing the door latch I guess - works fine to open and close the door (and electric lock/unlock) but the actual manual locking mechanism doesn't! I only found this out AFTER my battery was dead with the locked car.

I thought about it for a minute and had the starter post idea like the other poster. Works great, just remember to bring the key fob down under the car with you!

I made some 12ga leads with alligator clips on each side.. connected them to a small motorcycle battery and crawled under the car. Connected ground, grabbed keyfob and touched the positive and hit the "unlock" button ASAP as she'll draw a TON of current through that wire AND set the horn off!

Worked like a charm - I coiled up my mini jumper set and keep it around in case it happens again.

 

I just got the $5 key blanks off ebay. Had them cut at a place that was all confident. I pointed out that the cut keys looked different to the original, he was still confident. Of course they don't work. Actually they do work in the door lock. Just not the ignition.

I'm reluctant to take my ignition to bits and start grinding down levers etc just to get a cheapo key off the Internet to work in my ignition.

Are there any tips to getting the key blanks cut correctly?

 

I've just been able to get the cheapo key to work with a little tickling from a small file. But it was in danger of not coming out again. If nothing else, I have an absolute emergency back up.

 

I don't know? I bought the 2 for $5 cheapos ilco RV4-P USA blanks off ebay and had them cut at Lowes years ago and all of them work fine. I had 4 of them cut becuase when I got my truck it only had the one remote key and I wanted spares.

 

I had couple cheap blanks cut at a truevalue, they work fine. You might just try a different place to have them cut. Ace and truevalue both sell RV4 blanks. Buy them there and if they don't work, get your money back.

 

I think I got exactly the same ones as you.

My original key is very rounded at the end, compared the blanks. The dude in the shop tried to say that was the reason they look different.



He said when they line both keys up they both get pushed in until the tip hits a stop. It means that the shoulders at the very end of the cut bit are then not lined. I think I have to get two more and find a more friendly key cutter.

My guess is that the original has to be left out of the machine by the amount the original has worn down. Maybe.

Be nice if the PO simply had two keys.

 

See if you have a tru-value and see if they have the blanks to cut for you. I will try to post a pic of my cut blanks and remote key for you in a bit to see if they look any different. Gotta get some stuff done outside before dark. Will do that a little later.

 

he should be line the key up with the shoulder on the key, not the tip

 

Grrr. I knew it. Well obviously I didn't. And neither did the expert key cutter.

Thanks. I'll know better for next time.

 

yep and here's the keys I have , the one on the left is one of the blanks I had cut at lowes quite a few years back.It's seen plenty of use since my remote was broken for about a year before I figured out I could just order a kit and solder new buttons on the pcb. I guess you don't need the pics now but was thinking you said something about the tips not being the same on yours so was thinking maybe you could compare to these. tips look the same.

Kinda weird though, I went back to lowes to have blanks cut for another one, not long ago, same exact key blanks RV4-P and I had the blanks with me. They said they couldn't cut them. I told them they cut 4 of them for me a few years ago and the key cutter dude said "I didn't cut them, I wasn't even working here a few years ago! and why do you need more?".

I shoulda walked off then..... anyway, he called another person who called yet another person and none of them could figure it out. I was tired of awaiting and told them I would check back later.

I don't think any of them knew how to set up the key machine for my blanks. They were used to using the blanks they have and me having my own threw them off. They didn't have a blank for mine in their key blanks and couldn't use mine cause "I'm not seeing that number in my list" so I gave up. I coulda filed the key by hand much time as I wasted with those knuckleheads.