Carry a spare key in the LC w/o draining battery?

[cardyjones]

We are headed on a 7500 mile trip in a few days an I was hoping to carry a spare key in the LC.

We will drive the LC nearly every day, but I don't want to end up with a dead battery overnight from the blinking red light.

How much current does the key transponder draw?

I know someone asked this before, but I couldn't find this searching....

Cardy

2002 LC

 

[Trunk Monkey]

The security system is active whether there's a key in there or not, you'll be fine.

 

[e9999]

We are headed on a 7500 mile trip in a few days an I was hoping to carry a spare key in the LC.

We will drive the LC nearly every day, but I don't want to end up with a dead battery overnight from the blinking red light.

How much current does the key transponder draw?

I know someone asked this before, but I couldn't find this searching....

Cardy

2002 LC

if you mean that having a key in the truck would result in a flashing light that would then drain the battery, I don't think you have to worry. A flashing LED is highly unlikely to drain a good battery. Plenty of alarm systems out there with LEDs on all the time. Plus there is the clock, buit-in alarms and various other things anyway. If you're still worrying, try stashing the key far from the dash, there is probably a distance at which it won't respond anymore and I suspect that's probably not very far.

 

[1loudLX]

Uh, does your truck die every night when you park it at home? Well then having a second key inside the cabin won't kill it either. Even if you leave it in the ignition cylinder without turning the key it won't kill the battery. This isn't Breaking Bad.

 

[r2m]

If I'm catching what you're asking, even if you have a dead battery in your key, you should be able to start and run your car with the master 3 button, but you won't be able to lock/unlock/panic with the key. You will absolutely be able to start and run your car with the valet key. You can also have a plain steel key made to use just for door locks and stick that somewhere on the car. I had one made so I can stick it in my wetsuit for when I go surfing and not worry about water/electronics and if anything should happen to it.

 

[e9999]

well, seems like we have several takes on the OP question, which suggests that it could have been stated more clearly. Care to clarify what you were actually asking?

(On our O3 there is a blinking light on the dash for the security system whether the key is in the truck or not. No blinking light on the key. Going beyond the light now, if the security system emits an radiowave that will be picked up by a key for identification or power -the valet key does not even have a battery for instance- I doubt very much that the presence of a key -in the close proximity range needed- would result in the security system using up much more standby power than usual because of a presumed "reaction" -if that is even what you meant-. And again, none of these small amounts of power should matter much at all to a healthy truck battery. If you were talking about the key battery -didn't sound like it- that is a different question of course, but I would think that the battery is only used for the remote feature and not the transponder/ID one. And again if you stash it far away it should avoid that problem since it's been reported that the truck will not start if the key electronics are not within inches of the dash. And finally, yes, you can stash a valet key with no battery anyway.)

 

[Trunk Monkey]

He's thinking having the key in the truck but it not running depletes the battery, like the blinking red light senses there's a key near and uses more juice. It doesn't.

 

[r2m]

He's thinking having the key in the truck but it not running depletes the battery, like the blinking red light senses there's a key near and uses more juice. It doesn't.

Agreed, if your battery is being drained by what you think is the key, you have bigger problems than that!

 

[cardyjones]

Thanks for all the responses.

Yeah, so Basically I want a hide-a-key attached to the truck w/o draining the truck battery due to transponder recognizing a key.

Sounds like it shouldn't matter.

I assumed the blinking red light that is shaped like a key meant the vehicle detected a key in close proximity. Didn't reAlize it was just a security system light.

Cardy

 

[Offroads4x4]

If your that worried try it yourself by leaving a key in it overnight at home. You'll know in the morning if it will work.

 

[jttexam]

Uh, does your truck die every night when you park it at home? Well then having a second key inside the cabin won't kill it either. Even if you leave it in the ignition cylinder without turning the key it won't kill the battery. This isn't Breaking Bad.

Agreed, if your battery is being drained by what you think is the key, you have bigger problems than that!

Silly questions always draw the most responses!

Nice Breaking Bad reference. Well done, yo!

I feel frustration reading this.

What Cardy is asking is that if the loop in the key cylinder detects a transponder, will the ecm/ecu turn on certain functions of the vehicle, and in turn, drain the battery.

This is a quite legitimate question, and all of the "know-it-all" wise answers do not help anyone. If you are unable to contribute, then keep quiet. I have wondered myself several times whether detection of that transponder turns on more than just a blinking led. If anyone knows the answer to this, I'm sure Cardy would like to know. I know that I would.

If you want to be a big man and embarass Cardy into not asking any more technical questions about 100 series Land Cruisers, do it in person. I have a feeling that none of the perpetrators here are big enough...

On that note, moderators, If I post a question here that is marginally not technical, it gets moved elsewhere. What about these offensive non-technical responses by members?

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I feel frustration reading this.

What Cardy is asking is that if the loop in the key cylinder detects a transponder, will the ecm/ecu turn on certain functions of the vehicle, and in turn, drain the battery.

This is a quite legitimate question, and all of the "know-it-all" wise answers do not help anyone. If you are unable to contribute, then keep quiet. I have wondered myself several times whether detection of that transponder turns on more than just a blinking led. If anyone knows the answer to this, I'm sure Cardy would like to know. I know that I would.

If you want to be a big man and embarass Cardy into not asking any more technical questions about 100 series Land Cruisers, do it in person. I have a feeling that none of the perpetrators here are big enough...

On that note, moderators, If I post a question here that is marginally not technical, it gets moved elsewhere. What about these offensive non-technical responses by members?

r2m's post brings up a legitimate point, if the OP is currently experiencing drain, then it's something other than a key left in the truck.

As for the other posters, mods are volunteers and can't be everywhere at once. So, chill out and cool it with the "do it in person" internet tough guy act.

 

[jttexam]

r2m's post brings up a legitimate point, if the OP is currently experiencing drain, then it's something other than a key left in the truck.

As for the other posters, mods are volunteers and can't be everywhere at once. So, chill out and cool it with the "do it in person" internet tough guy act.

Telling some members in this thread to do their bullying is person is hardly an "internet tough guy act." In contrast, telling them that if they keep doing it they will have to answer to me would be an "internet tough guy act."


You have choices here to make here.

1. As a volunteer, you can take on the task of being socially responsible and joining me to stop this foolery, or you can resign. As a volunteer, you are not a bystander. With that title, you accept responsibility to moderate this forum. While this is a thankless task, until you resign it, it is still yours to do.

2. You can censor me, lock me out, or join me, but you will not get me to stand by and ignore people who sit behind a keyboard and ridicule others who are trying to get help. It is by definition, bullying.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

If you think what's been said here is bullying, you need to reevaluate and need thicker skin. It's the internet, get over it.

 

[e9999]

Telling some members in this thread to do their bullying is person is hardly an "internet tough guy act." In contrast, telling them that if they keep doing it they will have to answer to me would be an "internet tough guy act."


You have choices here to make here.

1. As a volunteer, you can take on the task of being socially responsible and joining me to stop this foolery, or you can resign. As a volunteer, you are not a bystander. With that title, you accept responsibility to moderate this forum. While this is a thankless task, until you resign it, it is still yours to do.

2. You can censor me, lock me out, or join me, but you will not get me to stand by and ignore people who sit behind a keyboard and ridicule others who are trying to get help. It is by definition, bullying.

Dude...
- Could some of the replies be a bit more tactful? Yes.
- Did the OP get specific answers to his question or valid suggestions? Yes.
- Was the OP question clear? Not as much as it could have been, which would have helped.
- Were some of us able to guess the OP question correctly nevertheless? Yes.
- Was any of the above replies amount to bullying? IMHO No. Although I would also have deleted the one about "silly questions", that one was uncalled for. Bullying is a different beast altogether though.
- Are you overreaching? IMHO Yes.
- Is it wise to contribute plenty to the forum and get to know it well before passing judgement on its culture, its members, and its Mods? Yes.

 

[1loudLX]

I have wondered myself several times whether detection of that transponder turns on more than just a blinking led. If anyone knows the answer to this, I'm sure Cardy would like to know. I know that I would.

detection of the transponder turns off the blinking LED.

 

[e9999]

detection of the transponder turns off the blinking LED.

in ours, the blinking light (in the center panel of the dash, not on the instrument panel) will only turn off when the (master) key is actually physically inserted. Otherwise not, even if I hold the key body directly against the ignition lock or nearby.
So, IF the LED off is an indication of key recognition -I don't know for sure that it is- then having the key in the truck but not inserted should not result in key recognition and presumably should not lead to unexpected security stuff happening with corresponding current draw. Anyway, that is academic in that
- there has not been any report that I know of of a battery going dead because of a stored spare key
- it's easy to figure out if it will or not
- there are easy ways around it for sure

Cardy, what year is your truck and where is this key-shaped light?

 

[1loudLX]

Test vehicle - 2005 LX470 if you don't pick that up by my signature+dash design and/or what I say in the video.


Now if you have a wallet key with the transponder chip in the plastic surround, as long as there are no other transponder keys nearby you can take the blade, stick it in and then use the transponder by putting it up near the ignition cylinder. I do not have the wallet key with me right now so no way to demonstrate that.

 

[e9999]

my recollection of earlier postings is that for the metal-only no-built-in-transponder keys, the "loose" transponder chip has to be immediately next to the ignition lock for the engine to start. Somehow I got the impression that this had to be like an inch or 2. Which is what made me comment above that if a spare key is stashed several feet away it may not be seen by the system.

(Loud, what do you mean by a wallet key with a surround?)

 

[1loudLX]

The Lexus models come with a flat blade that only unlocks doors in a plastic holder that made it the size of a credit card. On the newer ones they embedded a transponder chip so you could use the same blade to sart the vehicle.