So on Thursday my wife came to me and said, "I have some badnews." "I tried to move the 4runner and it won'tstart." That seemed odd because the youngest drives it to schooldaily and hadn't complained. So I took the key out of her hand and went to see what had happening.


She was right. It would crank just fine, but no firing. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch. Not one cylinder would even try to fire. Just to be sure the gas gauge wasn't somehow out of whack, I poured in a couple gallons of gas. It was parked in a nose down attitude so if were low on fuel, it could be feasible. More gas, no joy.


So I checked all the fuses, not just looking at them, I ohm'd them all. No issues there.


So I was thinking, maybe the fuel pump has gone out. Since I was by myself, I couldn't stick my head under the hood and have someoneturn the key to hear the "whir" of the pump. But I did shoot agood amount of combustible down the air breather. Nothing. Well, it's not the fuel pump. I packed it in for the day as I had to get cleaned up to back to work.


As I was headed out the door, I looked at the kitchen table, saw the key and it hit me. "Son of a...", "mother puss bucket", "I can't believe this..."


The key my wife was using, and gave to me was the key we'd lost last summer and recently found while unboxing from the recent move. We had purchased new keys for the vehicle and had it re-programmed. There was no way the key would ever work.


I used one of the "new" keys and it fired right up. I didn't know whether to be mad or laugh. I chose to laugh. It was kind of funny when I started thinking about it. At least I know the anti-theft stuff works.

 

At least it was sorted................fairly easily!

Well done you. And thanks for the story as it proves it not just me that has 'moments' like that.

Cheers, SB

 

It was kind of funny. And I am glad the cost was nothing, other than my pride.

 

The new keys are funny. To make a Ford key, you need 2 good keys to make a third key. My oldest daughter only had one key and wanted a spare, can't do it.

The deal I made when I bought my Mini Copper used was, no spare key-no deal.
They ordered a new key (BMW type star trek enterprise NCC-1701 round thing).
It holds vehicle info like auto climate, radio stations, engine info, odometer reading, service info and more. The valet key didn't work so I had to go to a Mini dealership and the key had to go back to Germany to be replaced.

In today's electronic age, simple things like keys are not what they use to be.
Your lucky you figured it out quickly before taking things apart. Good job on that one.

 

When I bought the XC70 Volvo I now have I got a spare key backordered for me by the shop, the thing is that it is cut but not programmed. Take a wild guess what it would cost me to go program that blank? 250eur!!! What the heck!!! To order a spare key cost over 400eur total! Like do they platinum coat them or what?! The only problem with the current key is that the stiletto action spring has snapped so the key is limp and I gotta keep it straight when starting so the antitheft system reads the chip. And the fact that it's the only key...

 

It's beyond stupid in my opinion that they program that much stuff into a key. I'm a geek even in the eyes of other geeks, but I find no practical reason for it to be the way it is. It's just another way to get mega $$ out of people.

 

Haha, that stuff happens. It happens all the time to the "pros".

Every time I hear one of these stories, I remember the Biker Build off shows. Multiple times the guys would wear themselves out trying to kick start a bike. After it WON'T crank, they all seemed to jump to ignition timing, valve timing, wiring, etc. only to find out the petcock wasn't on RUN or something similar like the kill switch.



And as far as why they keep programming everything and making redundant systems on cars.... It employs more engineers, keeps dealers' shops open, and justifies a higher MRSP.

 

And THAT is just one more reason to love my old '88 Chevy pick up. I've had brand new cars with all that jazz on them and to me it's just more crap to fail and leave you stranded. I appreciate it but it's just too much! All I want is a dependable vehicle that is simple enough that I can fix it, delivers relative comfort and doesn't break the bank. Just yesterday I bought new rear break shoes, wheel cylinders and all the hardware (springs etc.) for my old pick up for $60. Nice! And the best part? No payments!

 

Doesn't require to be entouraged by a cistern trailer semi either.