# Help! Remote Key Dying, Will Push to Start Still Work?



## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

No, it doesn't turn. It's just to hold your key in the right position. 

But go find the battery. IIRC, it's a CR2032 - pretty common. I've had good luck at CVS. Should be about $2.


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## F and J (Mar 16, 2013)

Question on everyone else's Fob and push to start. If your Cruze is running, in park and the fob leaves the car in another's pocket, can you drive the car away with out the fob? Ours can and it keeps running till you shut off the engine! Wife drove home 5 miles with out Fob. Dealer is stumped as too why it can be driven without Fob in car.


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## MyCarTomCruze (Nov 8, 2015)

Thank you very much! I'll be sure to go look


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## MyCarTomCruze (Nov 8, 2015)

This has happened several times to me. My car usually starts freaking out and beeping saying something about remote, and we have to go and get the key for it to shut off all the way. This has only happened when someone gets out before I pull into the garage, but I am able to park the car. Like I said above, I have to get the key for it to shut down all the way. I can't believe your wife got that far!

One time I must have not pushed the off button, and I got out and went inside the store. I came back to it unlocked and still running so someone could have driven off maybe! Ah!


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

I believe the DIC will ding and say something like "Fob not detected" but I think you can drive it away.

But then, I've not tried to see how far I can get.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Once running you can drive it without the fob till you shut it off or run out of gas........this is why folks in a rush get out of the car while it is still running, forget it is running, close the garage door and go into the house......later found dead due to CO poisening.

Two cases already in the Chicago area this fall.

Rob


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## au201 (May 18, 2013)

Robby said:


> Once running you can drive it without the fob till you shut it off or run out of gas........this is why folks in a rush get out of the car while it is still running, forget it is running, close the garage door and go into the house......later found dead due to CO poisening.
> 
> Two cases already in the Chicago area this fall.
> 
> Rob


Does the Cruze not honk the horn if you leave with the key while it's running? We had a Cadillac XTS rental with push button and it blipped the horn very loudly in 3 rapid beeps if you left with the key while it was still running. 


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

au201 said:


> Does the Cruze not honk the horn if you leave with the key while it's running? We had a Cadillac XTS rental with push button and it blipped the horn very loudly in 3 rapid beeps if you left with the key while it was still running.


It will do that if it thinks you've stepped out of the car and it senses the key still in it. The engine has always been stopped.

I don't remember any horn for stepping out of the car with the engine running. Perhaps because I've always popped the hood first.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

The 'key in car' two rapid horn beeps, only occurs if the car is shut off, the key is (obviously) somewhere in the car, the drivers door is opened and then closed.
The two rapid beeps occur the moment the door is shut.

If the car is running, the two beep alarm will not sound regardless of where the fob is or how many times the door is opened or closed.

Rob


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

To the OP,

I doubt if your system needs anything more than replacement fob batteries......it would help if you told us how old the car (and the fob batteries) are.

If the fob battery dies completely your push to start will only work if the key is manually inserted into the slot in the console.

Rob


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Misinterpreted push to start, how about roll down my driveway to start, put it in 3rd gear, ignition in run, ease out the clutch, engine starts, then shift down to 2nd to take off. 

Pushing or pulling a vehicle use to be very common to get a vehicle started, real bumpers, even with an AT, had the hydraulic pump driven by the driveshaft, but had to hit 30 mph before the engine would turn over. That soon became history when they moved that pump to the engine side. Also gave a 50 mile limit when towing, but even less than that, without that pump running, transmission was not getting lubed.

Only way to start these things was with a good starter and battery.

Guess with these proximity remotes all different, with that Cmax in Italy, the key had to be in the ignition and in the run position, did have a MT and that start button. But occasionally killed the engine getting frustrated with a dozen inlets and outlets on those roundabouts. On this thing, hitting that start button didn't work, had to switch off the key and switch it back on again for the starter. 

Doors would lock and unlock within about ten feet, had fun with that, step in a foot, would unlock, move out a foot and would lock again, so did a dance and got rhythm in the background. Kid's T&C is different, can keep his remote in his pocket and just hit the start button, walk away, still locks. But if you walk close to this thing to check all four doors to make darn sure they are locked, it will unlock. So you have to leave the remote on the ground.

When these things get a couple of years old, may learn that all your doors are NOT locked, but then its time to trade it off for a new one. Should look at these things, use a permanent magnet DC motor driving a plastic pinion to a plastic rack. If you hit these with 12 Volts, and leave it on, the motor is stalled one way or the other and will very quickly burn out. To prevent this the BCM times the pulse, but if they get sluggish, that time isn't long enough so they won't lock. Can't even use a real carbon brush, just a couple of berkelium tangs that can break off for commutator contact. As that plastic ages, gets brittle, and can easily break, in particular in very cold weather.

So much for convenience.


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