Update! The locksmith came back out for round two and he brought another employee with him. Together they were able to figure out the issue and get the keys programmed. A huge thanks to Carolina Key in Durham NC for going above and beyond to get me back on the road. And you guys have an amazing forum, thank you for all the input and suggestions I was able to have plan B, C, and D if the locksmiths weren't able to make it happen. I'm can't wait to drive around my old accord! And as soon as I get back on my feet I think it's time to start saving and looking for my next honda, maybe back to a civic this time? But I know the place where I'm going to do my research! -Daniel

Hello! My name is Daniel and I'm hoping someone on here can help me out of a current bind. I'm a furloughed worker on a limited budget and I just snapped my one remaining key in half for my 2000 Accord SE. I've contacted a local locksmith (who has gone above and beyond) and he's cut me two new keys (HD106PT) however when he tried to program the keys he couldn't get past the immobilizer. From my understanding the programmer he was using was able to talk to the immobilizer, it just wouldn't program the new keys. However take this with a grain of salt because up until yesterday I Had no idea my keys even had a chip... Also, about a month ago I had an issue with my car horn going of intermittently so I removed the horn relay. I purchased one online but it didn't work and I haven't given it much of a thought otherwise. Could this be affecting the immobilizer? Or is it possibly a sign of my electric system going to ****.

Anyways, I'm looking to avoid towing my car into a dealership trip that I can't afford and here's what I have to work with as far as a solution:

One key with a working chip but broken into two clean pieces
Two HD106PT keys with the correct cut and a blank microchip
One Valet key with the correct cut (But the chip has never worked AFAIK)


The locksmith has an idea that the HD106PT microchip may be the the source of the problem and has offered to cut a new key with a different chip and come back out to my place to try again. However I'm skeptical because he was unable to program my valet key. Any thoughts?

Possible budget ideas that could be terrible but I'm desperate:

Superglue the key and try to clone the transponder (with aid of a tension wrench)
Do some open chip surgery on the broken key and place the microchip into one of the new keys.(Like this post that lead me to your forum in the first place)
Superglue the key and use it to start the car once so I can drive to the dealership, admit defeat, but save myself in having to pay for a tow. (Again with the aid of a tension wrench to prevent the key from snapping)

Thank you for reading and please share your thoughts. Does anyone have any ideas we could try when the locksmith comes back for round two?

-Daniel

 

For a short term fix,You should be able to hold the broken key right next to the ignition keyhole, but put in the other key you have into the actual ignition keyhole and turn the car on. The immobilizer should pick up the "good" key since the other doesn't have any programming, and the car should start.

If that works, for now just tape the broken key against the ignition until you can get either someone who's keymaker works, buy your own keymaker programmer, or order an immobilizer bypass and install that (it's only 20 bucks but you do have to solder off the old chip and solder in the bypass chip).

I'm with you on these immobilizer issues, they can be really weird. I bought my own key programmer so I don't have to find someone, but if it started acted flaky I will be installing the bypass chip.

 

Yeah, tape the programmed chip key half under the dash. The unprogrammed key that is 'cut' should start the vehicle. The chip only needs to be near the immobilizer.

 

Thank you for the reply, I tried holding the broken key just about everywhere around the steering column and dashboard, but the green light still blinks on. Is it possible the locksmith wiped the database of valid keys from the cars computer? I'm loving the idea of a bypass module if everything else fails, would something like this work?

 

This is what I posted in a Honda Accord forum a few months after I bought my 1999 Honda Accord with no spare key. A local hardware store tried making 3 door only keys until they got a blank chip key in stock, none worked. My key was very worn though. A chip key from them would have been about $80. It was less than half at the dealership:

'Went to the local Honda dealership today, I was there less than a half hour. A good chip key copy was made from the VIN, the car's ECU was not accessed. The tech said older Hondas chip keys can be (or are) programmed from the key itself, or totally from the VIN. The tech did take the key into the shop with him, don't know if it was still necessary to read info from the key. The price at a couple hardware stores would have been around $80. I was willing to pay the extra price and make an appointment at the dealership to have it done right. The total cost with tax at this dealership was $37.21.'

 

It's possible to program the key without towing the car? Hmm.... that's worth looking into. Thanks!

 

Thank you for the replies! Unfortunately, I have tried positioning the broken key all around the steering column and dash but couldn't get the car to start. Is it possible the locksmith erased the key database when he accessed the ECU? The bypass looks promising but the only one I could find ships from china and I don't know if I can wait that long, I'm hoping to be back at work here in a week or so.

 

You're welcome - based on my experience, yes. I'd confirm that with the dealership. Since my key was quite worn, I believe it was cut and programmed based on the VIN. From what I understood that's not the case with newer Hondas, instead the chip ID is programmed to be accepted by the ECU, or immobilizer. The hardware store assumed they'd need to plug into the ECU. Not criticizing them, as that's probably the case with many vehicles. Some things IMO are best left to the dealership. Surprisingly, in this case it was less expensive than another source.