FIXED: red KEY light on dash, keyless entry antenna location
 

A couple of days ago the red KEY light came up on my dash, and none of my external buttons work. I've read that it's due to one of the antennae shorting out, likely due to snow. I'm assuming there's three, one in each door, and one in the rear of the car. Where exactly are they? I'd like to inspect them and see if I can fix it myself before taking it in. The nearest mazda dealer is an hour and a half away from me.

On that note, it seems if the car sits overnight, they work again, but only once. After I go somewhere and return to the car, the external buttons don't work and the red KEY light comes back on.

Thanks guys!

Wow, nobody? Come on guys!

Best I can do for now is to go here http://foxed.ca/rx7manual/2003mazdarx8/ then go under "Body and Accessories", then "Security and Locks"

Oh..................and have you tried the other key? Is it possible that the battery in the one key fob is getting weak?

it's a low battery.. nothing more

little more info, what year is the car?

Mazurfer, it looks like that service manual predates the keyless entry system on my 2006 Shinka. It is very informational though, so thanks for that.

I tried both keyfobs, and replaced the batteries in both. The buttons on both keyfobs work just fine, but the keyless entry buttons still don't function, and I still have the red KEY lit up on the dash.

In my original post, I said that after the car sits overnight, the keyless entry buttons function once before they go out again. Well, that is no longer the case. The KEY light stays on constantly, and the buttons don't work, period.

Thanks guys!

same happened to me today at lunch. here's what the manual says:

KEY Warning Light
If the KEY warning light remains illuminated, do not continue to drive using the advanced key system. Park the vehicle in a safe place and use the auxiliary key to continue driving the vehicle. Have the vehicle inspected at an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.

well, crap. i hope everything is back to normal when i get off of work.

mazdaspeed6's had a TSB for the rear antenna (in the smart card systems). Snow/salt etc would kick up under the rear bumper and get all over the antenna, the unsealed antenna. mazda promptly designed a sealed one and released a TSB. same symptoms as youre having in your rx8, lack of functional key fob and red key light on dash.

im guessing your antenna had an internal failure. If you still really want i can get you the locations of the antennas, on most of the cars there's 3 i believe on under the rear bumper and one under each side of the car.

kevin.

Get'em please.............I'd like to know where and I haven't found them in the service manuals so far.

An to the OP.......I've read that it might be the coonectors on the reciever which is located up and behind the glove box close to where the airbag is....maybe just to the left of it. Could you have a loose connector?

Maybe a visual will help:
Attachment 133622

unfortunately on the mazda website they dont post images, they post weird files so we can zoom in and out ill try to describe where all the antennas are (the code stored in the system will narrow it to the exact antenna that is faulty) (oh and BTW the images SUCK anyway, youre not missing anything helpful lol)

1) Driver's and Passenger Side Door (DTC B1132 - pass door, B1133 - driver's door)- Behind Door Panel/Trim
2) Exterior Rear (DTC B1131) - Mazda says remove rear bumper to access
3) Interior Front (DTC B112A)- Remove glovebox, located on lower bar glovebox hinges on
4) Interior Middle (DTC B1129) - Mazda says remove center console to access, from the image it looks like its under the shifter area
5) Interior Rear (DTC B1128) - Mazda says remove center console, its located in the middle of the rear seats, under the trunk access thing
6) Interior Trunk (DTC B1127)- Just below the trunk latch behind the plastic

thats all i got, if still need more i can try to find some better pics but the ones i can see suck and i cant post here (theyre actually files used for programs like google maps, you can zoom in and pan etc, sometimes handy)

kevin.

I managed to fix this, finally. All the antennas are sealed pretty well within the body work, with the exception of the one under the rear bumper. I removed the bumper and discovered the antenna covered in dust and possibly road-salt. I removed the antenna and cleaned it and the electrical connector, and it's been fine since.

yep. mazda said it was my rear antenna that failed. i hope this doesn't happen again, but if it does at least i know it's not gonna cost me to remove the bumper myself and clean the antenna. thanks for the update.

so if one goes bad the remote wont work at all?
(ie. rear goes bad, you wont be able to use remote in front of the car)

Yeah, if any of the seventy-billion antennae get fubar, the whole system fails.

(yeah, I know, kinda resurrected an old thread).

I didn't want to revive an old thread, but I also didn't want to create a new one while one already exists. I am experiencing very much the same problem and want to see if I can receive any further insights.

-Red "KEY" light on dash
-None of the buttons on the car's extrior work
-Buttons on Card Key are functional
-Car can be started and driven without aux key

The part I am uncertain about comes from the comment above me. If one of the antennas have gone, then I shouldn't be able to start the car without the key. Right? Or perhaps there are two systems - interior and exterior.

Is there a diagram on the locations of these antennas? a part number? Just in case it is damaged and not just dirty, I'd like to order it from Mazda.

Thanks!

better to revive than create another

I'll add a question -

I stole this picture from the bumper removal thread. Is the highlighted (in red) portion the sensor?

I suspect my battery is dying, and have purchased replacement batteries. On the off chance that it is not the battery, I will clean the sensor. i just need to be clear where the sensor is.

I've replaced the battery in the card key and found that is not the issue. I remeber reading it somewhere that when the battery is low in your card key, the "key" light on the dashboard glows green. And when it glows red, then it means there's something wrong with the system.

Thanks for that picture above. Would someone please verify whether the circled part is indeed the antenna. I am otherwise clueless to what that piece is. Thanks.

I believe that part is indeed the antenna. It's been a while since I did this. Mine was covered in salt and road grime, so I disconnected it and sprayed both ends of the connectors with electrical cleaner and put it back together. That fixed my problem.

Just an update on the situation:

My car mended herself. This morning I started her up and there was no red "key" light and, for the first time I own the car, I experienced how the smart key can make my life easier.

Although this is good news, I am also prepared for the system to go down any time. S,o obviously all the parts in the system is functioning, does anyone know what would cause this intermitten effect?

Did you end up solving your problem? Was it the battery?

Mine is still a little weird; sometimes it doesn't lock the car for a few minutes (I have to walk around the car pressing the damn lock button until I hear the beeps).

But it works eventually, so I'm hesitant to replace the battery yet.

Mine is INSIDE the trunk (I think)
 

I've been having an identical problem. I took the bumper off last weekend. No antenna! However, I did locate a 6 inch long black box INSIDE the trunk, behind the "end trunk trim panel" that is identical to a black box found under the RKE system in the front, behind the glovebox. Is this the antenna??? If it is, it cannot be faulty due to exposure to the elements, as it is well protected from that and appeared dry and corrosion free. I disconnected it briefly and reconnected it, with no change in results.

I just need to know if anybody has seen this antenna, as described. Maybe it's a replacement for the one that has been going bad as described in this thread? I have a 2006 Shinka. Thanks for any replies.