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Contents 1 Central Locking 1.1 Key Resynchronization 1.1.1 Pre 1996.5 MY Vehicles 1.1.2 Post 1996.5 MY vehicles 1.1.3 Loss of power with the vehicle alarmed 1.2 Getting a replacement key 1.3 Identifying your existing key 1.4 Replacement Key Pads 1.5 Replacement Batteries 1.6 Door Lock Not Working 1.7 Changing the locks 1.8 RF Receiver Interference 2 Lower Tail Gate Latch 2.1 Pressing the button fails to give you a clunk.

[edit] Central Locking

[edit] Key Resynchronization

There seems to be lots of confusion about how to synchronise keys to the vehicle. Essentially there are two processes to be aware of:

[edit] Pre 1996.5 MY Vehicles

There is no transponder in the lock cylinder on these, so you have to use the EKA process to unlock the vehicle. This is also useful if the transponder fails or the remote doesn't work on later vehicles.

[edit] Post 1996.5 MY vehicles

Unlock the door using the physical lock, and put the key in the ignition. You'll get a beep as you open the door, and when you put the key in the ignition the other doors will unlock after a small delay. They key is now synchronised.

[edit] Loss of power with the vehicle alarmed

It's possible, if the battery goes flat for a long time, while the vehicle is alarmed, that the BeCM will loose key synch state and not be able to be disarmed. If the vehicle does not have EKA, you will have to get someone with Rovacom Lite or Rovacom Pro to get into the BeCM and disarm it.

[edit] Getting a replacement key

You will need to order a new key from Land Rover. You will need to give them the full VIN number of the vehicle, and then synchronize the key as described above. WARNING: If the locks and/or BeCM have been changed on the vehcile in the past, it is vitally important that Land Rover Traceability were notified of the change, otherwise they will not be able to supply the correct key. If you don't have the right information, you will need to get your BeCM unlocked or replaced.

DO NOT buy replacement keys from eBay. There is no way to make them work on your car unless you get a complete set of keys, locks and the BeCM from the donor vehicle, or have the ability to unlock the BeCM and have the lockset code of the original.

[edit] Identifying your existing key

The original text and picture was contributed by Davidss 08:19, 1 Oct 2006 (BST)

You only have one key, you want to buy a partner, so you need to know what key you have, because twins don't work.

'Keys' can be called 'Fobs', or 'Remotes', and can be called 'Handsets' in official literature.

• Key 1 is coloured Ash Grey.
• Key 2 is coloured Black.
• Key 3 is coloured Beige.
• Key 4 is coloured Blue.
• There is also a mechanical key, with no remote control attached.

This number and colour relationship is given in the Part Descriptions at the Dealers.

The standard initial issue was Key 1 and Key 2. Later the mechanical key was added to the standard intial issue. If the car has memory seats and mirrors, there are two memories, one associated with key 1, and one associated with key 2. There is no memory function associated with key 3 or key 4, just the remote lock and unlock functions.

You cannot have two of any key associated with a single car. At least, many owners have reported this reaction from Dealers when asked to supply a new key 1 or 2, and I assume it to also apply to keys 3 and 4. When new, each key fob was labelled with it's number, but several years later this label has worn away and fallen off. By the time the car is third or fourth hand, one of the keys has gone missing.

Several snags now become apparent:

• 1 - New keys from the Dealer are expensive.
• 2 - Second hand keys from Ebay are a lot cheaper, but the remote CANNOT be reprogrammed to another car, so as second hand remotes they are useless, although by having a new key blade cut they become a Very Expensive mechanical key.
• 3 - As you cannot have duplicate key 1's or duplicate key 2's, you have to be certain which single key fob you have, as you will have to pay for the key fob you order, whether it works or not.
• 4 - The Ash Grey fob is dark grey, while the Black fob is actually Very dark grey .

Side by side it can be difficult to tell them apart. Seen alone it's very difficult (impossible) to tell which colour you have.

There is hope. The replacement button pads only come in one colour, Ash Grey, available under part number YWC000300 (One per fob), at probably less that 1 UK Pound (September 2006). Put a new pad in your fob, if it matches the colour of the rest of the casing, you have an Ash Grey Key 1. If the rest of the casing is a consistently darker grey, you have a Black Key 2.

You may have to hold the fob at different angles, to let the light fall on it 'correctly' to be clearly see any colour differences.

Just to show what is possible, and the difficulties in achieving it, this is picture 12 from 16 shots. To get the 'best' lighting conditions the fobs were placed on the car battery cover, where there was some shade from the bonnet. Ironically, the car battery cover location gave the most distinct colour difference I have ever seen anywhere. Bright sunlight isn't as good. Even so, this is the best of 5 shots. The other 13 were taken outside on the portable workbench.

Colour rendition may be affected by the screen and settings of your PC. Counting from the left, key 1 is Ash Grey, key 2 is Black, and both have replacement button pads in place. The keys are 7 years old, the pads about 6 months old.

There is only one other way. Explain the situation to another 38A owner, and hope they have both keys to compare with yours.

Just be aware of what your reaction would be if a total stranger approached you and asked for your car keys, with a cock and bull story about Black and Ash Grey being one shade of grey apart from each other. Expect to be disbelieved initially, and give them time to come to terms with your explanation. Don't threaten them by intruding into their personal space 'comfort' zone, and accept a refusal gracefully.

Good Luck, and remember, this is advice, the gamble of ordering the new key fob is yours, and yours alone!

[edit] Replacement Key Pads

The buttons on my key remote are coming off? Do I need to buy a new key?

With a new key costing £100, plus labour to reprogram the BeCM to recognise the new key, this is a useful question.

Land Rover Technical Bulletin 28, issued in Year 2000, describes a new part number for just the buttons.

Order one of YWC000300 for each key which needs replacing.

These are about £1.00 when bought from a UK Dealer, or a lot more if bought as part of a 'Service Kit' off Ebay.

Follow these instructions:

• With a small, sharp screwdriver, pierce the keypad between the two buttons. There are no delicate components beneath this area
• Lever out the keypad. Do not lever at the edge of the pad, this may damage the handset aperture. Do not dismantle the handset.
• Fit replacement keypad YWC000300. The keypad can be simply pressed into place. Ensure that all edges are fully seated.
• Verify operation of handset.

YWC000300 is just the bit of rubber with the button symbols.

Thanks for David Sparkes for this information.

[edit] Replacement Batteries

Original text from Davidss 16:25, 11 Oct 2006 (BST)

CR2025 are the recommended fit, at two per fob.

However, November 2004 found CR2032 being sold as suitable.

The question was:
Searching at http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/index.htm it says there will be a difference in thickness, over two cells, of 1.4mm, and I'm not sure there is enough space in the housing for the increase from 5.0 to 6.4mm. It's quite a % increase.

The response from the Seller, NOT the Small Battery Company, was:
Either cell is suitable. The 2025 is the cheaper 150mAH battery. The 2032 has a capacity of 210mAH and should last about 40% longer. We own a P38A and a Defender and use the 2032 for both vehicles.

[edit] Door Lock Not Working

This section was contributed by Donald Fisher

After locking myself out of the car recently while the battery was disconnected, it was apparent that my keys were not able to mechanically unlock the door ( regardless of the alarm being set or battery connected ).

After investigation I noticed that as I shut the door, I could hear something inside slap against the door skin as if it were loose. After discussion o the rangie.com mailing list and looking through the workshop manual it was clear that there should be a metal connecting rod running between the barrel and the door latch itself and perhaps this had come loose.

So upon taking the inside trim off and loosening off the rear of the foam sheet, i found this to be the case:

It was clear that the rod had become disconnected from the hole. When i tried to re-insert the rod, it wouldn't stay in place. Looking round the bottom of the door i found a little metal clip that should slide oto the barrel arm . . . . . The rod then has a small channel in it which is grabbed by the metal clip.

As is normally the case, I dropped the clip o the drive - never to be seen again.

Time for a bodge!

A scout round the tip errrr, garage returned no results for something that would prove useful. All I needed was something that would slide into the groove in the rod and prevent the rod from falling back out again. I considered getting a paper clip re-bent, but I thought that wouldn't be strong enough. Then I happened upon a fairly large hair pin that the wife used. It looked fairly strong, and had a bend in the end that roughly matched the inner diameter of the groove in the rod:

After a couple minutes of fiddling as access is tight, I managed to slot the clip into the groove. It gave a reassuring click as it reached the end of the hair pin. I then made sure the clip was hanging down the way to ensure it wouldn't get in the way of any of the other moving part. A gentle pull o the rod showed that it wouldn't come out unless really forced.

A short test with the door closed also confirmed that the key now did work as it should. A good result and probably better than the original clip! You can see the clip hanging down in the picture below:

I don't know why it had come loose - under normal conditions I don't see why it should. Although it was apparent that someone had already taken the door skin off before as the plastic skin had been torn in places and was held o using masking tape.

[edit] Changing the locks

A couple of people have asked what's involved in replacing the locks on a P38A Range Rover. Like many things with this car, it's not as simple as you might hope. But it is possible - you just have to know what you're doing.

Parts Needed

• Drivers door lock/handle
• New keys
• Glovebox lock cylinder
• Replacement BeCM

Actually, it is possible to get a BeCM reprogrammed to accept a new lockset code, but it's non trivial and very few people offer this service. It's important to realize that the decoding/ validation of the key remote code is done by the BeCM and not the RF receiver, and the keys are manufactured for each vehicle. You don't need to replace any of the other locks, or the RF receiver.

Also, you will almost certainly have to reprogram the immobiliser o the GEMS engine management if your vehicle has robust immobilisation enabled. This is true of all UK spec vehicles, and not true of NAS and Australian vehicles. I don't know about the rest of the world. A diagnostic system such as Rovacom Lite will do this for you.

[edit] RF Receiver Interference

I have been having problems with the immobiliser on my 1997 4.6 HSE RR. Having researched the problem I discovered I needed a new receiver, part number YWY500010 to replace the old ASR1953 one. So off I go to the dealer who tells me that YWY500010 is no longer available and has been superceeded by ASR1953.....which left me slightly confused as it should be the other way round according to my research. I ordered the part anyway, trusting that the parts guy at the dealers knew what he was on about. Anyway, it was playing on my mind a bit & I did some more reading, couple of posts on various NGs etc & everyone came back with the same answer .... ASR1953 is the latest and greatest version of the receiver.

......but, still not satisfied I went back to the dealers & got them to contact Land Rover Technical. And the answer was -

"ASR1953 is shown INCORRECTLY on the dealers parts CD as a substitute for YWY500010". There has now been a further revision, the latest numbers are:

YWY500170 (433MHz) YWY500200 (315MHz)

I hope this information will be of help to other RR owners & save them from being given the obsolete part. Credit where it's due to the dealers, Hartwell Land Rover St. Helens.

correct EKA not working What to do when the correct EKA procedure won't disable the immobiliser (engine stays immobilised and alarm stays activated even when repeatedly trying the correct EKA) I have today helped another p38 owner , As i have now come to the aid of 4 or more P38 owners over the last few years (2 @ ferry ports usually after a very rough crossing) with identical problems, i assume this fault is common to P38 range rovers, This fault usually comes to light when your vehicle is immobilised after a flat battery scenario, disconnection, etc (battery disconnection/ loose battery terminal) but the tel tale signs show up usually well in advance and all originate from the drivers door lock micro switch connector. which seems to comes loose after years of repeated slamming. tele tale's to recognise:-

interior courtesy lights do not illuminate when drivers door opened, message centre does not show drivers door opened , when it is opened ! intermittent clicking from drivers door (usually when surfing speed humps etc ;-)

central locking will not activate or deactivate from drivers door lock. And the worst, vehicle relocks itself even after opening the drivers door and putting key in ignition.(usually when you are not in it) What to do - remove drivers door card, use a torch to illuminate door switch , you will see a black connector attached to door barrel, if you apply pressure to this connection interior lights come on, indicating bad connection , if you are lucky it will simply click back into its seat, if the connector is faulty you can improvise with an elastic band !! good luck

[edit] Lower Tail Gate Latch

Loading up at Costco, I discovered that one side of the rear tailgate wasn't latching properly. After being careful not to accelerate too hard on the way home and leave my supplies of Hobgoblin all over the A33, I popped the latch off and take a look.

To remove the latch you need to unfasten the carpet under trim at the bottom of the tailgate to gain access. Once this is done, unbolt the latch from the side, and disconnect the connector to the latch mechanism in the middle. Once you've done this, you can slowly pull the mechanism out with the long actuator attached. It needs a little pressure to get the green sleeve over the actuator to fit, but it will come out.

Once removed you can undo the small phillips screw and the lock will pop open. There is a circular spring which causes the lock to relock when released by the actuator, and this had slipped loose in mine. A bit of a clean, and a fourth hand to get everything back in place for reassembly, and it's working like new.

[edit] Pressing the button fails to give you a clunk.

Original text supplied by Davidss 17:04, 11 Oct 2006 (BST)

There is no tailgate release button inside the car, although if you are having problems, you might think an internal emergency release is a good idea. Just make sure it cannot be accidentally triggered by something moving within the loadbay.

In the Electrical Troubleshooting Manual on the RAVE CD the circuit is in Section S3, page 8.
To open the tailgate lock you need power on fuse 15, and an earth which normally comes from the RH front door, when that is unlocked. However, that earth also goes via the door outstation. Thus a faulty RH door lock switch, or a broken wire, caught by the window as it lowers, will cause the tailgate lock to be completely disabled.

If you are in a scrapyard, and the outstation is missing, the door card will also be missing / broken, so on the plug that goes into the outstation, short the Black wire to the Green / Red wire. If the door is missing, move to plan B.

Plan B.
Try lifting the RH rear seat, then the carpet, and find the wiring loom.
Positive 12 volts to the Purple wire, and Negative 12 volts to the Green/ Red wire, then press the button.

A portable battery pack is useful to have at a scrapyard in case you need to get something working or running before removing it.
If you are using any high-output battery as your power source, put a high wattage bulb in the positive test lead. The bulb will limit the current if you inadvertantly hit earth, but should allow sufficient current to flow for the lock to operate.

More P38A Pages

Buying - Models - Servicing - Enhancements - Powertrain - EAS Electronics - Brakes - Interior - Exterior - Security - Heating - Manual