# KESSY Antenna Issues



## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Since the day I purchased my car, the keyless entry system hasn't worked. The car won't lock with the little black buttons on the door, nor unlock by touching the handle. I ran a scan of the car today with the following results:

Address 05: Acc/Start Auth. Labels: 3D0-909-13x-05.lbl
Part No SW: 3D0 909 135 M HW: 5WK 470 26
Component: Kessy 6400 
Coding: 0137452
Shop #: WSC 01065 000 00000
VCID: 2F63EF17BD066D1

Part No: XXXXXXXXXXX 
Component: ELV XXXX

7 Faults Found:
00179 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Drivers Side (R134) 
011 - Open Circuit
00180 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Passenger Side (R135) 
011 - Open Circuit
00181 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna (in Rear bumper) (R136) 
011 - Open Circuit
00182 - Luggage Compartment Access/Start Authorization Antenna (R137) 
011 - Open Circuit
00183 - Interior Access/Start Authorization Antenna 1 (R138) 
011 - Open Circuit
00957 - Key 3 
002 - Lower Limit Exceeded
00165 - Switch for Transmission Position P/N 
007 - Short to Ground - Intermittent

I can understand one antenna fault but 5 seems symptomatic of something bigger. I know that the car was involved in a rear end mishap prior to my acquisition (the mishap was not reported on the Carfax...heck). Could something with the rear bumper antenna cause the rest to show a fault? Perhaps a disconnected harness somewhere? Both fuses labeled "Keyless Access" tested good.

Hopefully a KESSY replacement isn't in order, although it would give me an excuse to do the keyless start modification. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
Steven


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

A little searching found this thread:

Keyless Entry Issues (consolidated discussions)

It seems there are two antennas behind the rear bumper. Who knows what I'll find when I'm able to remove the cover.


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Hi Steven,

Most of your DTC's are symptomatic for a defective KESSY. It has happened before to other forum member as well as Touareg owners, who originally found a way to repair the KESSY.
The procedure has been performed by myself some time ago and you can find some details over here:

*Repairing-the-Access-and-Start-Controller-(controller-07)-resolving-antenna-open-circuit-faults*

As far as your other faults are concerned, for instance:


> 00957 - Key 3
> 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded


This merely looks like the battery of your key #3 is drained. This battery is only needed when you use the buttons on your keyfob. The battery is not necessary for keyless access.



> 00165 - Switch for Transmission Position P/N
> 007 - Short to Ground - Intermittent


The origin of this fault is within the transmission shift lever. I think that this fault will occur in just about any Phaeton from time to time. Because it is "Intermittent", there is not yet any need to investigate the cause. It is not related to proper functioning of the door handle buttons anyway.



> I can understand one antenna fault but 5 seems symptomatic of something bigger. I know that the car was involved in a rear end mishap prior to my acquisition (the mishap was not reported on the Carfax...heck). Could something with the rear bumper antenna cause the rest to show a fault? Perhaps a disconnected harness somewhere? Both fuses labeled "Keyless Access" tested good.


It is not impossible that this actually caused a short and then fried your KESSY. But as far as I know, the antenna is located in the lower hatshelf and not in the bumper. Perhaps there are additional antenna's, but I would be hesistant to remove the rear bumper just "to see what can be found there." As far as I know, the only sensors over there are the ultrasonic proximity sensors for parking aid.

When you can solder, then you might as well try to repair the KESSY yourself. It's fun.

Willem


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Willem,
Thanks so much for the reading material. The posts at the Club Touareg were interesting. It sure sounds like a repaired KESSY is in order. Unfortunately, I'm not so great with a soldering iron. I wonder what round trip shipping from the States to the Netherlands would be (plus some extra for time, parts, and beer)...

I'm glad to hear that one can access the KESSY fairly easily without removing the driver's seat.

Best,
Steven


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

Steven,

I've had similar problems to yours since I got my car so as I am having my Kessy replaced on Monday, I will let you know whether it solves the problem.

Nice name by the way!

Best,
Steven


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Steven,
Please let me know how it works out! At this point, I think I'll try to have the KESSY repaired rather than replaced but I may have to eventually go that route.

Cheers,
Steven


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

StevenFT said:


> Unfortunately, I'm not so great with a soldering iron. I wonder what round trip shipping from the States to the Netherlands would be (plus some extra for time, parts, and beer)...


Steven, 
The beer is probably not the most expensive part... Shipment to Netherlands is about $ 20 by mail parcel I guess for 10 day delivery delay and up to $ 70 for priority shipment for next day delivery. But you won't be able to use your car then for a week or 2. :thumbdown:

On the other hand, the repair job itself does not require specific Phaeton knowledge. For instance, just about any radio ham amateur can do it. What he needs to do is just check the fusible resistors at the back of the board for a rock solid 0.3 ohm. If OK, there is less work left. Then replace the two MOSFETS which are about $ 2 each. About 30 minutes of labour for an electronics technician. Then you can put it back in the car yourself, clear the faults of the KESSY with VCDS and test the result. :thumbup:

An alternative, worth pursuing, would be asking a Radioshack staff member to do the repair for you. I suggest to ask to talk to a staff member who is skilled in soldering and knows how to replace electronics components. He won't be happy that you don't have any schematic of the controller (neither do I), but he might be curious and helpful enough to do this simple soldering task for you. If he follows the instructions in the quoted thread, then it can't go wrong I would say. Given the amount of success stories on the Touareg forum, my guess is that this might cost you 50 to 75$ at the most.

One more thing... When you are curious to see what's inside, please be aware that this is an electro-statically sensitive device (ESD). This means that touching the components without ESD protection (i.e. earthed wrist-strap) can destroy components. So please handle the board carefully, i.e. by holding the connector only (which is attached to the PCB). And don't touch the components without this ESD wrist strap. Removing the cover to get to the electronics PCB is a piece of cake.

Willem


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Willem,
I just ordered 4 MOSFETs...a few extra just in case since they were only $1 each. I should be ashamed to admit it but I am a ham radio operator. I've just never been very good doing solder work. Good thing I didn't take up surgery in college.

After doing some research, I found a pretty good electronics guy locally. Hopefully he'll be able to help out. It would really make my day to be able to fix this thing with just a few dollars in parts, a little labor for the soldering, and some time spent doing disassembly. I'm always up to learn something new about the Phaeton.

Cheers,
Steven


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Stage one is complete. The KESSY is out of the car, the MOSFETs have arrived in the mail and the whole thing goes to my electronics guy tomorrow for some minor surgery. I tested the fusible resistors and all checked out ok (as I had hoped). Hopefully I'll have a fully functioning keyless system tomorrow evening.

Thanks to all who provided help!

Steven


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

StevenFT said:


> Stage one is complete. The KESSY is out of the car, the MOSFETs have arrived in the mail and the whole thing goes to my electronics guy tomorrow for some minor surgery. I tested the fusible resistors and all checked out ok (as I had hoped). Hopefully I'll have a fully functioning keyless system tomorrow evening.
> 
> Thanks to all who provided help!
> 
> Steven


Fingers crossed Steven,

Just to sound a note of encouragement, since the replacement Kessy, all is now working perfectly, keyless motoring and I are old friends already, even the radio reception seems better.

Cheers,
Steven


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

I will keep my fingers crossed too. About the antenna's, indeed two of them are located behind the rear bumper as I found on another thread, related to the installation of a trailer hook. 
The antennas are mounted below and about eight inches inboard the tail light assemblies in the rear fenders. The rear bumper cover, covers a substantial beam that goes across the width of the car and the antennas are protected by that as well. 
In this picture, the antenna is the black box near the bottom corner of the trunk opening. As you can see, there is one on each side.








(credit to Michael and 375sig)

As you can see, both antenna's are well buried behind the bumper and additionally protected by a metal casing. A pretty rough collision must have happened to damage the antenna's, so I think it is safe to just replace the MOSFETS of the Kessy first and then see if it works. Removing the bumper is a lot more work than replacing those fets.

Willem


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

I'm happy to report 90% success. After reinstalling the KESSY, I restored power to the car and cleared the fault codes. The keyless access started working! I tried it several times using all four door handles and push buttons including the trunk emblem. All worked just as they should.

To celebrate both my wife's birthday and the fact that the KESSY was working we went out for dinner. Upon our return, I again tried the keyless access and it wasn't working. The only thing that would work was the trunk emblem. I re-scanned for codes and found one: open circuit on the interior antenna. After clearing it, it reappeared so I again cleared it and the keyless access started working once more. I bet if I scan for codes again, that fault will be there. Perhaps I need a new antenna or the connection is loose.

All in all, I'm pleased with the repair so far. $4 as compared to $1000 is still ahead of the game even if I do need to replace the antenna.

Cheers,
Steven


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## Panther427 (May 20, 2012)

Very interesting. My car also has the same basic m.o. key fob works and if I push on the usual emblem to close the trunk it will work. But the rest of the keyless access doesn't work. What is the proper soilder to use on this repair.
Cori


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## Zaphh (Jul 5, 2008)

Hello,

Could a moderator add this thread to the FAQ ?

Thanks,

P.


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Cori,
I would do a VCDS scan first to see what faults are present in the KESSY controller before diving into this repair. If you have multiple antenna faults, then chances are you'll need to replace the MOSFETs. I can't say exactly what my electronics guy used for solder. He had trouble getting the solder on the ground plane to melt to remove the old MOSFETs and had some difficulty with the same solder pads installing the new ones.

There are other possible causes for a lack of keyless entry functionality. A marginal (old) left-side battery will cause the system to fail as the controller likes to see a certain voltage level. Additionally, it is my understanding that if one of the four little black buttons on any of the door handles fail, then the entire system will be inoperable.

I can't say enough about VCDS as a troubleshooting tool. I'm glad that I got it otherwise I'd still be throwing parts at the car without fixing the problem.

Best,
Steven


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## Jxander (Aug 5, 2008)

StevenFT said:


> Cori,
> ..........
> I would do a VCDS scan first to see what faults are present in the KESSY controller before diving
> I can't say enough about VCDS as a troubleshooting tool. I'm glad that I got it otherwise I'd still be throwing parts at the car without fixing the problem.
> ...


Steven:

I agree on VCDS. It's absolutely unbelievable. I'm still a novice with VCDS and the best diagnostics I have done was on my Touareg keyless entry door handles. VCDS led me straight to them as my problem and they were repaired under my CPO warranty. My VW tech was very happy to accept my printed scans and go from there.

I haven't had too many problems with my Phaeton and Touareg. So I have not been forced to learn as much about using VCDS as I would like. I'm not hoping for trouble but I would like to "play" more with VCDS in a non-emergency situation. It just never seems like there is any time to play.  

I also think some Phaeton owners rather than VW techs are becoming the experts on computer-based diagnostics on the Phaeton.

Jim X


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

StevenFT said:


> I'm happy to report 90% success.....


Hi Steven,
First of all, congratulations with your wife's birthday and the 90% success rate of the repair job. It is a bit funny though, that your keyless functions seized to function. On rare occasions, this happens on my car as well. Usually, there is always a plausible explanation, like (second) key left in the car, low battery charge status, things like that.


> The only thing that would work was the trunk emblem


This at least proves that the antenna's behind the bumper are fully functional. No need to remove the bumper! eace:



> I re-scanned for codes and found one: open circuit on the interior antenna.


The interior antenna's function is to recognize your key when you press the START button. The doors have separate antenna's (Left and Right side).



> After clearing it, it reappeared so I again cleared it and the keyless access started working once more.


When you do the diagnostics without engine running or without battery charge maintainer connected to your LH battery, this might happen, I guess.



> What is the proper solder to use on this repair. Cori


Different techniques are possible. The type of solder must be adapted to the technique. And as Steven explained, it is better to first diagnose the problem using VCDS.



> He had trouble getting the solder on the ground plane to melt to remove the old MOSFETs and had some difficulty with the same solder pads installing the new ones


Actually, this job is best done with professional soldering tools, mainly due to the lead-free solder being used here. It has a much higher melting point and with traditional professional tools, it is a PITA. Soldering new parts is even more difficult, with a risk of insufficient bonding or overheating of the component, with a premature death of the FET as result.



> Additionally, it is my understanding that if one of the four little black buttons on any of the door handles fail, then the entire system will be inoperable.


When one of the door handle buttons fails, then only that one will be inoperable. 



> I can't say enough about VCDS as a troubleshooting tool. I'm glad that I got it otherwise I'd still be throwing parts at the car without fixing the problem.


It's great fun indeed and a big money saver!:thumbup:

Willem


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

After a few more drive cycles, I'm still experiencing the same behavior. The keyless entry is great fun to play with in the driveway, but after actually driving the car it stops working. I need to recheck the codes today. I'm sure that I have a fully charged LH battery as I left it on the charger last night. 

Steven (Expoman) mentioned in his recent thread on the same topic that his FM radio reception improved after having his KESSY replaced. I would dare to say that mine had worsened.



WillemBal said:


> Actually, this job is best done with professional soldering tools, mainly due to the lead-free solder being used here. It has a much higher melting point and with traditional professional tools, it is a PITA. Soldering new parts is even more difficult, with a risk of insufficient bonding or overheating of the component, with a premature death of the FET as result.


Willem, your concern about the soldering process gives me pause. My electronics guy is well experienced in board level repair but he did have some trouble. I would expect more faults than just the R138 interior antenna if there was some issue with the new MOSFETs. Could a poor connection on the ground plane cause these symptoms?

My other course of action would be to replace the interior antenna. There's a possibility that it's just a connection but I consider that a long shot. I think remember reading (possibly on the Touareg forum) that someone tested the keyless antennas and found one bad. I image that when the FETs gave up the ghost that they could have taken out an antenna. I've yet to find a part number for the interior antenna to check pricing. I hate to throw parts at the car but if the cost is reasonable, I'd be willing to give it a go.

One last thought. Whilst experimenting with VCDS, I found that adaptation channel 00 will reset the controller to the factory defaults. I had visions of turning the car into a 2 and a half ton paperweight so I left things alone. Is it possible that the KESSY needs to be "rebooted" so to speak?

The saga continues,
Steven


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

StevenFT said:


> Steven (Expoman) mentioned in his recent thread on the same topic that his FM radio reception improved after having his KESSY replaced. I would dare to say that mine had worsened.


Hi Steven,
I'm not sure that the antenna's are powered by the KESSY. But in my own car, the FM reception becomes very bad as soon as I switch off the ignition. And so does the AM. When in your car there is no difference in AM and FM reception with ignition on/off, then they are simply not powered. If so, I'll see if I can dig up the diagrams about that.



> Willem, your concern about the soldering process gives me pause. My electronics guy is well experienced in board level repair but he did have some trouble. I would expect more faults than just the R138 interior antenna if there was some issue with the new MOSFETs. Could a poor connection on the ground plane cause these symptoms?


So much can have happened to cause a failure. I used And HERE it is explained what makes the difference with a normal soldering iron. I do not say that it can't be done otherwise, but the actual soldering should take as short as possible. I also used a metal tool to hold the piece in place and to drain the heat away from the plastic casing.
Lots of other things may have happened. Wearing wrist strap is vital when working with MOSFETS. These components are extremely sensitive to ESD. A human body easily charges up to a couple of 100 Volts without noticing. The charge is too small to notice, but sufficient to make a component unreliable. 
Or, perhaps your friend was so focussed on soldering the drain on the PCB plane, that he forgot to check the two other pins of the components.


> My other course of action would be to replace the interior antenna. There's a possibility that it's just a connection but I consider that a long shot. I think remember reading (possibly on the Touareg forum) that someone tested the keyless antennas and found one bad. I image that when the FETs gave up the ghost that they could have taken out an antenna. I've yet to find a part number for the interior antenna to check pricing. I hate to throw parts at the car but if the cost is reasonable, I'd be willing to give it a go.


If you know where they are powered, I would remove the antenna connector to see if that solves your keyless access problem. Life can be very simple then. Just to get to the antenna is a bit hard. I think you have to remove a part of the roof trim panel. And to do that, remove pillar C trim panels and more. I seem to remember that even Michael didn't dear to explain how this is done.



> One last thought. Whilst experimenting with VCDS, I found that adaptation channel 00 will reset the controller to the factory defaults. I had visions of turning the car into a 2 and a half ton paperweight so I left things alone. Is it possible that the KESSY needs to be "rebooted" so to speak?


I don't think there is much to adapt, but coding to zero may reset it to factory defaults. I don't think that will be of any help to solve the problem.
Coding is a for a V8, 6 speed with keyless access is 0137452. Please make sure that this is all right.

Willem


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Willem,
As always, I'm most appreciative of your insights and putting up with my ramblings. I'm determined to get this system to work! 

I scanned the car again this evening and found just the one code for an open circuit on the R138 antenna which I think is a promising sign as the KESSY continues to power all the other antennas. If I clear the code twice, the system starts working normally again.

From my research on ELSA and in the Table of Contents, I believe the R138 is located on the forward end of the shifter assembly. Michael's PDF guide for the start button installation shows a pretty good picture. Unfortunately, I don't have the full version of Acrobat so I can't upload the picture I'm referencing. Tomorrow evening's project will be to see if I can't have a look at the antenna.

I'm going to end up doing everything for the start button install except for actually installing the darn thing!

All the best,
Steven


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Steven,
There are three "Access/Start Antenna's. Number 1, 2 and 3 are R138, R139 and R154. So it is best to make sure that R138 is indeed located on the forward end of the shifter as it might as well be located somewhere else.
All of them are "phantom powered", so you should be able to measure a DC voltage on its two lines. VCDS can make this measurement a bit difficult, as it will probably shut down the power to a faulty component, to prevent further damage.

Your FM/AM radio reception antenna is not powered by the KESSY. There is an R11 antenna with phantom powered R24 amplifier, powered by J523, the Front Information Display etc. So your poor radio reception is not related to KESSY problems at all. Perhaps you can diagnose the J523 for antenna faults. (Address #47).
Good luck!:thumbup:
Willem


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

I'm curious about the radio reception - mine is not very sensitive on FM, but doesn't change when I switch the ignition, at least not using the keyless button. Deep press to stop the engine and leave the radio running, second less deep press to unlock the doors and turn off the radio.

Is there another 'ignition off and leave radio on' sequence?

Chris


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Chris,
You can test the amplifier operation by:


Get in car, then turn on radio.
Switch to AM
Test your pre-selected stations one by one and determine the quality of each.
Now switch on the ignition.
Observe the difference in reception of each station.


You SHOULD hear a noticeable difference unless your car is parked near to the broadcasting antenna of the radio station.
In my car, at least one FM station also suffers severe degradation in signal (just noise) while others remain the same.

When you don't hear any difference in AM reception quality, I would say that the R24 amplifier is not powered properly or defective.

Willem


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

WillemBal said:


> Steven,
> There are three "Access/Start Antenna's. Number 1, 2 and 3 are R138, R139 and R154. So it is best to make sure that R138 is indeed located on the forward end of the shifter as it might as well be located somewhere else.
> All of them are "phantom powered", so you should be able to measure a DC voltage on its two lines. VCDS can make this measurement a bit difficult, as it will probably shut down the power to a faulty component, to prevent further damage.


It's funny you mentioned phantom power. While using VCDS last night I looked through the measuring blocks for the KESSY. In group 07, the first block is antenna phantom power. The pop-up help balloon states that the value should be either 'on' or "off," however; I don't have anything in that block. The second or third block is something to the effect of reduced antenna range, which VCDS showed to be off. It's good to know that I should be able to read DC voltage at the antenna.

For reference, in the image below number 7 is labeled as the R138 antenna. From reading the removal instructions, it's clear that it's below the forward end of the gear selector assembly. I'll see if I can't pull the picture from Michael's keyless start button instructions.









Image (c) Volkswagen


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

> You can test the amplifier operation by:
> 1. Get in car, the turn on radio.
> 2. Switch to AM
> 3. Test your pre-selected stations one by one and determine the quality of each.
> ...


Thanks Willem... I open the door, get in the car, car is now awake and screen shows weak AM station frequency, turn up volume, hear weak station. Switch on the ignition using the key (first time I ever did that!), steering wheel extends, etc, radio interference appears from the car systems but the AM signal stays the same. Turn the key off and radio goes off too.

I am not exactly sure at what point the radio antenna amp is powered up or down.

Anyway, I don't want to clutter up this KESSY thread!

Chris


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

I managed to pull the R138 antenna this evening. There's not much to it and I measured 7.8 ohms across the two terminals. For the life of me I can't find the thread where someone measured the resistance of several of the antennas.

For anyone interested, the part number is 3D0 909 141E. List price is about $60.

Cheers,
Steven


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Paximus said:


> Thanks Willem... I open the door, get in the car, car is now awake and screen shows weak AM station frequency, turn up volume, hear weak station. Switch on the ignition using the key (first time I ever did that!), steering wheel extends, etc, radio interference appears from the car systems but the AM signal stays the same. Turn the key off and radio goes off too.


Hi Chris,

I think this is a valuable thread about the antenna's and aerials of the Phaeton. There is a lot of supporting information in this particular SSP (self study program/guide):
*Self Study Program 273: Convenience & Safety Electronics, Including KESSY antenna & AM/FM/GSM/Satnav/GPS antenna locations and a lot more*

The AM/FM etc. antenna's seem to be referred to as "aerials", perhaps to distinguish them from the short-range antenna's for access and start purposes.

As far as our experiment with the AM reception is concerned, I tried again last evening, but had my VCDS connected all the time. There was no difference in reception quality then, it was just good, except when I entered measuring blocks, which introduced some ticking interference.
With VCDS disconnected, the aerial amp seems to function only when the ignition is on (steering wheel popped out).
I also noticed that the screen may be lit (welcome screen etc.) while the ignition is off, and reception is still bad then. I conclude that the aerial amps are only powered when the ignition is on.

Since you live in England, you may be able to try to receive "Heusweiler" in Germany, near Saarbrücken. With 400 kW, it is one of the strongest stations in Europe. When I tune in at 1422 kHz, it is inaudible when the ignition is off, but comes to live when ignition is switched on (I use the keyless button, btw). Quite good SNR, with a faint Mexican dog.

If your aerial amp and connections are OK, its reception in the UK should be similar as here in NL.

The aerial assemblies in the back of the car, are described in the SSP above. There are several versions, depending on type and presence of a TV tuner etc. They have splitters, to provide connections for various consumers, like phone, satnav, FM/AM etc.
At the side of the Infotainment control system, there are two coax connectors at the back.
It looks like your problem is related to a non-functional amplifier in the aerial assembly. A new project, perhaps?

Willem


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

StevenFT said:


> I managed to pull the R138 antenna this evening. There's not much to it and I measured 7.8 ohms across the two terminals. For the life of me I can't find the thread where someone measured the resistance of several of the antennas.
> For anyone interested, the part number is 3D0 909 141E. List price is about $60.


It is better to leave it out then. Such a low resistance pulls too much power, possibly resulting in power failure to the other antenna's and in the end, toasting the MOSFETS.
I think that when you leave it out until you get a new one, most of the keyless functions are back to normal, despite a persisting DTC of the R138 antenna.

Willem


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

WillemBal said:


> It is better to leave it out then. Such a low resistance pulls too much power, possibly resulting in power failure to the other antenna's and in the end, toasting the MOSFETS.
> I think that when you leave it out until you get a new one, most of the keyless functions are back to normal, despite a persisting DTC of the R138 antenna.
> 
> Willem


Willem,

I think you have earned the title of "King Kessy"!

Best,
Steven


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## EnglishPhaeton (Dec 6, 2010)

Expoman said:


> Willem,
> 
> I think you have earned the title of "King Kessy"!
> 
> ...


Steven,

I see Willem, (combined with Harry, and increasingly, Chris) as a kind of Euro version of our "Goliath-al" mentor Michael. 

Stu

(shame he's Dutch)!!! Just joking Willem


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Expoman said:


> Willem,
> I think you have earned the title of "King Kessy"!
> Best,
> Steven


I am deeply touched....



EnglishPhaeton said:


> Steven,
> 
> I see Willem, (combined with Harry, and increasingly, Chris) as a kind of Euro version of our "Goliath-al" mentor Michael.
> Stu
> ...


God save the Euro!


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

EnglishPhaeton said:


> Steven,
> 
> I see Willem, (combined with Harry, and increasingly, Chris) as a kind of Euro version of our "Goliath-al" mentor Michael.
> 
> ...


Stu,

I entirely agree, Chris has very much emerged onto the scene over the recent months with some very technical answers. In all fairness Stu, you shouldn't hide your light under a bushel either......

Best,
Steven


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

WillemBal said:


> I am deeply touched....
> 
> 
> 
> God save the Euro!


Willem,

It is more and more beginning to appear that God is going to be required to save the Euro! 

It's a shame we don't have a crown for you, possibly made out of Solder wire, that would be fitting!

Have a good summer,

Best,
Steven


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Learning to speak _Phaeton_ from such fine confréres as you is far more rewarding than all the work on my screen...

CB


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Expoman said:


> Willem,
> It is more and more beginning to appear that God is going to be required to save the Euro!
> It's a shame we don't have a crown for you, possibly made out of Solder wire, that would be fitting!
> Have a good summer,
> ...


I know a country with a national hymn which can, with a slight modification, well be used for many purposes, among which topping off the above ceremony:










:laugh:


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Well, the last but one King William we had was Dutch, so if there's a vacancy we'll let you know!


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

WillemBal said:


> I know a country with a national hymn which can, with a slight modification, well be used for many purposes, among which topping off the above ceremony:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A fine addition to the ceremonial process!

Long live the King............


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

An update:
I received the new antenna and measured the same resistance on the new one as the old.

I checked the continuity of the two wires going from the KESSY to the R138 antenna. Both wires checked ok. It took me awhile to figure out the numbering of the pins on the T81k connector. I'll give VW the benefit of the doubt that they did put them in right place and the system they used made sense to them.

As I had some spare MOSFETs left over, I had a real electronics guy have a go at replacing them. I checked everything I could find on the board that looked like a fusible resistor. All were ok.

I put everything back together with the new antenna and got the same result...open circuit on the R138 antenna. I checked for DC voltage at the antenna connector and didn't get anything significant.

It looks at though if I want this thing to work I need a new KESSY.

Steven


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

OK, don't start calling me "Mr. messy Kessy" now.
I *think* there is a fix for this situation. From what I understand of your description of the fault is that everything works after you have cleared the fault. Then, after some driving the Kessy seizes to function with again a 00183 Antenna fault when you scan with VCDS. Clearing that one makes the Kessy functional again, for another limited time period.

It appears that this issue is experienced by Touareg Kessy adventurers as well. One forum member noticed that the R138 antenna fault "disables" the keyless functions. To quote his observation:

_"I found that disconnecting the front antenna in the center console stops code R138 from showing. R138 seems to be the "disabling" code."_

So the fix is simple. Disconnect R138 antenna and the DTC should not appear again, at least not while driving. Your other antenna's take over full functionality, as the range between your key and any antenna in the car is only very small.

The DTC then will only be generated when you make a scan, not while driving. So if you see this fault after you have made a scan, then simply clear the faults, do not re-scan, close controller and VCDS, which will give you full functionality of your keyless functions.


If you want to read more about this, see *this post*

Willem


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Well, after contacting the nearest Phaeton qualified dealer I decided to take one more go at the KESSY as unhooking the R138 antenna didn't solve the problem. 

I double checked the six "usual suspect" resistors. All were still ok. Using the Access/Start control module wiring diagram which details the connections to the controller, I measured the resistance across several of the antenna connection pins. The R138 antenna connects at pins 25 and 28. I measured approximately 10k ohms. I also measured the R137 pins (44 and 45) to be less than one ohm. The same measurement for R139 on pins (26 and 27). 

Something is definitely different in the circuitry for the R138. I've been trying to follow the traces on the board but it's tedious to say the least without a diagram of the internals of the controller. I'm planning on spending some more time with it tonight. 

Perhaps this is Quixotic in nature. When I approached my wife about having the dealer replace it, she asked "is it really worth that much money to be able to open the doors without using the key?" 

I checked with a rebuilder of automotive electronics modules and they could do it for about half the cost of the dealer, however; the available information about them didn't inspire confidence. Ideally I'd buy the module from my VW parts source, install it myself in the dealer parking lot and have them program it thus saving the labor for the install. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't go for that seeing as how they didn't install the thing themselves (and would have to push the car into a bay). 

Cheers, 
Steven


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

StevenFT said:


> ....Using the Access/Start control module wiring diagram which details the connections to the controller, I measured the resistance across several of the antenna connection pins. The R138 antenna connects at pins 25 and 28. I measured approximately 10k ohms. I also measured the R137 pins (44 and 45) to be less than one ohm. The same measurement for R139 on pins (26 and 27).
> Something is definitely different in the circuitry for the R138.....


 Hi Steven, 

Something is puzzling in your observations.  The first time you measured R138, it was 8 ohms and now it is 10k? I'm not sure whether you measured on the antenna terminals (Kessy disconnected) or on the corresponding pins of the Kessy. 
It is necessary to reverse the polarity of your test pins on every component you are testing, to see if this makes any difference. Diodes in the circuit can cause different readings when the polarity is reversed, so it is very likely that you DO see different ohm readings, depending on polarity of the ohm meter. 
And is your DMM equipped with a diode test setting? The test voltage is then cranked up a bit, and the reading then is in Volts. This is easier to identify diodes in a circuit and to test them. Reversing the polarity will give a different reading as well, at least when diodes are in the circuit. 

It will be interesting to see what differences you see between the access antenna's. 

Willem


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Willem, 
Sorry for the confusion...it made sense in my head but less so when written out. I measured the R138 antenna itself to be approximately 8 ohms. 

Measuring the resistance of the the two terminals (pins 25 and 28) on the KESSY itself yielded a value of approximately 10k ohms. For comparison, I measured the resistance across the appropriate pins for antennas that do not generate fault codes and found it to be less than 1 ohm. 

I did not try reversing polarity nor did I try the diode setting. That'll be on the docket for tonight. 

As always, I'm most appreciate of your insight. 

Best, 
Steven


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

Steven, 

Every post I read in your quest to sort your KESSY makes the money I shelled out to replace mine seem less painful!!! 

Good luck, I hope it gets resolved soon, 

All best, 
Steven


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Steven, 
I'm glad something productive is coming from my series of posts. In the process, I have learned a bit about electronics so I imagine I can count that as productive as well. 

I think I'm at the point where I break down and replace the darn thing. The combination of cost and time involved getting the car to a Phaeton-trained dealer have been my motivation to keep pushing on. If one or the other had been less, I'd have had it in to the shop a week or two ago. 

I've spent some time with my electronics guy during the past two days going through the board component by component trying to pinpoint a failure. I've found that the resistors are generally ok but there are half a dozen diodes that are suspect. When reverse-biased, they show approximately 1 volt. 

Cheers, 
Steven


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

StevenFT said:


> Steven,
> 
> I think I'm at the point where I break down and replace the darn thing. The combination of cost and time involved getting the car to a Phaeton-trained dealer have been my motivation to keep pushing on. If one or the other had been less, I'd have had it in to the shop a week or two ago.
> 
> ...


 Hi Steven, 

I guess much depends upon how enjoyable you find this deductive process - I wouldn't - and I am a duffer when it comes to electrics so it was never on the cards for me to attempt. 

Of course if I had been driving through the Netherlands in the kingdom of King Kessy.......... 

I'm sure his highness will offer his thoughts on the reverse biased values shortly. 

KBO as Churchill used to say... 

All best, 
Steven


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Expoman said:


> I'm sure his highness will offer his thoughts on the reverse biased values shortly.


 I'm sure his highness beats his head against his desk whenever he sees another one of my posts!


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Stephen, 

Bite the bullet and go to your dealer to have it fixed!


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

WillemBal said:


> Stephen,
> 
> Bite the bullet and go to your dealer to have it fixed!


 Blimey Willem, 

I hope Steven hasn't decided to "end it all" after his final hope has disappeared!:laugh: 

Let's just hope he is not a Yorkshireman - the thought of laying out all that brass.............. 

All best, 
Steven


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

"KESSY" lists at £338.40 + tax, which is not trivial but still a lot less than some controllers. I guess most of the costs are the labour for hooking up to VW HQ to reprogram the security keys [edit - I mean the embedded coding keys in the controllers, as well as the physical door keys]. 

Chris


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Expoman said:


> Blimey Willem,
> I hope Steven hasn't decided to "end it all" after his final hope has disappeared!:laugh:
> Let's just hope he is not a Yorkshireman - the thought of laying out all that brass..............
> All best,
> Steven


Steven,
I think that Stephen realizes that there is not so much hope left. The only hope I can see, which is the reason to recommend to go to the dealer, is that the dealer finds another cause, previously overlooked. Perhaps some other component is defective, and there is some hope that the Guided Fault Finding function of the dealer’s VAS system points into the direction of the real cause of the problem. It sure is not impossible that the KESSY has some other defects and that it DOES need replacement. But I don’t think that much brass can be saved by buying the KESSY somewhere else, because there is some risk that the dealer will refuse to program it. Or charge double because of the “extra work”, in other words, a Yorkshireman surcharge.
Perhaps the most important reason to ask the dealer to handle it, is that what originally started as a fun job, appears to have turned into a nuisance. Then the answer to this question:


> I'm planning on spending some more time with it tonight….
> When I approached my wife about having the dealer replace it, she asked "is it really worth that much money to be able to open the doors without using the key?"


is more easy to answer. Let there will be hope again.
Willem


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Yes, I've raised the white flag. I have an appointment at the dealer for a replacement in 10 days or so. Although I'm not a Yorkshireman, it pains me about as much, however; my long term plans for the car include the keyless start button and I don't think it will work if the KESSY isn't 100%.

I'll report back on my results!

Cheers,
Steven


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

StevenFT said:


> Yes, I've raised the white flag. I have an appointment at the dealer for a replacement in 10 days or so. Although I'm not a Yorkshireman, it pains me about as much, however; my long term plans for the car include the keyless start button and I don't think it will work if the KESSY isn't 100%.
> 
> I'll report back on my results!
> 
> ...


Steven,

There is, without question, a frisson of pleasure for me every time I approach the car and it unlocks automatically - another follows very shortly afterwards when I place my foot on the brake and press the stat button.

Women do not understand these things - my wife questions this with me in exactly the same way.

I am passed my mid-fifties - I need as many instances of frisson that I can get!

As Willem wrote, i think you are wise to surrender - the fact that my dealer said that to get the new Kessy all working was the most complicated thing they have ever don on a VW gives some indication of what you are up against - they were on the phone the best part of 3 hours with VW Paris!

Still well done, Quitters never win and all that................

Cheers,
Steven


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

An update to my continuing saga:
I had the car in to the dealer several weeks ago to have them replace the KESSY module. When they brought the car round from the back, I tried the keyless entry functions and got the same result as before. The trunk will open via the push-button VW emblem, however; the doors will not unlock or lock using the keyless functions.

I left the car with them and they agreed to look into it some more. The next day, they called to say that they had it working. According to the service adviser, it was a software setting that needed to be changed. I asked them to take the car for a drive cycle and see if it worked afterwards. They called back and said that, no it was not working. This is consistent with the behavior I have observed previously. I asked that they spend more time troubleshooting which they agreed to do at a reduced labor rate.

The technician found faults for the R138 interior antenna and the R136 rear antenna behind the bumper cover. The explanation I was given was that the antennas were picking up noise or static I told them that I had replaced the R138 antenna and had checked the wiring, finding it satisfactory. The technician confirmed my findings on the R138 antenna and found the resistance on the R136 antenna to be too high. They recommended replacing the two individual antennas that constitute the R136. I did this myself this afternoon and it didn't solve the problem. VCDS reports open circuit faults on both the R138 and R136 antenna after either going through a drive cycle or scanning the KESSY controller. If I clear the codes and leave it alone --no driving or rescanning-- the keyless access will work.

I'll make one last plea for help and wisdom before I give up. What could possibly be causing these faults? Why does the trunk work when nothing else does? There are no other non-intermittent codes on other controllers.

Cheers,
Steven


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

StevenFT said:


> I had the car in to the dealer several weeks ago to have them replace the KESSY module.


But they didn't replace it after all?



> According to the service adviser, it was a software setting that needed to be changed.


Perhaps the technician was referring to "coding"? Your original coding was 0137452. When a controller is not responding well, it can be restored to factory settings by entering the same code again and then press "Do it!" This defaults all previous adaptations (beeps and whistles, door locking and unlocking behaviour etc.) to factory standards. When your dealer tried this, and all suspect antenna's were already replaced, then a new Kessy is the only way to glory. 

Willem


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Archival Note: *Related discussions, listed in Forum TOC - 

Repairing the Access and Start Controller (controller 07) - resolving antenna 'open circuit' faults

Kessy and Keyless Access discussion

Michael


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Willem,
Yes, they did replace the KESSY with a new one. I replaced the rear antennas myself with new ones. I was absolutely sure that a new module would fix the problem...so much so that I was willing to lay out the cash to have it done. I will try recoding it with the original coding this evening and hopefully will have a chance to check the wiring from the rear antennas to the KESSY connector this weekend. I'm going to need some long multimeter leads!

Steven


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## Expoman (May 15, 2011)

Hi Steven,

Sorry to hear that this is still unsolved.

I have no specific wisdom to offer as to cause but the comment of my Phaeton tech after he replaced my Kessy comes back to me: "It took us almost 3 hours on the phone with VW Paris to code the new Kessy, it was the most complicated thing I have ever done".

In other words, there's a lot of potential for error so maybe insist that they go over it all again.

Good luck,

All best,
Steven


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Steven,
To say that my heart sank when I went to pick up the car the first time doesn't come close to describing how I felt. According to the invoice, it took the technician 3 hours to complete the job. I imagine a lot of that was time on the phone as it only takes 20 minutes to do the physical labor.

The tech spent another two hours troubleshooting the antennas. If I do eventually find the cause of the faults, I bet it'll be something simple but very obscure.

Thanks for the sympathy...

Steven


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

StevenFT said:


> Steven,
> If I do eventually find the cause of the faults, I bet it'll be something simple but very obscure.


Hi Steven,

This is nerve wrecking...But it is also not very good for the reputation of VW not to find the cause of this problem. Perhaps you can ask you dealer to do a little more efforts to find the problem. What they might want to do is to consult higher authorities, accurately describing what they have replaced and tweaked so far. My guess is that there should be at least one expert available (perhaps in Dresden) who has seen this problem before.
Additional details, such as the rather low ohm values you found (and the strangely high readings which the technician found), may help in the problem solving process.

But is looks like the repair job of your original Kessy was done correctly. It is at least as good as the new one!

Willem


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