ignition fob , wet

[wanderingbob]

Did ya ever wonder what might happen if your Ram CTD fob got wet ?
I put mine thru a wash and then dry cycle . Not only did it come out clean and dry but it still works . Maybe I should check my pockets a little better !

[wq93]

Your biggest concern is if your water (or the laundry detergent) left any residue behind, a little mildly conductive residue in the wrong place will render it useless. At the very least remove and replace the battery with a new one because the seals may have been compromised by the wash/dry cycle.

Shortly after I purchased my new Cadillac CTS in 2008 I did a 1,000 mile oil change and then realized the key fob went through the wash along with my dirty oil change clothes. I caught it before the dryer, removed the battery, sprayed the insides down with WD40 (it is a water displacer and makes a fairly good cleaner), and then wiped the WD40 off. I put in a new battery and the fob was still working fine when I traded in the car 6 years later.

I am not familiar with whether your Ram uses remote keyless entry with proximity sensing and/or keyless start but if it does I would keep your other fob with you for awhile to avoid potentially being stuck somewhere.

[RandACampin]

wnjj wrote:

mtofell1 wrote:
I once washed and dried and SD card and amazingly all of the data was still intact and just fine. I was really amazed it could stand up to the heat of the dryer.

Google says dryers are around 135 degrees. Commercial grade IC's operate up to 185 degrees and well over that for industrial grade (250+). They could survive even hotter temperatures when powered off. The dryer is a piece of cake.

Its not the heat, the banging around is not good for it. Not to mention high amounts of static electricity (ESD).

[wnjj]

mtofell1 wrote:
I once washed and dried and SD card and amazingly all of the data was still intact and just fine. I was really amazed it could stand up to the heat of the dryer.

Google says dryers are around 135 degrees. Commercial grade IC's operate up to 185 degrees and well over that for industrial grade (250+). They could survive even hotter temperatures when powered off. The dryer is a piece of cake.

[FireRob]

I tipped over my kayak with my keys in my pocket. After a few mins of swimming around I realized what I had in my pocket and threw it in a compartment that was also unknowingly filled with water. Key fob was probably submerged for over and hour. When it was time to drive home the push button wouldn't work saying key fob not in the vehicle. I remembered reading in the manual that said if the key fob battery ever dies to use the key fob to push the start button on the truck. Did this and truck started up but I had to deal with the annoying message about the key fob has left the vehicle. Once I got home I disassembled the fob over night to air out and the next day worked as good as usual. Still use the same fob and that was a few months ago this happened.

[mtofell1]

I once washed and dried and SD card and amazingly all of the data was still intact and just fine. I was really amazed it could stand up to the heat of the dryer.

[Farmerjon]

I just read about companies that have sent teams to Texas to take care of wet cell phones. They use a vacuum low heat drying method but like Scottg said you need to do it right away or you may have problems later. Good luck

[Bedlam]

Dropping the damp electronics into uncooked rice will also work like desiccant and wick away moisture. Removing the battery while damp will prevent any shorting from causing damage.

[ScottG]

I am a retired EE who repaired aircraft systemds. If you do wash it (as I have done several times...) the best thing to do is take the electronc board out shell right away and put it in the oven. Heat the oven up to about 120~130 degrees, shut it off and leave the fob in it. This will dry it out in a safe but quick manor. You could also use a desicant like they use on phones but this system works faster and stops corrosion and dendritic growth.
I dried out many sub-assemblies form aircraft that were drowned with this prescribed method and never had a problem.

[p220sigman]

Hopefully you got lucky. I washed mine for our Sienna and it worked for a while, but then quit and I had to replace it. Fortunately, this was before the combo key/fob so replacements weren't too bad.

[cmeade]

Salesman said a replacement fob for DW 2016 Honda Civic is $750 so I hope we can avoid "testing" its water resistance!!!

[toedtoes]

Good to know. I suspect that as with many electronic things, the important part is not testing it out until it is absolutely and completely dry. Glad you didn't have to buy a new one.