Extending the range of Defender Central Locking

[Josh_WA]

I got sick of the central locking in my 2006 Defender 110. I was having to press the button about 3 or 4 times to lock or unlock and if i was any more than about 5 paces away from the front door it wouldn't work anyway. So i fixed it......

It didn't take too long...approximately 30mins all told.

The tools i used were:

* Leatherman for stripping wire
* Electrical tape
* Straightened coat hanger to hook wires
* 2m length of black 3mm automotive wire
* soldering iron and solder

Step 1

Remove the instrument cluster and put it to the side. The look for the alarm box fitted to the bulkhead below the group of relays. There will be a short orange wire with a grey tracer. this is the antenna wire that needs to be extended to get better range from your central locking.

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/1061/wirelocation.jpg

Step 2

Get your coat hanger and fish the wire out so that you can get to the exposed end, it isnt quite long enough to come out of the dash in a TD5 but in a Puma it will be easiest to get at it through the speaker and might just be able to poke out thru the speaker hole.
http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/6706/endofwire.jpg

Step 3

feed the new wire up into the dash from behind the airconditioner controls so that it can be joined onto the orange and grey wire.

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/138/pokethewire.jpg

Step 4

join the new wire to the old wire, it is a bugger of a job and took the most time.

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/2905/newwire.jpg

Step 5

Unscrew the trim above the drivers door hinge and feed the wire up to the top of the dash. then replace the trim.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1136/trimremoval.png

Step 6

continue feeding the wire up... i found a nice gap in behind the heater controls to put it and then it runs nicely up to the A pillar trim so it stays nice and neat.

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/9562/wiremap.jpg

Step 7

end the wire just below the top of the door trim and strip the insulation from the last 15mm or so of the wire like the original.

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/6850/finishedun.jpg


Now it is finished and your remote should work from at least 20m or so away. Mine worked from 3 houses down the street this afternoon.... the best part is that now you only have to press the button once as it works first time every time.

Enjoy.......

Cheers

Josh

[Bundalene]

Looks like a good mod. On our Puma they have extended this to the top center of the dash, not that the range is much more than earlier Defenders.


Hard to tell but this pic is of a Puma with the dash removed, center between the 2 dash vents. The white wire with a bare end is the aerial for the FOB

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/3269/dscn0378o.jpg (http://img820.imageshack.us/i/dscn0378o.jpg/)

Erich

[Mudnut]

Woo Hoo!! I have a project for the weekend!! One of the best tutorials on the web, as I hate how I have to stand next to the passenger door to get the car to lock, unlock with the remote. :o

Thanks

Ken

[kenleyfred]

Or alternatively look like a dork and simply hold the FOB against your head when activating. Don't know how, but it greatly extends the range.

[87County]

Or alternatively look like a dork and simply hold the FOB against your head when activating. Don't know how, but it greatly extends the range.

......... :D

[chrisandebreg]

would this mod be the same on rr classic as i almost need to be in the car to lock mine?

[Josh_WA]

would this mod be the same on rr classic as i almost need to be in the car to lock mine?

hi mate,

i am not sure but I imagine it would be very similar.... you need to find the control box and it will be fairly obvious which wire is the antenna..... it cant hurt to give it a try.

i have no idea where that would be located in a RRC though.

Cheers

Josh

[TheEntertainer]

What is the range now, front, left, right and rear before attempt mine. Is it the same wire on the td5, i know rtfm... Thanks for the tutorial great work

[numpty]

I will eventually get around to doing this on mine too. I've found remote only works effectively from the side, ie not from front or rear.

[slug_burner]

Good work, you don't need to strip the end of the wire unless you are connecting it to something else as electromagnetic waves go through insulation.

If you don't want to look too conspicuous when extending the range of your fob put it up under your chin touching bone. I think your head acts like a resonant cavity.

[Tetley]

I have used this myself and it works a treat. :))

[TheEntertainer]

Thought....
How would it go if you take it out to the engine bay and connect it to the radio antenna?

[TheEntertainer]

Hi all,
Just did this on my 03 defender, 30 minutes later I tested the range off the drivers side and it has increased from 2m to around 24m, I can walke all the way up to the front pas the 'leader of the opositions' car and the trailer and it still works. Mind you with the wind and all I could just hear it.

Thanks for the DIY in structions.

I did take a shortcut down the back right hand corner and puched the wire straight through.

Great stuff guys.

[mools]

I've been meaning to do this for a while and just got round to doing it today. Now works from miles away, well further than before anyway. Excellent! I ran mine up the pillar and then across the top of the door seal using very thin electronic wire. Quick job, very easy. Reckon the buttons on my remote wont ware out so fast now because I used to press 'em like mad trying to get the thing to work.

Thanks for the excellent instructions Josh.

Ian.

[POD]

Spent the afternoon in the shed doing finicky jobs on my 94 Soft-Dash Classic RR, including this mod. On the Rangie, the antenna wire from the alarm/immobiliser ECU is a coaxial cable with a plug-in connector, same as on the back of a telly. The wire runs up the left-hand A-pillar, which I think is part of the problem when you approach from the right! I put in a longer coax cable, plus extended the exposed section across the top of the windscreen and down the RH A-pillar. Greatly improved response to the fob, although my fob itself is not in perfect nick.

[Mudnut]

Well I finally got around to trying this. Removed the instrument cluster (4 screws). Spotted the orange and grey wire down at the bottom as stated. Used the extension wire as a hook, and pulled it out to where I could work on the end. I then connected the two, and fed the new extension up through the top of the instrument cluster area, and into the front flap area. Then fed it out the side panel where the heater controls are (after loosening three screws). I was then able to feed it up up the pillar after removing the covering and into the roof area. All up took about 15 minutes, and have extended the remote range to at least 10m. Was much easier to do than even I expected. Makes me wonder why they could not do this in the factory? Anyway Thanks for your very useful post.:D

Cheers,
Ken

[nedflanders]

Top job, did this last night, took ten minutes (went straight up the A-pillar and along the roof lining), no longer do I need to be virtually touching the fob to the side of the drivers door to unlock :D

[Leroy_Riding]

Hate to be the guy digging up an old thread. . . but alas I am today. .

anyone know where I will find the antena for the central locking in a 2011/12 puma? the range is pathetic on it also (10meters at best!) would like to do this, though dont want to pull the whole dash out to find the wire if I only ned to remove a single panel.

Leroy

(I searched and found this thread, didnt find a puma specific one, if there is appologies and please link me to it?)

[Witchdoctor]

Just hold the key fob against your head & click

[dingsy]

Just hold the key fob against your head & click

This exactly, works every time!

[Leroy_Riding]

well thats an easy mod then :)
asuming the giant cavity inside my head acts as a ray-dome emitting a stronger signal? ;)

though if i want to not look like im trying to beam up every time I want to lock/unlock my car?

Leroy

[slug_burner]

Just be casual about it. Press the fob under your chin/jaw bone and press the button. No one will be the wiser that you have used your teleporter to get in closer and back within the time it takes to do a mind meld.

[bryco]

I actually saw this busted on myth busters. Apparently it was nothing more than the extra height that made that trick work!

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