You might need a locksmith if you wiped out the key information in the BCM. I have no idea why they sent you a programmer with an ESCL, the steering locks are plug-and-play.

 

Dorman 601-037 Steering Column Lock Actuator Compatible with Select Infiniti / Nissan Models (OE FIX) Amazon.com: Dorman 601-037 Steering Column Lock Actuator Compatible with Select Infiniti / Nissan Models (OE FIX) : Automotive

Here’s the Amazon link for it, not sure why it comes with it. The reviews are saying they needed to get it coded by a locksmith or the dealer as well.

 

From what it says in the "Troubleshooting Guide" off Amazon, it looks like the programmer is supposed to configure the lock for whatever car it's installed in by interrogating the car. Maybe that just doesn't work right. Nissan actually recalled all the ESCL's on the '09~'10's and replaced them with "dummy" lock emulators that don't actually lock the wheel, bulletin NTB17-018:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2017/MC-10119190-9999.pdf

The recall has been concluded so that isn't an option for you, but unless there's some reason you really need to lock the wheel, you might have been better off with a $40 emulator than the Dorman lock. If it was me and it's returnable, I'd dump it and get an emulator.

 

That sounds preferable to me actually. Where could I find one of those emulators? And it looks like I would still need to reprogram my keys correct?

 

That sounds preferable to me actually. Where could I find one of those emulators? And it looks like I would still need to reprogram my keys correct?

If the Dorman wiped out the BCM's memory, then yes, you'll need a dealer or a smithy. Like I said, the locks themselves (and lock emulators) are supposed to be plug-and-play, when we get no-starts at the dealership with bad ESCL's we just plug in a "known good" used one to get the car started and into the shop. The ESCL has no part in the I-Key system, that's strictly handled by the BCM. So it's an open question what the Dorman programmer did to your system.

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Would I be able to get my keys reprogrammed with the dorman module inserted today, and when the Emulator arrives just swap the 2? Or should I wait to get the keys reprogrammed until I have the emulator in?

 

I don't think it will matter. Like I said, the OE part doesn't play any active role in the I-Key system other than to lock and unlock the column when the BCM tells it to. So if the Dorman part screwed up your BCM, you really just need to unscrew it. That shouldn't affect anything else.

 

I wonder why my keys wouldn’t work with the new Dorman part even before I used their provided programmer. I’m gonna call a locksmith to reprogram the keys and then swap the new part over when it arrives.

 

I suspect from the instructions that the Dorman is a "multiple application" part that needs to be programmed for the correct communication format for your BCM. If that's true it would be non-working until you "trained" it, so just plugging it in would be no different from having it disconnected.

 

Ahhh, I see. Thank you!

 

 

Just had a mobile locksmith come to my house, he said the keys are programmed to the car and they are on the same frequency, but he doesn’t know why the wireless lock/unlock won’t work and why the car won’t start past ignition.

 

Do you have a red key light in the cluster when the ignition is on? If you do then the smithy is wrong and the keys aren't programmed correctly. On a lot of the old stuff the RKE receiver is outside the BCM and needs to be programmed with a separate algorithm, so that may or may not mean anything. I'd have to look that up. If there's no security lamp then you have a different issue, maybe a brake pedal switch or maybe the Dorman is screwing something up. If you have any kind of code reader, it would be a good idea to at least see what codes are in the ECM (engine).

 

Battery is currently dead, letting it charge up now. I’ll check out the lights on the dash and the OBD when I get some power to the car. All the fuses under the hood seem to be ok, so i’ll keep you updated.

 

I’m not getting that red key symbol.

 

No MIL or e-MIL either, that's hopeful. Maybe your battery was just too run down for the BCM to work right.

 

Battery fully charged, still no start. New brake light switch, no difference. The OBD2 scanner found no issues with any car systems. It’s weird. I feel like the Dorman programmer messed up a computer or something. I may contact their support and see what happens. I hear they’re not that helpful.

 

Try tripping the starter manually and see if it starts, maybe you have a bad starter or IPDM (starter relay).

 

But shouldn’t my keys work to lock/unlock the car and with the ignition wirelessly even if that was the issue?

 

Like I said earlier, the RKE may be a different issue, it has a separate antenna. The I-Keys actually have three different systems inside, a "garage door" FM frequency for the RKE, a GHz frequency for the short range in-car antennas and door requests, and an RFID system that doesn't need any power and only works in the doghouse. The only thing they all have in common is that the signals all go to and through the BCM by various means. So if it starts by way of manually tripping the starter, you'll at least know the BCM isn't preventing it from running, just not telling the IPDM to spin the starter. That will pretty much be proof positive that the Dorman screwed up the BCM.

 

How can I manually trip the starter? It’s a hybrid so i’m not sure exactly what’ll happen.

 

Ignition on and jump the smaller terminal on the starter (solenoid) to the larger one (battery). If it doesn't crank then the starter is bad. IIRC the Altima hybrid has a regular starter, I think only the later hybrids used the traction motor for starting. I'll check that and get back to you. Even with a hybrid, I'm pretty sure the ECM will start the engine when it sees it spinning, but with no ready light, it may shut down immediately on command from the VCM (hybrid controller). Either way you may need a scan from the dealer or someplace with a high-end shop scanner, because after the BCM permits startup, the VCM is ultimately responsible for "ready" status and deciding when to run the engine. Most ordinary scanners won't read either one of those modules.

 

Well, crap, scratch that. Been a long time since I worked on one of those drivetrains. The MG1 hybrid motor is used as the starter, so there's no way to jump it. I don't think you'll be able to sort this out without a scanner which can read all the systems, including the VCM. Find out why there's no Ready light and you'll get to the bottom of it. Hopefully it isn't a flat HV battery, that's a big can of worms.

 

Just had the 2nd locksmith come and check it out, all the antenna signals look good and the keys are in fact programmed to the car. They both couldn’t figure out what the issue was. What other things could I narrow it down to? Did the dorman fry the BCM?

 

I doubt the BCM is "fried" or the smithy's tools wouldn't be able to talk to it. But could the Dorman have altered the configuration? Sure.

Is the Dorman still in there? The first thing you need to do is assume it's directly interfering with the car. Remove it and replace it with an emulator and see if the car wakes up. If not, replace it with a junkyard ESCL and see if it wakes up. If that still doesn't do it, you're going to need a whole car scan with either a Nissan Consult3+ or a high-end shop scanner like a Snap-On Solus which can read from all the systems on the car. Without knowing what systems the Dorman may have affected, you won't get answers any other way.

 

Okay, sounds good. I have an emulator on the way from Ebay so we’ll see how it is when it arrives. I plugged in the old ESCL (the keys would lock/unlock with this plugged in) and I was not getting any key functionality and I couldn’t use the PTS button.

 

If the old ESCL was dead as you suspected, you wouldn't get anything. Chances are anything you get from U-Pullit will have had the recall done and will be a bulletproof dummy, that might prove something.