SKS Fob programming issue - hit limit? Autel AP200?

Hi Folks,

15-year owner of a fantastic 2005 Prius that is now over 325k

So, it happened - we lost one of our SKS Prius fobs. We still have one that came with the car, though, and I've programmed a replacement in the past, so, I figured: no problem.

I ordered 2 new replacement fobs.

I did the chicken dance on the first: no problem - the basic and SKS programming went fine. I'm feeling great.

I tried to program the second: nothing - not even the basic programming. "Dang" I think, "this replacement must be faulty." Luckily, I bought it on Amazon, so I send it back, and get a replacement (let's call it key #3) - this one won't program either. I send it back, and get "key #4" from a different seller: #4 won't program either.

This last time, I notice that the "blinking red light" that occurs during the last step of the basic programming (when you have the new fob inserted into the car) doesn't just blink steady to let you know it's "thinking" - it's blinking in a special series of blinks: "2 blinks, then 3 blinks" over and over for about 2 minutes. Then it goes dark for a second, then it goes back to the steady blink (the normal blink that I've noticed it making when the car is parked. At this point, I waited over 7 minutes sitting in my car hoping this was the "thinking/programming" blink, but it wasn't - just the standard: "hey, you're in the car, and I see you have one working key nearby" blink.

So, it seems there's something out of the ordinary afoot. Doing some searching on Priuschat, I'm now thinking that maybe my Prius has hit the limit of total keys programmed, which I've read is five (we've had 3, maybe a previous owner had 2 of their own?). This would mean I need a more indepth reset than the "chicken dance" will allow.

Anyone have any special knowledge to know if my hunch is true?

and, if it sounds like I've ID'd the issue:

I've been putting off getting that rad Autel AP200 dongle - but I've heard it can do key programming. Does anyone know for sure if the AP200 could handle this kind of a deeper reset/programming of my keys?

Ideally, I'd like to keep the 2 that I have that are working without having to pay again to replace them, and add a third (to keep in the safe for if/when one gets lost/broken), and I'm hoping that the AP200 could handle this, but can't find a thread that verifies this functionality.

If anyone has helpful info, it would be... helpful! And appreciated. Have a stellar day!

 

Cool - this is what I'm hoping to confirm - if we can "forget" them all except for our last original, then hopefully we can just re-add the first replacement fob (the one that works), and then add a new third one as well. Just hoping to hear if the AP200 can do this. When I have some time, I'll see if there's a chicken dance version of the process laid out by anyone.

 

Ok, I have confirmed my first problem:

Digging into the service manual shows that the 2-3 blinking sequence indicates that "the number of registered key codes exceeds the limit"

So, apparently my hunch was correct - there's been too many keys programmed for this Prius - I need to erase all the codes, but keep it set to the original, then reprogram my keys.

But, I still need to see if I can do this by just chicken dancing, or with the AP200.

The manual assumes you have Techstream (the "intelligent tester"). I've never been able to get a Techstream setup going, so I'm hoping I can resolve this particular problem without having to stop and do all of that first (which would req buying an old laptop, cable, etc).