Thanks for the attempt, Toolman & Speedy4x4, but you haven't really addressed the question I've posed, have you? I'm asking HOW CLOSE the fob has to be to the ignition switch to work. I realize that you need a fob programmed to work with that car to turn the car on. And undoubtedly I do have such a fob, because I can start and drive my car.

What I'm really driving at is whether I should attempt to take both fobs apart and transplant everything from the junkyard fob EXCEPT the transponder. Or would that be a waste of time? It would definitely be a waste of time if I knew the junkyard fob was dead. But does the transponder talk to the circuit board in such a way that the transponder won't work if the circuit board isn't programmed to match?

And one of the questions I'm trying to nail down is why my original remote won't unlock the doors. I installed new batteries. I used the factory service manual procedure to "reprogram" it. And still the buttons don't work. I'd like to confirm that it's actually the remote that's the problem, and not something else wrong with the car (like a bad receiver? can that happen?) before I spend money on a new fob. Or two.

Thomas