How I went from 1 sub/valet key to 3 master keys for about $100 (you can do it cheaper)

Let me apologize in advance, this is a wall of text. I'm old, I digest info best with just words... so no photos or video to aid those with short attention span issues, sorry.

This has been a long road, I've seen a lot of bad information, a good bit of confusion in the forums and met with a TON of dumbfound/confused looks/awkward pauses on the phone. So I'm going to try and break this down, all in one thread to Maybe help someone in the future have a better head start on getting whatever their issue my be, resolved. 3 basic sections and I'm going to hit them in order...

Keys

This Should be simple, but there's still confusion out there... even in these forums. There are 2 different keys for the 3rd Gen, all metal which Should be 1996~1998 for all, and (maybe, some) 1999~2000 for the non-Limited ~ basically the vehicles without the Immobilizers. And the metal/plastic transponder keys which made their appearance in 1999. The dealer can cut your keys from VIN, mine even did it for free (even with outside purchased key blanks). The VIN code will work in all locks, unlike the "Valet" key which won't work in some locks like the glovebox. "Valet" has also taken on a different meaning with the Immobilizer, as a substitute for a "sub" key, but I'll get into that later....

I have a '99 Limited, so that's the info I looked up regarding keys:
Toyota Transponder Key TOY43AT4 692062 89785-26020 which has a 4C transponder chip.

They're $30 through the dealer and down to about $5 for a Chinesium knock-off. The OEM's have a nice "soft" rubber feel and some heft, the knock-offs are really light and have that obnoxious hard plastic. I managed to find One ebay seller with an OEM-feel key for $10/shipped. Out of 4 keys bought, one of the cheapest has a bad transponder chip and won't work, so buyer beware (but I also paid the same for 4 as the dealer wanted for 1).

Remotes (aka fobs)

Again, there are 2 options here with 1999 being the first of the "factory" installed vs dealer installed. There are already a LOT of good posts on this, including how to determine which you have, here are just a couple:

1996~1998 only had the "dealer" installed RS3000 which would only lock/unlock doors (no rear window action), info here: http://www.97supraturbo.com/Tech%20s...0Reprogram.pdf

A Toyota TSB on identifying the different systems (pictures of the remotes, FCC info, etc): http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/sn...27_remotes.pdf

Programming instructions : Programming Instructions for keyless entry remote? (NOTE: the 4runner has notorious weak lock actuators, they work better when cold so do it in the early morning and some have had luck using a key to physically assist)

You can change the volume of the "Chirp" ~ keyless entry beep volume

Immobolizer

This is where most of the headaches appear. I mentioned above about "Valet" being used to describe a immobilizer function known as a "sub" key. This is important, because if you have only a "sub" key and you want more keys, you have no great options. How do you know what kind of key you have? Watch the Security light when you put the key in the ignition. If it stays lit for a few seconds, then goes off.. you have a Sub key. If it goes off Immediately, you have a Master key. If it doesn't go off, but your vehicle starts....

There are 2 prevailing myths that I busted. The first is that the dealer can reprogram, and even the techs swear up and down that it's possible... until they try. I spent a few hours at a couple different dealers in the area, letting the techs give it their best and no one could do it. I was pretty confident it wasn't possible since I have their main diagnostic device (Techstream) myself. And the second is that you can just jumper 2 pins on the OBDII port, but this relates to a Later version of the Toyta Immobilizer system. Their first go had them include the immobilizer in with the main ECM (our vehicles), but it was costly to fix the 'all keys lost' issue. So Toyota divorced the 2, gave the immobilizer it's own unit in later models and THAT can be reset with specific voltage changes (I assume with Techstream as well). In any case, these 2 methods do not work on the 3rd gen 4runner.


The fastest is to fork over $100 to an auto locksmith to "clone" your sub key (writing the identifier number from the OEM onto the replacement, vehicle thinks it's the same key ~ they are like Siamese twins). Good if you just want one key and don't care about being able to quickly/cheaply/easily make more. This will take maybe 5 minutes (process time).

Coming in at about $300 and in second place for speed with time estimates from a couple hours to "all day" (with "about a week" for mail order options), you can have a auto locksmith reflash, or 'virgin', your ECM. This will make it act like new and register up to 2 master keys and 1 sub key. I found this service available locally and mail order, but it was too rich for my blood.

And the most expensive option is to buy a brand new unit directly from Toyota at around $1000 (ECM only, no labor). It will also register 2 new Master keys and 1 sub once installed. Up until 2014 Toyota had a program to offer a "free" replacement if you paid the dealers labor to install and program, but it has been canceled. I found the actual reference information, but have lost it again ~ I'll edit if I can find it again.

The rest of this will talk about getting it done DIY, for those of us who will squeeze a penny into a 18 mile long, nanometer diameter thick thread... Credit where it's due, nearly all of the information came from this Instructables post: DIY: Immobilizer Hacking for Lost Keys or Swapped ECU: 9 Steps (with Pictures) (And an alternate link incase the first one vanishes https://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...apped-ecu.html )

Where I deviated was by not having a computer with serial/RS-232 available so I bought a $20 EZP2010 programmer. And after Much frustration, begging for help and generally struggling to get it to work I stumbled upon a post talking about how some chips do not play well when in place (on board programming). Once I removed the chip, it simply worked without any fuss. I did this on a spare ECM I bought specifically for this reason, to use as a test unit. I am a hack when it comes to electronics and component level replacement, but managed to make it work with a basic soldering iron. When I do this again, because I plan on installing my Original ECM back in the vehicle (salvage unit doesn't look as clean, me being picky), I'm going to hire a pro with the right tools... found at Any phone/laptop/tablet repair store (tool needed is a hot air solder reflow gun/station/tool, it's designed for just this kind of work).

Knowing what I now know, and my advice for anyone who wants to tackle this, is to buy a programmer like the EZP2010, though there are other options. Take your ECM into a repair sop and ask them to desolder the chip from the board. Then read (save), virgin, and flash the chip. Hand it back and ask them to reattach it to the board. You could Also just buy a replacement chip, they're about $5 shipped, and have it swapped ~ use the zero information on the linked page (at least it worked for me since I didn't have any data to work with). All in, you should be out $50 or less for the cheap keys.

That brings us to programming, and I'm going to again link:

Lost keys with engine imobilizer

I didn't do the part with the door lock and had trouble. Thankfully I got one Master key to program. This allowed me to use Techstream, which was another $15 for a cable and software, to add more keys. Actually, I had to use the software to end the "auto registration", which is where the security light just keeps flashing. I've since added and deleted keys from Techstream a dozen times while futzing with my one key with the bad chip. It's worth pointing out that ANY key can be made a master or a sub, and then swapped, and swapped back again. All the immobilizer does is record the transponder number and flag it as Master/Sub, nothing happens to the key itself. So, if you only have 1 key, a Sub, and virgin the ECM, you can make that key a Master. Even if it's an Actual Valet key (won't open glovebox), it can be a Master key and used to program other keys.

For the sake of being complete, if you have a Master key, you can program more keys with a little song and dance on the throttle and brake pedals: Programming instructions for blank Transponder keys/chip keys for OEM toyota ignition


If any of you reading this, and in need, are in Georgia or eastern Alabama, I'll gladly help, let you use my programmer, and/or Techstream setup. I'm about half-way between Atlanta and Auburn just off I85. If anyone wants a "virgin" chip, I'll do it for no cost (you get me the chip and pay shipping back to you).

Ugh, I'm just so Happy to finally have more than 1 very worn, dog-chewed key.