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Adding Passive Entry: How-to

I’m planning on doing this, it’s probably the most annoying feature missing from my Grand Cherokee Trailhawk.

That said, I have a ‘21 Built to Serve and it has black, somewhat textured, door handles. Any idea on how to find the appropriate part number for the handles? I guess I could replace all 4 with the the shiny black or just go body color (Bright White), but would like to keep the look if possible

Thanks in advance

To my knowledge, unless they have released them recently, the textured black handles are not available in the PE version.

You would have to choose a different color, or buy whatever color and then just remove the cover from the handles and swap them with yours. You’d need to trim a small hole for the button on your textured handles. The magnet on the PE caps should transfer over to the ones you currently have.

Someone else had looked at doing this, there should be a few posts on it somewhere in the thread that could give you a visual of what you’d need to do.


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To my knowledge, unless they have released them recently, the textured black handles are not available in the PE version.

You would have to choose a different color, or buy whatever color and then just remove the cover from the handles and swap them with yours. You’d need to trim a small hole for the button on your textured handles. The magnet on the PE caps should transfer over to the ones you currently have.

Someone else had looked at doing this, there should be a few posts on it somewhere in the thread that could give you a visual of what you’d need to do.


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Thanks - appreciate the insight. I may just go to body colored door handles instead, just need to get the rear ones as well
 
Thanks - appreciate the insight. I may just go to body colored door handles instead, just need to get the rear ones as well

If you’re gonna go body color let me know…I’m almost positive I have the original handles still from when I had my bighorn that will work on your rear doors (bright white). Otherwise you can get all 4 that work with PE and run the wires to the rear doors as well.


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Don't disassemble the door to check, use an Ohm Meter to trace the wire.

So I tested the continuity of the cables. No problem, both wires and connectors were fine and the connectors are still solidly connected.

So while I was testing the continuity, it occurred to me to check the wire color vs the wiring diagram for this project. I ordered the cable harnesses from Jimmy (which are very high, and I highly recommend btw). And it looks like the label for 11C and 17D might have been reversed on the cable color. I double checked the connector diagram vs what is posted.

So I went ahead and switched it to be the other way and connected everything back together, thinking it would magically work then. No dice. I toggled passive entry off, then on, via the settings in UCONNECT. No luck. So I went back through AlphaOBD and redid all the settings one by one. No luck still. So now I disconnected the battery terminal and will leave it off for a bit, then re-connect and try again.

My next idea is to try the other harness for the passive entry on the passenger side and connect it through as a dummy connection passing the wires through the window just to see if I can get the thing working with the other harness. At this point, I'm not sure what else it could be. I tried different handles, checked connections, confirmed the connector is plugged in (door locks, windows, mirror controls work). What else am I missing?
 
If anybody doesn’t want to spend the money for the entire door harnesses and rear facia harness, and doesn’t feel like building the add on harnesses with the parts, let me know and I can build them for you-
Ybotwhi.jpg
If you are still building these I'd be down for a set for my DT.
 
So I tested the continuity of the cables. No problem, both wires and connectors were fine and the connectors are still solidly connected.

So while I was testing the continuity, it occurred to me to check the wire color vs the wiring diagram for this project. I ordered the cable harnesses from Jimmy (which are very high, and I highly recommend btw). And it looks like the label for 11C and 17D might have been reversed on the cable color. I double checked the connector diagram vs what is posted.

So I went ahead and switched it to be the other way and connected everything back together, thinking it would magically work then. No dice. I toggled passive entry off, then on, via the settings in UCONNECT. No luck. So I went back through AlphaOBD and redid all the settings one by one. No luck still. So now I disconnected the battery terminal and will leave it off for a bit, then re-connect and try again.

My next idea is to try the other harness for the passive entry on the passenger side and connect it through as a dummy connection passing the wires through the window just to see if I can get the thing working with the other harness. At this point, I'm not sure what else it could be. I tried different handles, checked connections, confirmed the connector is plugged in (door locks, windows, mirror controls work). What else am I missing?

I have just the opposite issue, my drivers side works but my passenger side doesn’t. I may try and mess with it again this weekend but bring my drivers side works I’m in no rush. Let me know if you figure it out and I’ll do the same.


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I know you guys are all checking the obvious but don't overlook the handle caps... make sure the small magnets are present... I have seen the proper part number but had them missing...

-=FM45=-
 
I have just the opposite issue, my drivers side works but my passenger side doesn’t. I may try and mess with it again this weekend but bring my drivers side works I’m in no rush. Let me know if you figure it out and I’ll do the same.


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It's working! I got it working! I took everything apart again. Checked the connections, checked the cap to make sure it had the magnet (it did). Rechecked the wiring (Jimmy's harness was correct and matched the diagram). I confirm the locations of the wires, re-seated them again (for like the 5th time), which is how I originally had it. I took out the OBD tool and the gateway bypass, and reconnected the wires back to stock. Plugged everything and... It worked! Jesus Mary and Joseph, I am feeling good now. This was driving me crazy.

I don't know exactly what I did that "fixed" it. I just double checked to make sure everything was connected and it's all working. There was one of the pins I installed that looked a little bent, so I straightened it out. That might have done the trick.

I'm gonna sleep good tonight, thanks again everyone for the tips and support, now I move onto passenger side this weekend and I'm done.

And now before bed, I need to get this damn rubber boot back on. What a pain in the *** that thing is.
 
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ok, I am attempting to do this on my 2022 3500 big horn.
I have the drivers side panel off and jimmy's harnesses (thank you 007).
I have the handle installed, but I am at a loss as to where these wires are to go (which connector). help!!! :)
 
ok, I am attempting to do this on my 2022 3500 big horn.
I have the drivers side panel off and jimmy's harnesses (thank you 007).
I have the handle installed, but I am at a loss as to where these wires are to go (which connector). help!!! :)
Very first post has all the info and pictures.
 
Does anyone know the part number for the male pins used on the rear fascia connector used on the 2021+ models?
 

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I have the tank (green) Built to Serve edition, and realize that the stock textured black handles aren't offered in PE. Couple questions:
- does anyone have experience (and photos!) of swapping a PE handle with the BTS black handle cover, to include drilling a hole for the PE button?
- are Tank and Olive Green the same? (I don't think they are, but wanted to confirm.)
 
Configuring the BCM for passive entry with AlfaOBD.

Grab your SGW bypass and locate the Security Gateway. If you are unfamiliar with its location, it is located up inside the driver’s side footwell, behind where the headlight/parking brake switches are. The below pic shows the module, looking directly up from the floor. It's the black box with 2 connections on it, located right by the green and white star connectors.

*From what I have read, the bypass on the HD's is located behind the instrument panel and is a little more involved to access. Once I can confirm this and possibly get a photo of its location I will update this.

View attachment 62800

Release the connectors from the gateway and plug them into your bypass. That’s all there is to it.

Next, plug your OBD interface into the OBD port, which is located on the bottom edge of panel under the steering column. You should have no issues locating it, as it’s the only exposed connector in that area and will match up with your interface. If you haven’t done so already, set up your OBD interface with your tablet or computer via a Bluetooth or wireless connection.

With your foot off the brake pedal, press the Start/Stop button on the truck 2 times to place the ignition in to “Run”. Do not start the truck, just cycle the ignition to the “Run” position.

Once that is done, we are ready to make the changes in AlfaOBD. I opted not to include photos here since if you follow the steps one at a time you should have no issues. I do have screenshots, so if you need a visual to go along, I can get them added in.

Open up the app on your device and you should see the home screen.

To begin, click on the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi icon and connect to your OBD interface.

Once connected, select the Dodge/Ram icon.

On the first drop down menu choose your vehicle model.

On the 2nd drop down select “Body Computer”.

On the 3rd drop down you will need to select the appropriate BCM for your vehicle. For my 2020 I chose the very last one in the list.

The app should advance to a new screen where you can connect to the body computer. Once connected, it’s time to get in to making the changes needed.

Select the little icon in the bottom right that looks like a car with the hood open.

Select the drop down menu and go all the way to the bottom and select “Car configuration change”.

You should now have 2 additional drop downs below the top one. The top one will still say Car configuration change, and we aren’t going to mess with that one anymore. The next one down, the middle one, is where you are going to begin selecting the items to change.

Take your time and be sure you select the correct one each time as you proceed. To keep things simple, just start at the top and go down the list below, enabling and/or verifying each item as you go.

After selecting a setting to change in the middle drop-down, you will then select the command using the bottom menu. Reference the list below and make your selection based off the setting in bold.

After selecting the command in the bottom menu, hit “start”. The app will first verify the vehicle setting and give you a message indicating its current set state. If its current state is not set to what it shows in bold in the list below, press “start” again and this will make the change. You should get some text at the bottom saying the procedure was completed, however it did not always come up for me. If it doesn’t say it was completed, just hit start again and it will check the current status and tell you what it is. If it’s correct, move on to the next one.

The following list is all the settings you need to change or verify to enable Passive Entry. Each setting name is given, followed by the state it needs to be set to in bold. I made all the changes sequentially without cycling the ignition at all in between and everything worked just fine. Take your time as the full list in the app is long and you can easily scroll past a setting, especially the wireless ones as there are only a few. (The newer version of AlfaOBD allows you to search for a specific setting, so you can begin typing in the search bar and it will start narrowing down the list if you don't want to scroll through everything. Just make sure you keep track of the ones you change as you move down the list)

PASSIVE ENTRY BCM SETTINGS

VehConfig 3 fobik safe enable- YES

VehConfig 3 passive entry present- YES

LIN and Misc fobik safe alert no reply- YES

LIN and Misc fobik safe alert on system fault- YES

LIN and Misc fobik safe alert on search timeout- YES

LIN and Misc fobik safe alert per ignition cycle counter- 2

Wireless AP1 Left front- SMART SWITCH

Wireless AP2 Right front- SMART SWITCH

CustSetMenu 1 passive entry CSM present- YES

Cust.Prog.Features- Passive Entry Unlock All Doors or Approach Door- ENABLED


IMPORTANT NOTE:
With the configuration set as above, if you do not have all the hardware installed (such as the 5th antenna) fobiksafe will not operate as designed and there will be fault codes stored in the rfhub. If you utilize the inside lock button to lock the doors as you exit, whether or not the fob is inside, you will get an alert from fobiksafe and the locks will auto-unlock after closing. There is the small chance you could lock your fob in the truck if you ignore the warning since it doesn't actually know whether the fob is inside or not, and on the 3rd attempt the doors will remain locked. Once everything required for PE is installed, the whole system will function as intended from the factory…alerting you only if it senses a fob left inside the truck so you do not lock yourself out.

Once all the settings have been made you can cycle the ignition back to off. You can also remove the SGW bypass and OBD interface now.

Go ahead and disconnect the battery and let it sit for a bit. Anywhere from 15-30 min should be sufficient. The intent is to ensure the RF Hub re-reads and picks up on the new BCM configuration the next ignition cycle. (Although this may not be totally necessary, it isn't going to hurt anything)

This was initially completed on my '20 Bighorn which had the 8.4 non-nav unit. If you have nav, it may take a bit longer to show up in Uconnect, so don’t freak out if it isn't there right away. Give it a few ignition cycles and everything should show up. The actual passive entry will likely function even before the setting shows up in the menu. You will be able to find the passive entry option in settings, under “doors and locks" on your screen.

If you plan on adding the antenna and wiring to the rear of the truck, refer to the post that pertains to your specific model year.
How long to show up on the 8.4 with nav??
 
2021 Rear Antenna Install

For the 2021 models, there is a new connector utilized for the rear fascia harness. The basic concept of adding wires to it is the same, however the process to do so is a little bit different.

Start by locating the connector, which is in the same location as the 19-20’s, but does not look the same. There is a connector that looks similar to the previous trucks in the general location, but this is for the tail light jumper harness and is not what we are looking for.

View attachment 79426

It may be helpful to remove the connector from the bracket it is clipped to so you can get a little slack and be able to see the release mechanism a little better. I also advise undoing the first clip which retains the harness to the side of the trailer hitch, this will allow you to sit comfortably behind the truck and work on it once it’s unplugged.

Once you are ready to disconnect the harness, refer to the photo below and follow the steps indicated. First, slide the red tab towards the rear. It should only move about ¼” give or take. Next, depress and hold the small serrated black tab. Finally, lift up on the white locking bar which will pivot up and over the connector shell, releasing the fascia harness from the body harness.

View attachment 79427

Once the connector is free and you have room to work, the black cover needs to come off to gain access to the wire-insertion side of the connector. Use a small flathead and carefully lift the little tabs around the cover while working it apart. They are only thin plastic, so be careful.

View attachment 79428

Once the cover is removed, you will be able to see the wire-insertion side of the connector. You will be looking for positions 33 and 34 as indicated in the photo below. Since this truck already has passive entry, it has the factory wiring in these positions. When you look at your connector you will see 2 orange plugs like the other vacant positions.

View attachment 79429

Just like on the 19-20’s, the rubber plugs need to come out before your terminals go in. This is where the ’21 differs again. Looking at the face of the connector as shown below, you will see a small white peg protruding above the green plate. This is connected to the plate that locks the terminal pins into the housing. You will need to insert something small into the opening and slide the peg towards the black housing as indicated in the 2 photos below. It doesn’t move much, but you should feel and/or hear it click slightly once it moves, and also notice the gap on the outside of it goes away.

View attachment 79430

View attachment 79431

Once you have moved the locking plate over, use a de-pinning tool/small paperclip/piece of wire to push the rubber plugs out the other side of the two terminal positions you will be using (circled in red above).

After the plugs are out, simply insert the new pins into the correct position from the wire-insertion side of the connector. (see photo below) The wire from pin 1 on the antenna connector (signal) will go to pin 33 on the rear fascia connector, and the wire from pin 2 on the antenna connector (return) will go to pin 34 on the rear fascia connector. They should only go in one way and will click in place. So if they aren’t going in easily, don’t force them. The seals may be a tight fit, so a small dab of dielectric grease may help them slide in, or you may need to gently pull the pin in all the way from the face side of the connector.

View attachment 79433

Once both are in all the way, you can slide the white peg back over to lock them in place. Then just reinstall everything in reverse order from how you took it out.

Mounting the antenna is the same as it is on the ’19-20 models. Just find a way to secure it in the small cubby on the inside of the bumper behind where the license plate mounts.
Do you happen to know the part number for the male terminal pins used on the rear fascia harness (2021+) as shown above?
 
Do you happen to know the part number for the male terminal pins used on the rear fascia harness (2021+) as shown above?

I don’t, and I don’t see them in the parts list from my phone. @Jimmy07 would you happen to have this info?


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Just completed install on my 2022 2500 Bighorn.
Big thanks to everyone that did the write up and to Jimmy07 for the harnesses.
Did the passenger side first, drivers side was done in about a quarter of the time!!
 
I have the tank (green) Built to Serve edition, and realize that the stock textured black handles aren't offered in PE. Couple questions:
- does anyone have experience (and photos!) of swapping a PE handle with the BTS black handle cover, to include drilling a hole for the PE button?
- are Tank and Olive Green the same? (I don't think they are, but wanted to confirm.)
Tank and olive green are not the same.
 
If anybody doesn’t want to spend the money for the entire door harnesses and rear facia harness, and doesn’t feel like building the add on harnesses with the parts, let me know and I can build them for you-
Ybotwhi.jpg
Hey Jimmy, are you still making these for the 1500's? If so, message me with your costs and how you want me to pay you. Thanks!
 
I got one door done today (and it works!), but I’m having trouble getting the rubber boot back on the large double connector from the door to the body. Am I supposed to put the boot on the connector before I put the connector back into the body, or do I put the connector assembly into the body first, then get the boot over it somehow?

65A6F96E-A198-42DF-AF97-3C37127CF8CD.jpeg
 

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