I am a complete newb to this forum so please forgive me if this is a newb question. I just bought a 1998 4runner and it just came with a key. Did all of the 4runners come with keyless entry or was it a option? Just wanted to know if I just needed to buy a new fob and program it or would it be more involved.
Thanks for any help on this.

 

Check under your drivers seats if you have the brain or your you could go to the dealer and give your vin #.

Sent from my MB865 using YotaTech

 

I checked under the seat and behind the drivers side kick panel and saw nothing any other ideas. Anyone have the same model that could tell me where the control box would be located.

 

Maybe this will help:
https://www.yotatech.com/vindecoder.php

 

The VIN is irelevant, because there was no FACTORY keyless entry in '98. That started in '99. There was only the RS3000 Alarm system that included keyless entry installed as a dealer or port option.

That being the case, if there is no alarm LED in the dash of a '98, there is no alarm thus no keyless entry. I base this on these two documents:

http://www.parksoffroad.com/tacomamo.../alarminfo.htm

 

I have a 98 Limited and it does have the V.I.P.M. -ES300 security system

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TheDurk, the OP asked "did all 4Runners come with keyless entry or was it a option"? How would using the VIN not answer part 1 of his question? Doesn't the VIN yield the set-up from the factory?

Clearly, they did not all come with factory keyless entry as you kindly point out.

 

I am thinking after looking and doing some research that mine never had the option. This leads me to my next question, Anyone have any ideas on what would be involved with a retrofit.

 

Well, I guess it would, but all '98 VIN's will come up as 'no keyless entry' as it was ONLY installed as part of the dealer/port option alarm system. You only need the year to know it did not have it from the factory, so the VIN is irrelevant for a 1998. That was my point. The VIN obviously won't tell you if it was installed AFTER it left the factory.

The bold statement should be: NO 1998 4Runners had keyless entry from the FACTORY. That is why there are "N/A's" in the 1998 row under Factory Installed in the document I posted.

Yes, it is relevant for '99 up. I was only talking about 1998 (and before), since the OP has a '98. I thought I was clear about that.

 

That said, when I plug in my '99 that uses the factory-type remote on its keyless entry system, the decoder lists all kinds of things but does NOT specify keyless entry. The VIN does not carry ALL the info on the factory build sheet that the dealer has access to. For example, I know for a fact that the VIN does not carry the information as to whether a vehicle was built with California emissions (in 1999 and 2000). You need a dealer to access the build sheet files for that. (The fact I have Cali. emissions does not come up on the decoder, either, confirming this point.) So I suspect that keyless entry falls into the same category. For example, toyodiy.com, which runs off the VIN, mainly shows only the parts actually on my truck, but the Body and Rear Door ECU's are shown in both keyless and standard versions, just as both Cali. and Federal emissions components are shown. The dealer parts system works the same way. Colors, both exterior and interior, are another category not covered by the VIN.