My key fob has a light on it that comes on when you push a button…so if that battery were dead I am assuming the light would no longer work. And generally a battery dying in the fob would be slow not suddenly stop working one day. I have a car knowledgeable friend coming over in the morning to take a look. I will try the pb silicone spray recommended earlier before I call the lock smith if he can’t fix it.
Seeing as how a car knowledgeable friend is coming over, the idea of connecting to a starter solenoid terminal might be posed again.
As far as I know, the starter motor is located down low so accessing it should not be a big deal. One would not even need battery jumper cables; or at least the pair. One could use the ground jumper to connect one chassis to another and then a length of small wire with maybe an alligator clip to connect to the solenoid terminal. That would at least keep a bulky battery cable jumper out of the way and prevent arcing to ground.
If the battery is replaced, that would be a good time to thoroughly clean/inspect both cable ends and the junction terminal connector. All electrical power other than the starter motor windings go through the junction terminal so a clean contact is a must.
If the OP tries to connect something to the starter to unlock the car, a battery charger would be the perfect ‘tool’ for this. Don’t try to do anything fancy. Just hook it up and try to unlock the car. If it unlocks, disconnect it immediately and then open the hood and charge the battery properly. The connections at the starter are not meant to be “back-fed” and you risk blowing a fuse or fusible link if you attempt to charge the battery from here or operate other accessories.
Remember, If The Battery Has Been Discharged (As In “Dead Battery”) And You’re Going To Attempt Charging It Rather Than Replacing It, And If The Battery Has Been Sitting In Below Freezing Temperatures, It Will Be Frozen And Will Not Accept A Charge.
The battery or the car and battery will need to be thawed out for some time at a temperature aboving freezing. When it’s ready to charge you should be able to hear the electrolyte inside sloshing a bit when the battery is slightly rocked. It’s the liquid electrolyte that freezes when it loses its charge.
Since the battey was weak prior to this incident then it’s probably in worse shape now. A new replacement makes the most sense.
CSA
The pic shows a lock on trunk lid. Has the OP answered the question? Do u have a trunk lock?
The fact that the battery froze and is unchargable is a good thing - it will not put a “draw” on the externally supplied 12volts- which will supply the power to open the locks electrically. There will always be some draw - clock radio and computer memory etc. Id use a bat charger not another car bat for power.If you accidently screw up the connections the low amps of the charger wont weld the clip to the metal…
Hooking up another power source is a nice neat solution. Thats certainly doable… Breaking a window is effective…but expensive and messy.
Slim Jims are a thing of the past. I personally use my Airbag system to access vehicles that dont want to open w the door locks… NO VEHICLE can keep me out You simply place a wedge in at the top corner of one of the front doors…then insert the deflated air bag…and pump it up…this wedges the door open about an inch or so…then you use the long steel hook to unlock the door on the other side of the car… Ive gotten in to well over 50 locked cars in this manner… The airbag system is available online at locksmith supply stores online…usually the airbag will come with the aforementioned steel rod/hook…its fairly stout too…much thicker than any coat hanger so it gets the job done easily… A MUST HAVE for any mechanic
Id go with the alternate power source first bec you dont have the airbag system… I would use my jump pack in the manner OK44 mentioned…after that…the airbag WILL get you in…without question
Blackbird
@HondaBlackbird I already posted them a link to Steck tools, which clearly shows the airbag system you’re talking about.
I have one of the kits, by the way.
This has no right to work, but maybe…
Can you get to the license plate light/ That might give you enough of an entry point to put 12 volts into the system. You won’t get much current, but you shouldn’t need much to power a lock.
The only problem is if the battery is shorted, then you are SOL.
If you can crawl under the front, manually release the hood, latches vary but usually pulling on this part or that will release the hood, once the hood is open jump the battery and life will be good.
You’ve probably solved the problem by now, but if not, here’s a thought. I have a car with a stubborn driver side door lock, and no fob system. It’s hard to get the key to even slide into the lock, which may not be the problem you are having, but maybe the solution I’ve found will help you anyway. I’ve lubed it of course, but that hasn’t made much difference. What I have found works is this: if I wiggle the key VERTICALLY, sort of rocking the key up and down in the slot while staying within the plane of the key, the key will then slide in and open the lock. It seems to me that one of the little cylindrical things which slide UP and DOWN according to the bumps on the key must be especially stuck, and that vertical motion makes enough difference to let the key move in. Maybe this could at least get you inside to begin solving the other problems. Good luck.
@westernroadtripper On one of my cars, the passenger lock was not used for quite a while and simply would not function. There were five tumblers in the lock and one was frozen so bad that it would not freely function. I simply removed that tumbler and has worked fine for 10 years. It simply means that there are only four tumblers responding to those key bumps instead of five, so easier to pick the lock but its inside and unlocked anyway. Besides who the heck would pick a car lock anyway?
I too hope she got in the car. Can’t believe the motor club wouldn’t be able to do it. By the way, My Pontiac has a trunk lock and a driver door key lock. I tried both of them with the key just to make sure.
mrandy, good thought, but you cant back feed through a circuit thats normally open. must be hot all the time…
40 Limited
So much for my one flash of brilliance for the week.
just wanna share this same experience with you. i have a accord and theres only one key whole for the driver side, one morning battery is dead. i couldnt insert the key to unlock. me being frugal i had to break the grill to get an access so i can unlock the hood directly with the hood latch. once the hood was open icharged the battery to unlock the car, then the key works again to unlock the door manually. that feature is very wrong, i could imagine what if i found my self trap inside a sinking car ofcourse battery will die when car is in water then how are you gonna get out? i dont think theres a way unless your fast enough to get to your trunk and get out from there. anyways id really wanna know what kind of feature is that and if theres anyway to disable it
You use the door handle just like any other time you get out of your car. Also this thread is 6 years old .
I’m off line for a couple weeks but will make an exception. You spend about ten dollars for a tool that breaks the window and also has a blade to cut the belt. I have one in each car and also make good stocking stuffers. Menards has them and others. Also, often lights etc will still work for a while under water but the pressure differential will make it impossible to open the door until fully submerged. I can tell you folks don’t drive on frozen lakes much. Lots of folks have their door partially open when driving on the lake. Of course the object is to keep your car out of the water in the first place
I’ll be buying my first car this summer! I can’t decide on which car to choose. I’ve been researching for months and I seem to change my mind multiple times a day. I’ve been looking at cars with a 20k sticker price or lower. What is the best performing car in this price range? I’ve been looking at mainly the 2014 models for the Mazda 3, Ford Focus sedan, Lancer and Subaru Impreza, all in the lowest trim models. It seems like neither the Lancer or Mazda come with a/c at that trim, which is unfortunate. I would like to test drive all of these vehicles, but that won’t happen likely, until the summer actually arrives. I also want to get a manual. I heard that the Impreza has a “bad” manual gearbox. What would you guys recommend? I’ll be going to university next fall. I’m sure I’ll have to get used to driving an economy car, as I’ve been driving my parents’ cars for the last two and a half years. My mom drives a 2007 Range Rover Sport Supercharged and my Stepdad drives a 2007 Chrysler 300 Limited, both automatic. I don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to driving a wide variety of cars, but I love driving those two.
You have tagged on to an old thread that has nothing to do with buying a vehicle . Since you are going to college you need to learn how to do research anyway . No one on the web can tell you what you should buy and your statement ( I’ll have to get used to driving an economy car ) . I drive an economy car so in your mind that must make me inferior .
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