Dead battery; key stuck in ignition; trickle charger not charging
#31
11-16-2011, 09:59 AM
Sorry to hear about what you are going through. I miss the 993 cable operated and the 996 GT3 which had an emergency release handle inside the passenger door by the fender. In any event, have you tried getting something like this:
http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...LAID=422913444
We used that on a friend's 997 Turbo and it worked. Also, as someone mentioned go with the Optima batteries.
Good luck and let us know how it gets resolved (if not already).
Cheers.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...LAID=422913444
We used that on a friend's 997 Turbo and it worked. Also, as someone mentioned go with the Optima batteries.
Good luck and let us know how it gets resolved (if not already).
Cheers.
#32
11-16-2011, 11:47 AM
Yes you are right it is the fuel cover opener, however, I had a mechanic friend of mine jimmy rig it into the hood with a mechanism that allowed that pull to open the hood. Wish I had taken pictures. It cost me about $500 but it saved me a couple of times. Unbeknownst to me the alternator was not fully working once and another time the voltage regulator went bad. Doesn't help you in this case, but I think the "battery booster" option should work.
#33
11-16-2011, 12:55 PM
Vincy vs German Enginnering The Battery Saga
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...gineering.html
We had this problem some time ago. My wife was very supportive. Here is what she wrote::
<TABLE id=post1558897156 class=tborder border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #333333 1px solid" id=td_post_1558897156 class=alt1><HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #333333; COLOR: #333333" SIZE=1> <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --><TABLE border=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #333333 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #333333 0px solid; BORDER-TOP: #333333 0px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #333333 1px solid" class=alt1 align=right><!-- controls --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Hi Guys, remember Vincy and the ladder. He hung a heavy ladder on the garage wall over my new C6. He put it on my side because he said my vet will be cheaper to repair than his turbo Porsche. You guys supported me and he move the ladder to the wall next to the Porshe. Smart move?
This morning was another typical Vincy day. He couldn’t pop the truck lid to his Porsche using the fob. He figured he needed the other fob. He ran around the house looking for the fob and couldn’t find it. After a long search he found he left it in his car. Wait, this gets better.
He figure this was a security thing. So he tried to remove the key from the ignition. Well, without electric power the key doesn’t come out. Now he can’t close the car door because the window has to come down a little to close, and of course no power no down window.
So he figures it’s time to put a charger on the battery. Well where is the battery, its in the trunk he can’t open. So I told him to look at the owner’s manual, a good idea, but its in the trunk he can’t open. There is no key on the trunk and the inside buttons don’t work without power.
Of course he said he left nothing on in the car, can we believe him on this?
So where to go from here? Can’t get the car out of park so it looks like we have it dragged out of the garage.
I kept quiet as long as I could, this was getting funnier for me by the minute. But finally had to say this is why I drive and American car. He wasn’t amused. This is all 100% true. You gotta love this guy.
Right now we don’t know what is wrong and Vincy assures me it a design problem with the Porsche. Looks to me you have to junk it and buy a new one.
I keep you informed. marysc6
But wait, this keeps getting better. I didn’t get to post this and Vincy continued to work on the problem. He is now a “little annoyed with German engineering and giving me a blow-by-blow description. From his Porsche forum friends he found out:
1. There is no mechanical way to open the trunk to get to the battery.
2. There is a terminal in the fuse box, which is on the drivers side, to put in enough power to open you trunk.
3. He went to buy a battery charger. Well, you know how chargers connect the clamps so they can only be a foot apart or so. There is an accessible positive terminal in the fuse box, but no negative terminal. The closest one is the door striker, too far away to connect with the negative clamp.
4. Right now he is cutting up an extension cord to connect the clamp to the door striker. I’m putting 911 as a speed dial on the phone.
5. He finished the extension core jumper and is still alive. But nothing is happening
6. He is starting to think about drinking again.
7. He figures it must be some blown master fuse. So he is looking for the fuse diagram. Guess what, its in the trunk.
We had this problem some time ago. My wife was very supportive. Here is what she wrote::
<TABLE id=post1558897156 class=tborder border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #333333 1px solid" id=td_post_1558897156 class=alt1><HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #333333; COLOR: #333333" SIZE=1> <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --><TABLE border=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->Hi Guys, remember Vincy and the ladder. He hung a heavy ladder on the garage wall over my new C6. He put it on my side because he said my vet will be cheaper to repair than his turbo Porsche. You guys supported me and he move the ladder to the wall next to the Porshe. Smart move?
This morning was another typical Vincy day. He couldn’t pop the truck lid to his Porsche using the fob. He figured he needed the other fob. He ran around the house looking for the fob and couldn’t find it. After a long search he found he left it in his car. Wait, this gets better.
He figure this was a security thing. So he tried to remove the key from the ignition. Well, without electric power the key doesn’t come out. Now he can’t close the car door because the window has to come down a little to close, and of course no power no down window.
So he figures it’s time to put a charger on the battery. Well where is the battery, its in the trunk he can’t open. So I told him to look at the owner’s manual, a good idea, but its in the trunk he can’t open. There is no key on the trunk and the inside buttons don’t work without power.
Of course he said he left nothing on in the car, can we believe him on this?
So where to go from here? Can’t get the car out of park so it looks like we have it dragged out of the garage.
I kept quiet as long as I could, this was getting funnier for me by the minute. But finally had to say this is why I drive and American car. He wasn’t amused. This is all 100% true. You gotta love this guy.
Right now we don’t know what is wrong and Vincy assures me it a design problem with the Porsche. Looks to me you have to junk it and buy a new one.
I keep you informed. marysc6
But wait, this keeps getting better. I didn’t get to post this and Vincy continued to work on the problem. He is now a “little annoyed with German engineering and giving me a blow-by-blow description. From his Porsche forum friends he found out:
1. There is no mechanical way to open the trunk to get to the battery.
2. There is a terminal in the fuse box, which is on the drivers side, to put in enough power to open you trunk.
3. He went to buy a battery charger. Well, you know how chargers connect the clamps so they can only be a foot apart or so. There is an accessible positive terminal in the fuse box, but no negative terminal. The closest one is the door striker, too far away to connect with the negative clamp.
4. Right now he is cutting up an extension cord to connect the clamp to the door striker. I’m putting 911 as a speed dial on the phone.
5. He finished the extension core jumper and is still alive. But nothing is happening
6. He is starting to think about drinking again.
7. He figures it must be some blown master fuse. So he is looking for the fuse diagram. Guess what, its in the trunk.
8. Now he is talking about going out for jumper cables. Guess what, the only car close enough to jump from is my new Vet. Time to call the divorce lawyer.
9. I’m telling you guys, except for the divorce lawyer part, this is all true. Too bad you can’t sue you spouse. Since my C6 is at risk now its less funny. I figure it’s a 50-50 chance he will get the cables right.
10. I’m thinking about a Power Point presentation on this. I should have taken pictures from the beginning.
I told him 2 days ago to call for service, but that’s like asking him to stop for directions.
To be continued. Marysc6<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- / message --></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #333333 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #333333 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #333333 0px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #333333 1px solid" class=alt2>This morning was another typical Vincy day. He couldn’t pop the truck lid to his Porsche using the fob. He figured he needed the other fob. He ran around the house looking for the fob and couldn’t find it. After a long search he found he left it in his car. Wait, this gets better.
He figure this was a security thing. So he tried to remove the key from the ignition. Well, without electric power the key doesn’t come out. Now he can’t close the car door because the window has to come down a little to close, and of course no power no down window.
So he figures it’s time to put a charger on the battery. Well where is the battery, its in the trunk he can’t open. So I told him to look at the owner’s manual, a good idea, but its in the trunk he can’t open. There is no key on the trunk and the inside buttons don’t work without power.
Of course he said he left nothing on in the car, can we believe him on this?
So where to go from here? Can’t get the car out of park so it looks like we have it dragged out of the garage.
I kept quiet as long as I could, this was getting funnier for me by the minute. But finally had to say this is why I drive and American car. He wasn’t amused. This is all 100% true. You gotta love this guy.
Right now we don’t know what is wrong and Vincy assures me it a design problem with the Porsche. Looks to me you have to junk it and buy a new one.
I keep you informed. marysc6
But wait, this keeps getting better. I didn’t get to post this and Vincy continued to work on the problem. He is now a “little annoyed with German engineering and giving me a blow-by-blow description. From his Porsche forum friends he found out:
1. There is no mechanical way to open the trunk to get to the battery.
2. There is a terminal in the fuse box, which is on the drivers side, to put in enough power to open you trunk.
3. He went to buy a battery charger. Well, you know how chargers connect the clamps so they can only be a foot apart or so. There is an accessible positive terminal in the fuse box, but no negative terminal. The closest one is the door striker, too far away to connect with the negative clamp.
4. Right now he is cutting up an extension cord to connect the clamp to the door striker. I’m putting 911 as a speed dial on the phone.
5. He finished the extension core jumper and is still alive. But nothing is happening
6. He is starting to think about drinking again.
7. He figures it must be some blown master fuse. So he is looking for the fuse diagram. Guess what, its in the trunk.
8. Now he is talking about going out for jumper cables. Guess what, the only car close enough to jump from is my new Vet. Time to call the divorce lawyer.
9. I’m telling you guys, except for the divorce lawyer part, this is all true. Too bad you can’t sue you spouse. Since my C6 is at risk now its less funny. I figure it’s a 50-50 chance he will get the cables right.
10. I’m thinking about a Power Point presentation on this. I should have taken pictures from the beginning.
I told him 2 days ago to call for service, but that’s like asking him to stop for directions.
To be continued. Marysc6<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #333333 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #333333 0px solid; BORDER-TOP: #333333 0px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #333333 1px solid" class=alt1 align=right><!-- controls --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Hi Guys, remember Vincy and the ladder. He hung a heavy ladder on the garage wall over my new C6. He put it on my side because he said my vet will be cheaper to repair than his turbo Porsche. You guys supported me and he move the ladder to the wall next to the Porshe. Smart move?This morning was another typical Vincy day. He couldn’t pop the truck lid to his Porsche using the fob. He figured he needed the other fob. He ran around the house looking for the fob and couldn’t find it. After a long search he found he left it in his car. Wait, this gets better.
He figure this was a security thing. So he tried to remove the key from the ignition. Well, without electric power the key doesn’t come out. Now he can’t close the car door because the window has to come down a little to close, and of course no power no down window.
So he figures it’s time to put a charger on the battery. Well where is the battery, its in the trunk he can’t open. So I told him to look at the owner’s manual, a good idea, but its in the trunk he can’t open. There is no key on the trunk and the inside buttons don’t work without power.
Of course he said he left nothing on in the car, can we believe him on this?
So where to go from here? Can’t get the car out of park so it looks like we have it dragged out of the garage.
I kept quiet as long as I could, this was getting funnier for me by the minute. But finally had to say this is why I drive and American car. He wasn’t amused. This is all 100% true. You gotta love this guy.
Right now we don’t know what is wrong and Vincy assures me it a design problem with the Porsche. Looks to me you have to junk it and buy a new one.
I keep you informed. marysc6
But wait, this keeps getting better. I didn’t get to post this and Vincy continued to work on the problem. He is now a “little annoyed with German engineering and giving me a blow-by-blow description. From his Porsche forum friends he found out:
1. There is no mechanical way to open the trunk to get to the battery.
2. There is a terminal in the fuse box, which is on the drivers side, to put in enough power to open you trunk.
3. He went to buy a battery charger. Well, you know how chargers connect the clamps so they can only be a foot apart or so. There is an accessible positive terminal in the fuse box, but no negative terminal. The closest one is the door striker, too far away to connect with the negative clamp.
4. Right now he is cutting up an extension cord to connect the clamp to the door striker. I’m putting 911 as a speed dial on the phone.
5. He finished the extension core jumper and is still alive. But nothing is happening
6. He is starting to think about drinking again.
7. He figures it must be some blown master fuse. So he is looking for the fuse diagram. Guess what, its in the trunk.
#34
11-16-2011, 03:31 PM
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Posts: 461
Rep Power: 47 
Sorry to hear about what you are going through. I miss the 993 cable operated and the 996 GT3 which had an emergency release handle inside the passenger door by the fender. In any event, have you tried getting something like this:
http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...LAID=422913444
We used that on a friend's 997 Turbo and it worked. Also, as someone mentioned go with the Optima batteries.
Good luck and let us know how it gets resolved (if not already).
Cheers.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...LAID=422913444
We used that on a friend's 997 Turbo and it worked. Also, as someone mentioned go with the Optima batteries.
Good luck and let us know how it gets resolved (if not already).
Cheers.
#35
11-16-2011, 04:34 PM
Plugged it into the cigarette lighter, do not start the car with it as the internal wires may not be able to take the current (we did not try starting the car). It was enough to open the hood though.
As an aside, I am still laughing at the Vincy story. Thanks for that post, priceless :-)
As an aside, I am still laughing at the Vincy story. Thanks for that post, priceless :-)
#36
11-16-2011, 04:38 PM
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Posts: 461
Rep Power: 47 Plugged it into the cigarette lighter, do not start the car with it as the internal wires may not be able to take the current (we did not try starting the car). It was enough to open the hood though.
As an aside, I am still laughing at the Vincy story. Thanks for that post, priceless :-)
As an aside, I am still laughing at the Vincy story. Thanks for that post, priceless :-)
#37
11-19-2011, 11:33 AM
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Posts: 461
Rep Power: 47
This product worked like a charm:
http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...ductId=2253683
Plugged it into cigarette lighter socket, got power to the car immediately. Did not try to start car with it but my stuck key came out of the ignition right away. Pushed the hood release switch on the key to get the hood open. Jump started the 997TT with another car and went driving for 45 minutes. Not sure if the dead battery will hold a charge but plugged the trickle charger back in and will see what happens.
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice, especially 512bb for turning me onto the Schmacher E-charger to solve my dilemma.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...ductId=2253683
Plugged it into cigarette lighter socket, got power to the car immediately. Did not try to start car with it but my stuck key came out of the ignition right away. Pushed the hood release switch on the key to get the hood open. Jump started the 997TT with another car and went driving for 45 minutes. Not sure if the dead battery will hold a charge but plugged the trickle charger back in and will see what happens.
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice, especially 512bb for turning me onto the Schmacher E-charger to solve my dilemma.
#39
11-19-2011, 12:25 PM
Anyone know of a trickle charger that can be hooked up without a wall outlet?
Wondering if one of these cigarette lighter plug in things could be used as a slow draw trickle charger?
Wondering if one of these cigarette lighter plug in things could be used as a slow draw trickle charger?
#40
11-19-2011, 05:08 PM
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Posts: 461
Rep Power: 47
This thing that I bought can be hooked up without a wall outlet. By plugging it into the lighter socket, it's supposed to charge the battery enough in 15-20 minutes to start your car. It does come with an AC adaptor to plug into a standard outlet to recharge the device. It comes fully charged out of the box.
#41
11-21-2011, 07:07 AM
Anyone else thinking they should own this before they have to go find one? Since it comes charged out of the box-any idea if there is a downside to keeping it in the glove box all year round? I actually read that Vincy story on a Corvette forum a while back and this issue haunts me. All I need is for the battery to dies when I am out of "my garage" and your kind of $%#d. I am not handy enough to pull the wheels (have CLs) peel back the wheel well liner and pull the cable.
My local Ace does not have these in the store but will order provided I pay in advance and no returns in open electronic devices unless they are defective and then they will replace.
I have not been able to locate them anywhere but 49.99 seem reasonable given the problem is averts. Anyone else have a better idea as where to pick one up?
My local Ace does not have these in the store but will order provided I pay in advance and no returns in open electronic devices unless they are defective and then they will replace.
I have not been able to locate them anywhere but 49.99 seem reasonable given the problem is averts. Anyone else have a better idea as where to pick one up?
#43
11-21-2011, 07:22 AM
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Posts: 461
Rep Power: 47
Yup, that is the device that I ordered. I called my local Ace store and they ordered it for me without having to pay in advance. The part arrived at the store in 2-3 days and I went there and picked it up.