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Found the Vantage with a dead battery this morning. Replaced the key battery to be sure. Is there any way to get in with out the hard key? I only have the crystal fob.
If I can release the hood, I could hook up the battery charger, then be back in business. No luck so far finding the release cable through the grill.
Am I out of luck, needing a locksmith at this point?
Actually, I think that it is the right front wheel but check that to be certain. I think that there is a terminal in there that is accessible. In my case, I installed a line from the battery terminal under the hood to just behind the front grill. That makes and excellent place to plug in my battery tender and in the event that I too should have a battery failure this line would allow for a 12 volt hook up to allow the doors to open.
Actually, I think that it is the right front wheel but check that to be certain. I think that there is a terminal in there that is accessible. In my case, I installed a line from the battery terminal under the hood to just behind the front grill. That makes and excellent place to plug in my battery tender and in the event that I too should have a battery failure this line would allow for a 12 volt hook up to allow the doors to open.
i was referring to the hood latch release cable that the OP mentioned.
Could you get the car up on jack stands to access the starter motor and hook up a charger to the main power cable feeding the starter , back feed the battery via the starter cable ?
Could you get the car up on jack stands to access the starter motor and hook up a charger to the main power cable feeding the starter , back feed the battery via the starter cable ?
Haven't had time to even look at the car all week. I will go down this path. In many cars you have direct voltage to the starter with only switched power to the solenoid, hoping this is the case here. Only need a tiny bit of power to unlock the doors.
I can also throw a meter on the lead and the frame to see if the battery is actually dead or just the key fob. Put a new battery in with no luck.
Success!!!
It was a breeze once I had time to tackle it.
1. Jack up car. (I removed wheel, no need)
2. Remove bottom skid plate
3. Look up just in front of sway bar. You'll see the bottom of the jump post.
4. Reach up and clamp on battery tender clamp. Regular jumper cables will be too fat to fit or grab the bottom nut. Correct bolt has black wire loom terminating in red silicone.
5. Find ground spot. Bolt according away bar worked for me.
6. Use Emotional Control Unit to return smile to user.
30 minutes total to remove and replace bottom skid plate and get doors open
New battery ordered. Using opportunity to order a light weight battery.
This just saved my ***, thanks for the info M I Six! Came home after 9 days on vacation to a dead battery on Sunday and I didn't get a skeleton key with my car either. I was terrified to jack up the front passenger without the spec pucks but I took it real slow. The tender kept indicating the battery was bad and wouldn't cycle. Using regular jumper cables I managed to get the positive lead up there attached to the top of the post, grounded it on the frame, and got some juice from another car. Once I was in I just popped the hood and jump started like normal and she fired right up!
This just saved my ***, thanks for the info M I Six! Came home after 9 days on vacation to a dead battery on Sunday and I didn't get a skeleton key with my car either. I was terrified to jack up the front passenger without the spec pucks but I took it real slow. The tender kept indicating the battery was bad and wouldn't cycle. Using regular jumper cables I managed to get the positive lead up there attached to the top of the post, grounded it on the frame, and got some juice from another car. Once I was in I just popped the hood and jump started like normal and she fired right up!
Excellent! Glad it helped. I have huge gorilla hands with sausage fingers so it was a tight squeeze for me. I'm glad you bumped this post, I had forgot to add a jump terminal easier to get to. I will add it to the list for this Sunday. I'll hide it behind the grill I think.
In another scenario:
The doors are not locked but the battery is dead and the trunk will not open. The doors cannot be opened because the windows do not automatically roll down a bit to clear the roof's drip rail.
Is there another way other than the removal of the front right wheel method to get the glass to roll down those few millimeters? Smashing one of the door windows does not qualify as a solution.
In another scenario:
The doors are not locked but the battery is dead and the trunk will not open. The doors cannot be opened because the windows do not automatically roll down a bit to clear the roof's drip rail.
Is there another way other than the removal of the front right wheel method to get the glass to roll down those few millimeters? Smashing one of the door windows does not qualify as a solution.
Sounds like you'll have to do the same process. I have a roadster so I could pull mine out as the soft top has some give. It's really not too bad. Here's what I did...
Using a floor jack and puck lift the front passenger corner (you only need to get the tire a few inches off the ground) but be super careful to use the correct jacking point!
Remove the aluminum skid plate (6 torx bolts, 4 12mm bolts, and 2 philips head screws)
Reach up following the power lines (black plastic sheathing) and pop the cover off the top of the jump post
Hook up positive jump cable to post and ground the negative to the front control arm assembly
I attached the wires for a trickle-charge connector to the under-hood jump terminal and ground, and cable-tied the connector to a grill slat. That way - if I can't access the car through the doors, boot, or bonnet due to a dead battery - I can always bring the battery back to life from the outside of the car.
