Dead Battery; Hood won't open. - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

luci5r · 02-16-2015, 11:20 AM

Back story:
Last week I couldn't start the car due to what appears to be a dead battery issue. After getting it jump started, running it around the block a few times, I discovered it wasn't enough to charge the battery. Car still refused to start. Or it appears something is draining the battery.

I finally decided to get the Schumacher SC1200A/CA Battery Charger, which came highly recommended by my Indy Mechanic. The charger arrived today (5 days since my last jump start), so I went to charge the battery. The car has been sitting untouched for the last 5 days, which seemed to have drained the battery to almost zero. The hood won't open.

Current problem:
After seeing countless youtube videos, and being guided by my Indy mechanic over the phone in real-time, my hood still won't open.

This is what I have been doing, which is what the little booklet that came with the car tells me to do:

1. Pull out the Red jumper/fuse in the Fuse Box using the Yellow pick.
2. Connect the Positive clamp to the Red Jumper
3. Connect the Negative clamp to the Door Latch (For grounding)
4. Let it charge (I tried from 10 minutes to 25 minutes)
5. Hood should pop open either with pull-up on car body or the remote key. IT DOESN'T.

Pictures:

What am I doing wrong here? Why won't it open?

Any suggestions/advice?

Thanks.

thom4782 · 02-16-2015, 12:36 PM

You may have to use the emergency release cable to get it open.

It is located in the front passenger wheel well. If you can remove the front couple of pins (about 2 o'clock position), you should be able to peal back the liner to get to it. It's a steel look located aft to the headlight tray.

BTW: if you ever remove the front bumper cover, it's a great time to relocated the cable so you can access it through the tow hook hole.

luci5r · 02-16-2015, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thom4782

You may have to use the emergency release cable to get it open.

It is located in the front passenger wheel well. If you can remove the front couple of pins (about 2 o'clock position), you should be able to peal back the liner to get to it. It's a steel look located aft to the headlight tray.

BTW: if you ever remove the front bumper cover, it's a great time to relocated the cable so you can access it through the tow hook hole.

Thom - would you be able to expand on this? Maybe link to video/pictures if possible. I'm not sure I know what you're talking about.

Jamesp · 02-16-2015, 01:35 PM

Hook up a 12v battery instead of a charger. You are likely don't have enough amperage to actuate the latch solenoid.

keysguy · 02-16-2015, 01:42 PM

try getting 12 volts through the cigarette lighter. Some of the battery jump boxes have a adapter that plugs into the lighter plug. (do not try and jump start the car through the cig lighter) All you need is enough juice to power up the the alarm to turn it off. Once the alarm is off you can pop open the hood. Hope that helps.

luci5r · 02-16-2015, 02:02 PM

The charger I'm using has a 3 volt or 12 volt option; I'm using the 12 volt option. I don't have a 12 volt battery but I don't believe the charger would provide less juice then a 12v battery on the 12v option.

I don't have the plug that can plug in to the cigarette lighter, and in all of this, no alarm went off, so I'm not sure about the alarm you're speaking of.

I'd still like to explore the emergency cable option but can't seem to find any specific directions on it.

Jamesp · 02-16-2015, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luci5r

The charger I'm using has a 3 volt or 12 volt option; I'm using the 12 volt option. I don't have a 12 volt battery but I don't believe the charger would provide less juice then a 12v battery on the 12v option.

I don't have the plug that can plug in to the cigarette lighter, and in all of this, no alarm went off, so I'm not sure about the alarm you're speaking of.

I'd still like to explore the emergency cable option but can't seem to find any specific directions on it.

You're not just worried about 12 volts, you need amperage as well. The question is how many amps the charger delivers. Chargers typically deliver a very small fraction of the amperage a battery can deliver unless the chargers are made for starting the car. If your charger has a high amperage setting try that. Other than that, you might consider getting a set of jumper cables and a second car to use the fuse box trick, be sure to use correct polarity and also be sure not to short the cables. Your battery does not seem to be taking a charge, so it may be of no value in getting trunk to pop.

Unless it has been moved, the emergency cable is dressed between the right headlight and the trunk wall. That's behind the right front tire, and I believe under the inner fender well. I moved mine when I had the front bumper off to clean the radiators, but the hood has to be open to do that. Best of luck.

mump · 02-16-2015, 02:35 PM

Right, hook jumper cables from another car battery onto the fuse box/door latch. That will get u the amps u need.

Cebu · 02-16-2015, 06:32 PM

+1 on this method. I tried the method the OP used and it didn't work for me. I had an old cellphone cigarette lighter charger and cut the end off. I then connected to a battery charger and let it sit for a few minutes. I was then able to pop the trunk.

Quote:

Originally Posted by keysguy

try getting 12 volts through the cigarette lighter. Some of the battery jump boxes have a adapter that plugs into the lighter plug. (do not try and jump start the car through the cig lighter) All you need is enough juice to power up the the alarm to turn it off. Once the alarm is off you can pop open the hood. Hope that helps.

Jager · 02-16-2015, 07:09 PM

I recommend everyone have one of these in your garage (see link below), it comes in very handy for jump starts and situations like this. It is also a must have for taking with you on long trips. I have one similar pictured, it has saved my bacon a couple of times, plus I use the light whenever we have a power outage at the house.

Sears.com

thom4782 · 02-16-2015, 07:52 PM

There's a picture in Frodo's #9 post were you can see the sliver loop just above the screwdriver: Here's the URL:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/39337-cant-open-front-trunk.html

Wallace River · 02-17-2015, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jager

I recommend everyone have one of these in your garage (see link below), it comes in very handy for jump starts and situations like this. It is also a must have for taking with you on long trips. I have one similar pictured, it has saved my bacon a couple of times, plus I use the light whenever we have a power outage at the house.

Sears.com

Your link takes us very nicely to Sears home page

Luckyed · 02-17-2015, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallace River

Your link takes us very nicely to Sears home page

It worked fine for me.

luci5r · 02-17-2015, 06:01 AM

Thanks guys for all your replies.

Today I'll be working on locating that emergency cable release, see if I can find it & grab it. It does appear to be somewhere behind the passenger side wheel well.

I don't have anything that has a cigarette lighter connection so for now that option is out for me. I also haven't been able to get the alarm to go off that everyone keeps talking about turning off, I'm not sure when the alarm is supposed to go off.

I still keep coming back to the charger vs 12volt battery. I understand the Volt & Amperage requirements; but this thing is 1200 Amps / 12 Volts and is designed specifically for jump starts & charging; everything from automobiles, trailers, boats, etc. I can't possibly imagine this charger is lacking something that a 12 volt battery will provide.

@Jager: That is one of many very handy items to have; I myself plan on getting the Stanley 1000 (Similar to what you posted) at some point. But all of these are useful if you have the hood open! I have a battery charger which will easily charge my battery to 100% within 6 hours -- but again -- for either a charger or jump starter to work, you will need the hood open, which is what I'm struggling with. Without the hood open, the jump starter / chargers are pretty much useless.
Just FYI: This one is half the cost and I have personally used it on my Boxster; seems to work flawlessly and is quite acclaimed: Stanley 1000-Amp Peak Jump Starter with Compressor - Walmart.com

@Wallace: The link worked for me as well. It's the product page at Sears.

@thom: Thanks for the picture. That helps! I will be looking into this today.

Giller · 02-17-2015, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallace River

Your link takes us very nicely to Sears home page

I think it's because we are in Canada and this is the Sears U.S site. It knows we are in Canada and flips us.

Giller · 02-17-2015, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luci5r

Thanks guys for all your replies.

Today I'll be working on locating that emergency cable release, see if I can find it & grab it. It does appear to be somewhere behind the passenger side wheel well.

Before digging too deep into the emergency cable - take a real good look at the front passenger side of your car. This is a known issue and there is a good chance whomever owned the car before you has already done this fix. Look for a little metal cable and loop. When I got my Box, the cable had been moved and was just behind the left lower grill vent.

Cable looks like:

Perfectlap · 02-17-2015, 07:10 AM

a used the Black&Decker jump pack which is meant to to jump start the battery from the cigarette lighter. But rather than actually attempting a jump start this way it will provide just enough juice to light up the dash and unlock the latches.
This was back in the mid 2000's when batteries for portables were HUGE. Now the jump packs are small. I carry a Cobra JumpPack (QVC or HSN) to jump start the battery once the hood is open.
According to the Amazon reviews it will jump start an SUV with no issue. It's about the size of small 1" book. Handy to have in the car if you ever get stuck in the middle of winter late at night.

I tried the method of trying to find trunk release cable which was a PITA.

Kurt V · 02-17-2015, 10:12 AM

If you went to the link you would discover the problem with using a battery charger: The charger will only charge if it senses it is connected to a battery. Using the red jumper fuse will not work for most chargers. You will need to use a 12v battery or a jump pack.

thom4782 · 02-17-2015, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giller

Before digging too deep into the emergency cable - take a real good look at the front passenger side of your car. This is a known issue and there is a good chance whomever owned the car before you has already done this fix. Look for a little metal cable and loop. When I got my Box, the cable had been moved and was just behind the left lower grill vent.

Cable looks like:

Cable could also be behind the tow hook hole cover.

luckyed7711 · 02-17-2015, 12:38 PM

I opened my hood after accidentally closing it with the battery removed from the car by hooking up the charged battery to the fuse box terminal and door jamb ground as pictured and then using the switch lever by the seat. BUT, it didn't work at first. Then I messed with both the clamps on my jumper cables at the fuse box connection and door latch, pressing in the teeth to make sure I had a good connection (especially the ground) and it worked.