Dead Battery; Hood won't open.

[luci5r]

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]

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]

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]

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

[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.

[Cebu]

+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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by Wallace River

Your link takes us very nicely to Sears home page

It worked fine for me.

[Giller]

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.

[Jager]

Originally Posted by Wallace River

Your link takes us very nicely to Sears home page

Let's try it again:
Sears.com

If that doesn't work look-up: DieHard Platinum Portable Power 1150

Hook-up one of these to the fuse block terminal and to ground and I bet you can open the frunk.

[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.

[Jamesp]

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]

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

[Kurt V]

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.

[luci5r]

The emergency cable release is looking further & further a possibility. There is nothing under the vent or the sides, as some members had suggested; I don't believe the previous owner did anything.

The liner behind the wheels doesn't look like it'll come off unless I take the wheel off, which isn't a possibility for me. I don't have all the equipment necessary. I wish they had made this more simplistic; it almost feels like they wanted to make sure you could NOT get to that cable.

Originally Posted by Kurt V

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.

You hit the nail right on the head; Dead center if I may add. How stupid of me! Even when I had everything connected, I noticed the 'Charging' LED was not lit. I figured maybe it's not lit because I'm not connected to a real battery; it never occurred to me that it's not lit because it's not charging because it's not connected to a real batter. Let me re-state: How stupid of me!!

I don't believe the Emergency Cable Release is going to be the solution for me. I just don't see any way of being able to get to it without removing the Wheel. So at this point, one way or another, I need to bring current to the red jumper fuse. Which means I need to try the 12 volt battery route.

Since I don't have one, I need to go buy one. I'm looking for the cheapest possible route; but also one that doesn't send me back to the store again and again.

Let me ask you this; is something like this going to work:
Energizer A23 12-Volt Alkaline Battery (2-Pack)-A23BPZ-2 - The Home Depot

If not, what is my cheapest option for a 12 volt battery that will do the trick?

Thanks guys!!

[particlewave]

Originally Posted by luci5r

it almost feels like they wanted to make sure you could NOT get to that cable.

Yeah. That's the idea. You don't want thieves gaining access

Since I don't have one, I need to go buy one. I'm looking for the cheapest possible route; but also one that doesn't send me back to the store again and again.

Let me ask you this; is something like this going to work:
Energizer A23 12-Volt Alkaline Battery (2-Pack)-A23BPZ-2 - The Home Depot

If not, what is my cheapest option for a 12 volt battery that will do the trick?

Thanks guys!!

Probably not.

Your best option is to get a friend or family member over there with another vehicle and just use jumper cables off of their battery.

[luci5r]

If I get the Jump Starter I had linked to previously (Stanley 1000-Amp Peak Jump Starter with Compressor - Walmart.com), since it's something I was going to eventually get anyways for these kinds of situations - would that be able to provide the current to the red jumper fuse to pop open the hood? Those jump starters don't have a similar issue like chargers, where they won't supply the current unless it's actually connected to a battery, do they?

[luci5r]

SOLVED

I'm not an electrical genius, quite the contrary, so I don't fully understand how it worked; why it worked; and what exactly is it that I did, but ultimately I got the hood opened. This is how I did it.

Essentially it was a spaghetti of ideas & trials. 7 or 8 years ago I used to have a PSP for which I had a car charger. The charger plugged into the Cigarette Lighter socket. I went digging for it and fortunately found it! This is a $5 MadCatz car charger for the PSP that I bought off of eBay, which I haven't actually used in over 5 or 6 years probably.

I stripped out the wires; I know the inner/center one is positive and the outer core that wraps around is the negative. So essentially I wrapped the positive wire around the red jumper fuse, and the negative around the latch on the door, and plugged in the Charger into the Cigarette Lighter socket.

Well, nothing happened! Absolutely nothing. Zilch. Messed around with the wiring for a few minutes but nothing.

For whatever reason I decided to break out my battery charger one more time. This is the Schumacher SC-1200A/CA that I bought for charging the battery. The same one that I tried the first time and didn't work; the Charging LED would never come on and as later discovered, it didn't work because it doesn't actually charge unless it's connected to an actual battery.

I decided to hook it up one more time; however, for possibly no other reason but sheer laziness, I didn't remove the PSP Charger - that was still connected - and I plugged in the clamps for the battery charger ON TOP of the PSP Charger connections. For the first time, the "Charging" LED came on. It looked like the Battery Charger was actually charging. The dashboard started to dimly light up as well.

However, the hood still wouldn't pop. Neither from the door panel, nor from the remote Key. I messed around with the clamps, wiring, turned things on & off several times - kept playing with it - even waited like 20 minutes to see if maybe it just needed to charge up a little. Still, no go!

That was a point when I had decided to pretty much give up. I disconnected the PSP Charger wires; re-connected just the Battery Charger - Still no go!!

I was getting ready to wrap everything up and call it a day - when I decided to try one last crazy thing.

I took the positive wire on the PSP Charger; wrapped it around the red jumper fuse; plugged in the charger in the Cigarette Light - but I DID NOT WRAP the negative on the door latch. Then, I connected the Battery Charger on top of it like I had been - Negative Clamp on the door latch and Positive Clamp on the red jumper fuse. Turned it on - hit the hood opener on the door panel - IT POPPED! First Try!

Like I said. I have no idea whatsoever why this worked. With only the positive going from cigarette lighter to the red jumper fuse; negative going nowhere - and my battery charger connecting like its' supposed to.

My uneducated guess is - when the positive wire from the Cigarette Lighter was connected to the red jumper fuse, somehow, IT TRICKED the Battery Charger into believing that it's connected to an actual battery. Somehow completed the circuit - I'm not sure why.

So the major challenge is over. Unfortunately it's too late today to leave the Battery Charger plugged in with the hood open today; so tomorrow Part 2 begins. I didn't close the hood this time; it's just sitting down pretty, not fully latched. Tomorrow I'll connect the Battery Charger to the battery and let it charge for 6 - 7 hours and hopefully it'll give the battery a full charge.

Thanks all for your support / ideas / suggestions and most importantly some of the knowledge & education I gained during this process. I hope my detail helps someone in future.