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Post by spider589 on Jan 28, 2024 13:58:21 GMT
Hi everyone, hope someone can help, my brother's MX5, 2006 1.8 litre manual, is rarely used and occasionally he has failed to start it, resulting in m usually going to it and removing the battery, charging it up and everything OK. This time there is a huge problem, the central locking won't operate, maybe because the battery is dead, I'm not sure, but when the key is inserted and turned it doesn't manually unlock the door! It feels like there is no resistance where you would normally expect to feel the actuation of the rods or cables to unlatch the lock.
I have one theory to try, if I jack the car up and get under the engine bay, then attach a portable 12 volt supply via a suitable live wire, can I convince the car it has a battery just so I can try the remote central locking to get in the car? Once I'm in, I can get the battery off and sort it, but am I right in thinking there might be an accessible live feed, maybe the starter motor or alternator terminals?
Any ideas would be appreciated, thanks!
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Post by dadbif on Jan 28, 2024 14:23:48 GMT
Won’t the key unlock the boot?
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Post by spider589 on Jan 28, 2024 14:29:54 GMT
Yes it will, but there isn't a way into the car from that, is there?
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Post by dadbif on Jan 29, 2024 8:33:30 GMT
Just reread your post, thought it was a mk1….
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Post by spider589 on Jan 29, 2024 9:15:55 GMT
Can anyone tell me, if the battery dies completely and the car is locked via the central locking, can this cause the failure of the key to open the door?
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Post by boggissimo on Jan 29, 2024 15:12:37 GMT
That would be particularly bad design, but I can't say for sure. On my 2004 Subaru, if the battery is dead you can still unlock the driver's door with the physical key to get in and pop the bonnet.
Silly question, but did you turn the key both ways? Try the passenger door? Is the battery under the bonnet on a mk3 or in the boot?
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Post by thruxton on Jan 29, 2024 16:42:17 GMT
Not on my 2006 NC 2.0lt Sport.
Use the key on the external door lock and your in …. Well, on my car that’s how it works.
Regards.
Rich.
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Post by dadbif on Jan 30, 2024 7:41:50 GMT
It was the same on my 2007 NC, I thought the default on all cars was that the key would unlock in the event of a dead battery.
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Post by spider589 on Jan 30, 2024 11:32:33 GMT
I’ve owned dozens of cars and never known another car where this happened, but the fact is the key turns both ways with seemingly no mechanical resistance, the passenger door is of course locked and there is no key on that side, and the battery is absolutely dead so I’d just like to know if there is a 12 volt positive feed I can connect to under the car to fool the car it has a battery connected, so I can then operate the central locking ?
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Post by thruxton on Jan 30, 2024 15:54:04 GMT
Can you get into the boot and feed power back to the battery from the boot light?
Regards.
Rich.
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Post by Zed. on Jan 30, 2024 16:32:45 GMT
I’d just like to know if there is a 12 volt positive feed I can connect to under the car to fool the car it has a battery connected, so I can then operate the central locking ? startermotor or alternator main poer cables IF theres access from below? Rich. |
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Post by spider589 on Jan 31, 2024 20:36:51 GMT
For information, I have managed to sort it, as follows; After having tried and failed to energise the car the other day via the boot light, I jacked it up and squirmed around underneath trying to find a subtantial live feed such as the alternator or starter motor terminals, I had no success, so just about ready to give up...
I disconnected the boot light and applied 12 volts to the live wire in the socket, earthed it on a random bolt in the boot floor and pressed the unlock button and the door unlocked, so I've brought the battery home to charge it and it should be fine, so thanks everyone for your advice and I hope if this happens to anyone else you will know what to do - 2 minutes should do it!
One question remains, however. Once the door was unlocked I disconnected the remote charger, leaving the car battery dead again, and tried to lock and unlock the door with the key - it still feels like there is nothing being activated in any direction, so I couldn't manually lock the door - when I get back to it with a charged battery tomorrow I'll let you know if this changes, because I've never seen anything like it! Anyway, i'm just happy to have got the door open!
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le sigh