968 locked out! No battery?

968 locked out! No battery?

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Kie s2

Original Poster:

289 posts

144 months

Tuesday 20th January 2015
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A few months ago. I took the battery off the 968 as car was not getting used , in order to save 8 month old battery ..so it's being stored and trickle charged ...

Now if I remember I must of locked the car doors first while the battery was on , left the boot open . And took the battery off then slammed the boot shut ...

Now my problem . I tried to get into the car with the key . Thinking it's maybe mechanical , as no battery on car . So in theory should just unlock...

As these cars are getting older you tend to live with faults . In my case a tricky drivers door , and boot lock , but passenger side is fine ..

Does the 968 have a electronic solenoid on the door locks , which needs power to open the locks ? Has anyone experienced this ...?

All the 944's oval dashes over the years ,I've let plenty of battery's run flat, always seem to get. In them , even crawling thru the car to get to tailgate lock solenoid and undo so to jump start ...

S2's have a deadlock override in centre consul ...for Central locking , which sometimes you can activate if knocked ..

Will try wd40 in locks tomorrow ....

Apart from either taking out quarter light window , to gain entry , or sliding a cable in between the glass . Any other suggestions ?

If for security reasons feel free to pm me .

I only thought Tvr had this problem smile

Cheers


N24

1,113 posts

238 months

Tuesday 20th January 2015
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Have you tried unlocking the passenger door with the key?


Kie s2

Original Poster:

289 posts

144 months

Tuesday 20th January 2015
quotequote all
Yup ! Tried that ,

N24

1,113 posts

238 months

Tuesday 20th January 2015
quotequote all
Uh-oh... I've locked mine just the same way you have...

NJH

3,021 posts

208 months

Wednesday 21st January 2015
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I think you may have to get creative, there is a dog bone that connects the drivers side lock mechanism to the key such the doors can be locked and unlocked by pure mechanics but they didn't fit these in many later cars such as my S2. It was one of the many little jobs I had to get done when building it into a race car.

There are several ways to help get things going, one I worked out on our 968 after the drivers door lock mech failed and then the battery died (couldn't make up how that car tried my patience) was to jack up one side of the car and jumper charger leads onto the main lead onto the starter motor and the engine earth from underneath remembering that the circuit to the starter runs straight from the battery as it needs so much power. This worked a treat and provided power to the car such that we could open the doors and boot and then get the battery charged.

NJH

3,021 posts

208 months

Wednesday 21st January 2015
quotequote all
I think you may have to get creative, there is a dog bone that connects the drivers side lock mechanism to the key such the doors can be locked and unlocked by pure mechanics but they didn't fit these in many later cars such as my S2. It was one of the many little jobs I had to get done when building it into a race car.

There are several ways to help get things going, one I worked out on our 968 after the drivers door lock mech failed and then the battery died (couldn't make up how that car tried my patience) was to jack up one side of the car and jumper charger leads onto the main lead onto the starter motor and the engine earth from underneath remembering that the circuit to the starter runs straight from the battery as it needs so much power. This worked a treat and provided power to the car such that we could open the doors and boot and then get the battery charged.

thegoose

8,075 posts

209 months

Wednesday 21st January 2015
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I've done the same thing before (on an Audi S8) and it worked fine. However...it occurs to me now that you need to be sure the positive battery terminal hasn't been left/come to rest in contact with the bodyshell. It might be really unlikely I'm that particular model but do bear it in mind.

FelixP

304 posts

154 months

Wednesday 21st January 2015
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Can you remove the rear number plate lights and flip the rear hatch mechanism open like you can on a 924? wink

Kie s2

Original Poster:

289 posts

144 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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Cheers Guys for your suggestions . As I suspected once these doors are locked they need power. To open them ..even gaining entry thru quarter lite won't help either .

Felix p on the 968 number plate lights are on rear bumper , unlike the 944 .....

See if I can gain entry at the weekend as more time ..


Cheers



mollytherocker

14,365 posts

208 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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Just do some googling, I am sure you will find out how to get in!

I am surprised though that the key in the door locks doesnt work? Unless they are siezed from lack of use maybe?

FraMac

785 posts

216 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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NJH said:


There are several ways to help get things going, one I worked out on our 968 after the drivers door lock mech failed and then the battery died (couldn't make up how that car tried my patience) was to jack up one side of the car and jumper charger leads onto the main lead onto the starter motor and the engine earth from underneath remembering that the circuit to the starter runs straight from the battery as it needs so much power. This worked a treat and provided power to the car such that we could open the doors and boot and then get the battery charged.
That is ingenious - very good. The key used to lift the door locking pin on my 968, but it's recently stopped doing so - I think the mechanical mechanism has probably just come astray following a trip to the body shop. Something else to do during spring.....

Nurburgsingh

5,104 posts

237 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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Its been a while but I seem to remember a loop and cable in the boot to allow you to open it in emergencies( or if you've been kidnapped and bundled in to the boot)... removing a rubber grommet or something to get to it... ?

PJS917

1,194 posts

247 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
quotequote all
Nurburgsingh said:
Its been a while but I seem to remember a loop and cable in the boot to allow you to open it in emergencies( or if you've been kidnapped and bundled in to the boot)... removing a rubber grommet or something to get to it... ?
This ^^^^^ and I think there is one on the in in the bumper ahead of the front bumper, you can then pop the bonnet and connect a battery to the bits under the bonnet, ( near the wiper motor) and then your locks should work. (The key should work in the passenger side when the battery is dead though)

Wozy68

5,387 posts

169 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
quotequote all
PJS917 said:
Nurburgsingh said:
Its been a while but I seem to remember a loop and cable in the boot to allow you to open it in emergencies( or if you've been kidnapped and bundled in to the boot)... removing a rubber grommet or something to get to it... ?
This ^^^^^ and I think there is one on the in in the bumper ahead of the front bumper, you can then pop the bonnet and connect a battery to the bits under the bonnet, ( near the wiper motor) and then your locks should work. (The key should work in the passenger side when the battery is dead though)
Yup, I'm sure there was one for the boot on my CS. The owners manual is your friend..

Kie s2

Original Poster:

289 posts

144 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
quotequote all
Wozy68 said:
PJS917 said:
Nurburgsingh said:
Its been a while but I seem to remember a loop and cable in the boot to allow you to open it in emergencies( or if you've been kidnapped and bundled in to the boot)... removing a rubber grommet or something to get to it... ?
This ^^^^^ and I think there is one on the in in the bumper ahead of the front bumper, you can then pop the bonnet and connect a battery to the bits under the bonnet, ( near the wiper motor) and then your locks should work. (The key should work in the passenger side when the battery is dead though)
Yup, I'm sure there was one for the boot on my CS. The owners manual is your friend..
Hi Guys just had look at the front of car tonight . All I can see is grommet in centre . which is towing hook .. Area .. Would it be possible this what you mean ?

Also just scanned thru manual ,this does not give to much away there ..!

It would be great to find the easy option ... Without causing damage ...
As the starter motor option , might be risky if the positive battery feed could be resting on body in boot ..


Thanks



JMGPorsche

36 posts

155 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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You guys have me a bit confused that there might be some strange variation to 968 locks that I know nothing about, but I am going to go out on a limb here... There are no deadlocks on a 968

Yes the tailgate on most of them is no longer connected mechanically to the lock, so if you have a flat battery the tailgate will not open.

However the doors can be unlocked electrically by the central locking motors from either door (if you have power), but also there is a plastic ended rod between the lock barrel and the actual lock mechanism which should mean that the key lock should still unlock at least the door you are using it in, unless somehow that rod has popped off or broken.

The likelyhood of both plastic rods being popped off in both doors is unlikely.... So you make me wonder what else might be stopping the door lock mechanisms from working, and the only thing is stuck door handle levers.

Both outside door handles have a finger pull lever that you pull to open the door from the outside, these have a habbit of sticking in the pulled position (away from the door), when they are in this position you can not unlock the door, it causes the lock to jam a bit (ever had someone lift the handle of a car while you unlock it and act surprised that the door is still locked?)

Just check that both door release pulls in the exterior handles are not stuck in the pulled position and try the key again.

On the other hand.. I am getting to be an old fart, so there is every chance I could be totally wrong and cloud cookoo land redface/

williamp

19,213 posts

272 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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This is a very easy way in...

http://youtu.be/dE2Q6WayLpY

NJH

3,021 posts

208 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
quotequote all
JMGPorsche said:
You guys have me a bit confused that there might be some strange variation to 968 locks that I know nothing about, but I am going to go out on a limb here...

However the doors can be unlocked electrically by the central locking motors from either door (if you have power), but also there is a plastic ended rod between the lock barrel and the actual lock mechanism which should mean that the key lock should still unlock at least the door you are using it in, unless somehow that rod has popped off or broken.

The likelyhood of both plastic rods being popped off in both doors is unlikely.... So you make me wonder what else might be stopping the door lock mechanisms from working, and the only thing is stuck door handle levers.

On the other hand.. I am getting to be an old fart, so there is every chance I could be totally wrong and cloud cookoo land redface/
Hi Jon, I always thought this was the case but either my S2 didn't have that dog bone or we lost it when rebuilding the car into a race car.

On our 968 the passenger door didn't have one which surprised me so when the lock broke on the drivers side we were stuffed and couldn't get into the car when the battery died. Putting power onto the starter motor though did the job such that I could open the passenger door and get in the car.

Popping the bonnet as someone says above is the classic method to get power on but its much quicker to scramble under the car and get to the starter motor.

steeviegeebies

196 posts

144 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
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Another reason why the CS is best! No central locking, just manual key entry in each door - remember when you had to reach across to open the passenger door?! Welcome to CS life. Hatch entry via a manual pull handle in front of the rear wheel arch, once you've opened the passenger door. Windey windows. All mod cons.

probably chalk

671 posts

191 months

Friday 6th February 2015
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FraMac said:
NJH said:


There are several ways to help get things going, one I worked out on our 968 after the drivers door lock mech failed and then the battery died (couldn't make up how that car tried my patience) was to jack up one side of the car and jumper charger leads onto the main lead onto the starter motor and the engine earth from underneath remembering that the circuit to the starter runs straight from the battery as it needs so much power. This worked a treat and provided power to the car such that we could open the doors and boot and then get the battery charged.
That is ingenious - very good. The key used to lift the door locking pin on my 968, but it's recently stopped doing so - I think the mechanical mechanism has probably just come astray following a trip to the body shop. Something else to do during spring.....
This. I've had to do it twice.

Bizarrely there is no manual override for the locks on a 968 (other than the CS which only has manual locks anyway) so if the battery is totally flat or disconnected you are stuck. The first time it happened to me was due to a flat battery but nothing beats the feeling you get a few weeks later when you get yourself in the same fix after shutting the boot having charged the battery but forgotten to reconnect it...

To be honest I was stumped and had to call the AA the first time. The AA man was impressed (and frustrated) because their first step is always to try to lever one of the doors open just enough (using a series of plastic wedges) to hook a piece of wire round the internal door handle and open the car that way - they no longer try to slide a hook down the front of the window apparently. But my 968 was the first car he'd come across in 20 years that was so well built that he couldn't get any of his wedges into the door gap. Praise indeed I thought.

To be fair, the AA guy played an absolute blinder. He ended up jacking the car up in my tiny garage, using my low profile trolley jack because the standard issue AA unit won't fit under a Sport or CS. He then crawled under the car (supported by the jack alone which made me nervous) and held the crocodile clips from his booster pack against the starter motor terminals, this energised the lock circuits and I was able to unlock the car while it was perched on the jack with him underneath. Apparently there isn't enough room around the starter motor to actually clip on to the terminals, holding the clips against the terminals is the best you can do.