C70 S70 V70: Locked out (battery dead) but have the keys!

[Jim314]

Originally Posted by Luxobarge

You can get into the boot, right? (I presume that's what you mean by "trunk")

OK, sounds bizarre, but what you could try is to find a permanent live wire in the boot (trunk) area. The feed to the boot light (or better still the boot light switch) should be permanently live. Connect this to the positive feed from a battery charger, and the negative lead of the charger to a good body earth somewhere.

Leave it for a few hours and it should charge the battery.

A bit fiddly I agree, and make sure you don't short out the live wire to ground, but I'd imagine this would work IF the only problem is a flat battery.

When leaving your car unused for a lengthy period of time, I'd recommend connecting up a battery conditioner - usually pretty cheap, and will greatly increase battery life, as they don't like being left half charged or even flat. Plus of course you'd avoid this sort of problem.

Hope this helps!

This is really a good thought, but the wire to the boot light cannot carry much current. If you would connect a charger to such a wire, it would likely have to be a charger which is current limited to 1A to 3A or so. A heavy duty charger might overload the wire and at best blow a fuse.

Don't some of these cars have a 12V receptacle in the boot? These are an accessory to power 12V devices (like a radio or a 12V refrigerator) when the car is parked and the ignition is off. If it has one of these, then a current limited charger (sometimes called a battery maintainer) would charge the battery when the car is turned off. These battery maintainers usually come with a plug to go into a 12V receptacle.

These 12V receptacles usually can pass maybe 10A, but it would not be a good idea to connect another battery through that receptacle as that could supply several tens of amperes which would overload the circuit. A regular battery charger which might be limited to 10A might work through that receptacle though.

To make this work in this case you would probably have to remove the bulb to the boot light since this would draw more current than the battery maintainer would supply.

[The Hooded Claw]

Originally Posted by Jim314

This is really a good thought, but the wire to the boot light cannot carry much current. If you would connect a charger to such a wire, it would likely have to be a charger which is current limited to 1A to 3A or so. A heavy duty charger might overload the wire and at best blow a fuse.

Don't some of these cars have a 12V receptacle in the boot? These are an accessory to power 12V devices (like a radio or a 12V refrigerator) when the car is parked and the ignition is off. If it has one of these, then a current limited charger (sometimes called a battery maintainer) would charge the battery when the car is turned off. These battery maintainers usually come with a plug to go into a 12V receptacle.

To make this work in this case you would probably have to remove the bulb to the boot light since this would draw more current than the battery maintainer would supply.

****SEE MY POST (No 20).... Thats the solution .....

Keith

[Jim314]

Originally Posted by The Hooded Claw

****SEE MY POST (No 20).... Thats the solution .....

Keith

These cars are low to the ground. Is the starter accessible from below with all four wheels on pavement?

[The Hooded Claw]

Originally Posted by Jim314

These cars are low to the ground. Is the starter accessible from below with all four wheels on pavement?

Just About Jim ... (the Starter Motor Terminal is at 45 Degrees) so you can (with a bit of Wigglin about) get on to it

Having said that just coz its locked theres nowt stoppin yer from jackin up the front (Obviously) ..

Keith

[wirtzfeldvalley]

Today I will keep trying to find ways to get the hood opened from within the car via the boot opening.

If not:

Keith Idea (msg 20): seems logically to me.

As soon as the mechanic of my volvo garage shows up (he lives nearby and promised to come to my place one evening...), I will show him Keith's message and try that way to get the battery juiced up via the starter cable from underneath in order to unlock the door with the remote and open the hood to replace the dead battery.

Everybody already tx for the kind advices, i keep you posted later on (only hope the mechanic shows up this evening...)

Hubert from Belgium

[Luxobarge]

Originally Posted by Jim314

This is really a good thought, but the wire to the boot light cannot carry much current. If you would connect a charger to such a wire, it would likely have to be a charger which is current limited to 1A to 3A or so. A heavy duty charger might overload the wire and at best blow a fuse.

Yes, it is indeed only a low current circuit, but it will be fused. Now, the lowest value of fuse used will be 5 Amp, so as long as the charger doesn't deliver more than 5 Amps it will work fine. Quite right, a heavy duty charger will probably blow the fuse, perhaps I should have made it clear that a low-power charger is what's needed here, left on for quite a long time.

My charger would work - I think 5 Amps is the max it will go to, takes all night to charge a battery but it does it gently and carefully. If in doubt, just wire in a 21W bulb in series with it, to act as a resistor, at least until the battery has taken a fair bit of charge and will be drawing less current.

Whatever happens it will not "fry" the electrics, the worst it can do is blow a fuse - that's what they're there for.

However, as above, if you don't mind jacking the car up in the air enough to get at the starter, then this of course will also work. In fact, as this is a very heavy duty cable, you could "jump" onto it from another battery rather than use a charger if you wanted to. I think I'd use a charger though - more gentle. Any permanently live terminal will work, the only issue is how much current it can take.

[The Hooded Claw]

Hi Hubert,

Look on the "Bright Side" if it was a Merc "E" class you had you have NO CHANCE of getting at the battery in those they are located under the rear passenger seat !!!! or the Citroen Picasso where its located under the front passenger seat ..!!!!!

& the "High End" BMW's have their battery in the Boot!!! ....I have often thought if they put it there because of "Lack of Space" in the engine compatment or for "Ease of access" in situations such as yours.

I think theres a lesson to be learnt for all of us here ...."Make Sure your Doors locks are fully functional even if you ALWAYS use your remote"

Whatever happens it will not "fry" the electrics, the worst it can do is blow a fuse - that's what they're there for.

Aggreed Lux Probs a poor choice of words on my part but thats what I ment (Fuse Blowing Ect)...

Keith

[Chris_Rogers]

The 'MkII' V70 & S60 also have the battery in the boot.

Reading this thread I'd suggest either of the suggested methods of charging the battery should work, probably less hassle to use the boot light method and a small charger given the OP's medical problem.

[Darth Vol]

Originally Posted by The Hooded Claw

Only just noticed this thread or I would have posted earlier.......


Connect Charger to Main Starter motor feed & Chassis (FROM UNDER CAR) IT IS THE ONLY WAY to open the vehicle ......

I agree. I've had to do that once with my 850 and 3 times with my VW Golf... works a treat, if not a bit fiddly.

[gjd]

Hello

Given Hubert's Shoulder Condition, I'd like to hear whether his C70 had an accessory socket in the boot, as that would be the most painless way to recharge the battery. Alternatively, there may be a socket in the back of the cabin (my V70 has one at the back of the centre console).

I had my 440 jump started using an accessory socket connection to the "live" car once. Very simple and straight forward.