How do I Release Hood With No Battery

[porscheneer]

I had the Battery unhooked so I could clear the check engine light I was gone for 5 mins and my brilliant GF shut the hood. I can get into the car with a key but as you know you cant release the hood without power.

Any Ideas at all. I have a feeling it is going to be a long day

Thanx guys

[ar38070]

Depends on the year

2002+ there is a jumper point in the fuse box where you can attach a 12 volt battery.

1997-1999 with mechanical releases. You can use a 1/8" screwdriver and push the metal locking tab that keeps the levers from moving that is in the gap below where the two levers meet in the middle (kind of hard to describe).

All years - attach a 12 volt battery or a trickle charger to the cigarette lighter.

There is also supposed to be a pull cable floating around in one of the fenders.

ed

[Tool Pants]

You have a 2000 so you have mechanical levers to open the trunks. You do not have the electric trunk releases that started in 2001.

The lever should just pull up unless the alarm was on when the battery was disconnected.

[porscheneer]

I do have the 2000 but the levers wont pull up so I amb not sure if the alarm is engaged or not

How would I attach the 12V to the cigarette lighter.... pull it out and attach wires?

and im not sure what a trickle charger is where can I get one.

I called Porshe Road side assistance and they said I need to get a male to male cigarette lighter , and that should be enough juice I called all the auto places they dont have them, but im thinking I can just cut and attach but I dont want to risk messing with the electrical system.

they said if I had AAA they send out a tow truck with a jump box and the cigarette lighter connection.

Edited September 1, 2004 by porscheneer

[ar38070]

Loog at the attached picture and see the gap between the two levers. If you look on your car you should see a metal tab down in the gap. You can use a thin flat screwdriver and push the tab (I forget which way but I think it is sideways) and move it out of the way. Once you do that the trunk releases will be unlocked.

To use the cigarette lighter go to radio shack and get a cigarette lighter plug. The center terminal is positive. Hook it to an appropriate battery and then plug it in to the car.

[porscheneer]

Cool I will give it a shot thanx ... if not a I am assuming a 12 volt should do with the cig. lighter?

Thanx

Edited September 1, 2004 by porscheneer

[ar38070]

Sorry but I cannot duplicate the screwdriver trick. I pretty sure it will work but it appears that I am missing a step.

Assuming you can find the plug then use your GF's car battery as your 12 volt source (or someone else's car.

[ar38070]

Okay I figured it out. There are two pictures and a drawing as the pictures are not very clear. Picture 1 looks forward into the gap between the levers. The second picture is an enlargement of the gap. The drawing hopefully shows what you see when you are looking into the gap.

Looking forward into the gap you will see a metal plate that has a U-shaped cutout. You will see that a part of the handle sits in this cutout. The locking mechanism is a plate that rotates underneath the U-shaped cutouts thus preventing the handle from moving.

To unlock the lever you rotate the plate out from underneath the U-shaped cutouts. It is easiest to do this under the trunk release lever. You reach in with a thin screwdriver or an awl and push the plate from right to left. This unlocks both levers.

[ar38070]

second pic

[ar38070]

drawing

[Tool Pants]

How could you not know if the alarm was set when you disconnected the battery? It makes a difference as to what the problem is. First, just just start playing with both levers at the same time and see if that fixes the poblem. Does the rear trunk lever work?

When the alarm is set a metal cam rotates into position below the levers so that they cannot be lifted. If your battery dies or is disconnected while the cam is in the lock position then you cannot pull up on the levers. If the battery is connected then you can charge it through the lighter and once the battery has enough juice you turn off the alarm and the cam rotates out of position.

You cannot charge a battery through the lighter if you have disconnected the battery.

If the levers are locked because of the alarm being on when you disconnected the battery then try the screwdriver trick already suggested. It is hard to do because you cannot see what you are doing or where the locking cam is.

Get a strong light and a small thin blade screwdriver. The screwdriver must be at the angle in my pic since that is where the cam is. The cam is horizontal and rotates side to side. I forget which direction you rotate the cam to unlock the levers - it is either left or right. Stick the screwdriver in so that the tip is on the cam then try to rotate the cam. You can only move the cam a little bit at a time. Take the screwdriver out once in a while and see if the lever pulls up. If that does not work then try the other directiion.

If you give up then you have to go for the emergency release cable.

[Tool Pants]

I type so slow there are 6 new messages before my last one.

This is the levers removed from the door sill. Yellow lines are to the locking cam that you need to rotate out of position if that is the problem.

[porscheneer]

I think the alarm must have been on when the battery was disconnected.

I tried the cig. lighter trick I made a male to male cable. and I was getting somewhere but the fuse blew in the cig lighter adapter.

anyway for the while it was working I had power to the dash cluster & interior lights and the windows were going up but the levers would not open the cam under the leavers. I tried unlocking the car with my FOB key but ill I kept getting was the 1 honk. I also noted that the gas cap would not open

I did get the trunk open with the FOB.

Is there anywa to deactivate the alarm with the interior electronics working thru the cig lighter.

Also when you say " left to right" with the screwdriver do you mean fore-aft right ?

And also TP in the above pic just to clearify were pushing the screwdriver forward so the cam is moving backward in the car?

Thanx for all the help guys

Edited September 2, 2004 by porscheneer

[ar38070]

Look at the diagram (be sure to click on the diagram to enlarge it as some of the detail may be missing). The cam rotates. As you are looking toward the front of the car you rotate the part that is under the rear trunk lever from right to left to unlock (the diagram shows the unlocked position. The cam would be vertical in the locked position). If you are moving the cam from under the front lever then you move it left to right.

Given that you can open the rear trunk you probably just neet to move the cam a little bit more to open the front trunk.

[porscheneer]

I guess that opening is too small to rotate the cam with micro tweezers, it would make rotating it alot easier.... i will give it a shot, I will also try the cig. lighter thing after I pic up a fuse for it .

I will report my findings ASAP

[Tool Pants]

I'm confused now. Is your battery hooked up?

[porscheneer]

No it is not hooked up both leads are off but ... i know what your thinking how is the fob opening the trunk. ???

[Tool Pants]

That and you said the cluster and interior lights and windows worked for a while. If the gas flap is locked then that indicated the alarm was on when the battery was disconnected.

If you give up trying to unlock the levers with a screwdriver then you might want to remove them. You see 3 plugs on the side of the housing. Remove those plugs and behind each is an allen screw. Give the allen screws a few turns then you lift the lever housing up. Then you can rotate the locking cam with your finger.

Or, you are going to have to go for the emergency release cable.

[porscheneer]

Hey that sounds like it wont be that hard I will try that when I get home.

THANX

[ar38070]

The allen screws require a 5mm allen wrench. You may or may not be able to get the wrench into the hole without removing the seat. You do not have to take the screws out as TP said, just loosen them 2-3 turns. Then grab the black plastic surround piece at one end and pull up. It is in tight as there are 3 or 4 plastic friction plugs holding it in.

[HenryV]

I would give the screwdriver one more chance - it works quite easily - about 10-20 "scrapes", given enough pressure, and the "cam" will rotate just enough to release the lever.

Make sure you push in the right direction, and push hard on the screwdriver, you want the metal part of the cam to move each time you "scrape" it.

Use a very small screwdriver - you'll get a better leverage.

[porscheneer]

I will do the 20 scrapes from left to right on the front lever with a small flat head screwdriver than I will pop plugs and loosten friction allan screws. Hopefully something will work.

Thanx

J

[frenchy]

It is not that difficult to remove the "cable cluster", I've done it a few weeks agon when my rear trunk cable snap. I use my bicycle Allen key kit... Didi not even need to remove the seat. There are plastic plugs that cover the hole (4 I think) then lossen the bolt and pull on the cable cluster.

Jean

[Tool Pants]

You know, I can always sent Larry out to Texas.

This is how my front trunk lid was opened last year after I was backed up into by a truck.

[porscheneer]

First order of business, HAHAHAhaaa lol

That pic was priceless! No thanks Tool Pants you can keep Larry's Number!

" Theres Good news and Bad news"

First the good news I got the hood open :clapping:

and here is how I did it ...first I tried the screwdriver trick which I must be honest Im not sure if I was doing correctly but I could not get it.

So I went in to perform surgery there were 3 bolts the the first on was a no problem the second one was harder but the third on was impossible with the allan key I had, mainly due to in accessibility. the seat was in the way and I could not get a perpendicular angle to engage the head on the allan bolt.

I had an idea to come to the manf. floor of our plant today and get my lab tech to cut the allan key to shorten it or even to bend it 90 degrees so I could get in there.

but impatience got the best of me.

I took the plastic panel from the free end and pivoted it up as much as possible upon seeing the forward cable I took my freehand & pliers and gave it a pull that I put more force gradually until the trunk released.

" The bad news is I cant shut the trunk it wont click and stay down" :cursing:

I should have been patient and modified the allan key but the cable was too tempting so i jimmied it.

BTW I started the vehicle, my original idle problem is there with the third NEW MAF I put in but that is a separate thread I will post in later.

is there a way to tighten the cable or adjust it somehow!

Edited September 3, 2004 by porscheneer