Opening the door with a dead battery

[dalola]

A mechanical key back-up requires linkage, which adds complexity & cost, no matter where you put the hole. I'm sure the idea was presented during development, then nix'd for cost cutting.

I have a keyless digital lock on one of my house doors, and it has a small contact pad underneath to touch a 9V battery to it, in case the regular batteries go dead. I wonder if something like this would provide enough juice in an emergency to pop a MME door?

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[AliRafiee]

A mechanical key back-up requires linkage, which adds complexity & cost, no matter where you put the hole. I'm sure the idea was presented during development, then nix'd for cost cutting.

I have a keyless digital lock on one of my house doors, and it has a small contact pad underneath to touch a 9V battery to it, in case the regular batteries go dead. I wonder if something like this would provide enough juice in an emergency to pop a MME door?

I wonder how the C8’s physical key works.

 

[astrorob]

This thread about a dead battery and inability to enter the vehicle and all the " fixes" reminds me of the space race between the Russians and the United States. The USA spent millions developing an ink pen that could write upside down in no gravity and the USSR just used a pencil.

sorry, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-nasa-spen/

per TFA, the russians have used the american pens since the 60s.

 

[superdave80]

I can still open the door. But it takes two presses of the open door button.

That seems pretty standard to me.

 

[astrorob]

i did have the idea to mod the car with a switch accessible from the 12V jump port which would cut battery power to the frunk latch module, but mach-lee told me i was out of my mind, so i guess it's a bad idea. but it would at least let you make sure the latch override is going to work no matter the state of the LVB.

 

[Snakebitten]

i did have the idea to mod the car with a switch accessible from the 12V jump port which would cut battery power to the frunk latch module, but mach-lee told me i was out of my mind, so i guess it's a bad idea. but it would at least let you make sure the latch override is going to work no matter the state of the LVB.

There's members here that have installed remote control battery disconnects, so there's all kinds of ways to address the possibilities and scenarios.

 

[A-A-Ron]

I'll be at my dealership on my 3 year anniversary next January getting a new battery.

I figured I'd replace mine around the 3 year mark too. It died at 2y9mo in the middle of having the windshield replaced

 

[dimes4slim]

I’m trying to reset the car. I disconnected the 12V battery’s + terminal. I can still open the door. But it takes two presses of the open door button.

WHAT IS HAPPENING??? In the past 3 years, I’ve seen hundreds of threads about not being able to get in the car with a dead battery. Or was it just semi dead battery?

Mine almost always requires two presses with a good battery. That goes for closing the hatch as well. Maybe my fingers are non-conductive? ...Or is Ford asking me "do you really want to get in your car"?

 

[AliRafiee]

Mine almost always requires two presses with a good battery. That goes for closing the hatch as well. Maybe my fingers are non-conductive? ...Or is Ford asking me "do you really want to get in your car"?

Have you checked your reflection in the mirror lately? ??‍

 

[Smoke & Bells]

AstroRob, thanks for fine tuning my post that NASA didn't spend millions developing a space pen, but Fisher Pen got it done for 1 million and now sells that ink space pen for $50 ! My point was that entry into a vehicle should be easy and reliable, like using a pencil, and not based on whether a battery is dead, near dead, almost dead, it may be dead ! To check if it is dead, you open up a trapped door in the bumper and pull wires out, really ! A key in a door, please. Rube Goldberg doesn't have to work for Ford!

 

[4wheeldog]

And then if that battery or the transmitter dies?

We all know what the actual most fail safe method would have been…a mechanical key.

But I also assume most of us bought said vehicle knowing that there wasn’t one.

Which begs the question……Would you carry a key if you had not needed it for a year or 3?
Hide a key would be an answer. Meaning that anyone could get into your car with a little judicious snooping.

 

[Wallie]

Hmmm, never occurred to me to use the car battery to open the door, but hey, UBU???

(jk)

I guess that it would require a spare window

 

[ChuckUK]

This thread about a dead battery and inability to enter the vehicle and all the " fixes" reminds me of the space race between the Russians and the United States. The USA spent millions developing an ink pen that could write upside down in no gravity and the USSR just used a pencil.

Is there not an issue with using a pencil with graphite dust drifting in zero g? I imagine it could play merry hell with electronics.

 

[giwu42]

That was the reason why they developed a pen specifically for zero gravity environments. THe whole pen vs pencil argument conveniently ignores the fact that you don't want tiny pieces of graphite floating around near electronics and pencils are flammable. Also the whole thing is a myth because Fisher-Price developed the pen privately not NASA.

 

[Sikkun]

That was the reason why they developed a pen specifically for zero gravity environments. THe whole pen vs pencil argument conveniently ignores the fact that you don't want tiny pieces of graphite floating around near electronics and pencils are flammable. Also the whole thing is a myth because Fisher-Price developed the pen privately not NASA.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing_in_space

Yes it is a concern, but they seemingly also had no problems using pencils on many missions. And used ballpoint pens, felt tip pens, and the “space pen”.

Really the anecdote is just not factual all around.

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