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Keys locked in my Z06 with a dead battery

Old 02-28-2009, 08:59 PM
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GN1270
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Default Keys locked in my Z06 with a dead battery

Ok here is my story. Sad but true. I wanted to take the Vette out for a spin to stretch its legs today and I found out the wife had not been starting it periodically when I asked her to. I know I should have bought a trickle battery and I will. SHe did do it once and left the keys in the car for the next time. So I go out and notice the battery is dead. No biggie, I will get the spare set. Well I go to use it and find out that the key the dealer gave me is not the right key for my Z06, it is for a yellow vert. The outside envelope said my car, but the tag on the key said otherwise. Now I cannot get into my car to pop the hood to charge the battery and I have no keys to manually open the door. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks
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Old 02-28-2009, 09:05 PM
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RicK T
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Standby for someone who knows for sure but, I think you can hook up a charger from underneath the car. I think you attach the pos to the pos cable to the starter and the neg to a good ground in the area. I'm sure someone who really knows will come by. Good luck.


Edit: I was just thinking, you said the 2nd key was wrong. Should we assume you don't have the correct #2 FOB? If so, then this won't help, you still can't open the car and I would then hope you have Onstar to unlock it once it has power. Maybe get a second key made at a dealer based on the VIN. Good luck again.

Last edited by RicK T; 02-28-2009 at 09:31 PM.
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Old 02-28-2009, 09:10 PM
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Yep, that's the method. Sure beats taking a ball peen hammer to the window.

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Old 02-28-2009, 09:25 PM
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Take the VIN and registration to the dealer and have a new key cut. They can do that from the VIN, but you have to show proof of ownership.
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Old 02-28-2009, 10:39 PM
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Hopefully you don't have the autolock feature turned on. Then u can just jack up the passenger side of the car, and attach the charger to the starter positive terminal. Once its charged, you're set. Then check out this thread:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...metal-key.html
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Old 02-28-2009, 10:43 PM
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If you have a spare "KEY" you can always use the hatch to open the door, dont break it its a hassle to get the glass out of the door lol.
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Old 02-28-2009, 11:23 PM
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Someone in here posted about removing a tail lamp lense and connecting a charger on the positive lamp wire and the other to a vehicle ground which allowed power through the systems. In his case, he had the fob, just no battery juice at the time and it opened. If the positive wire connects all the way through to the battery, you could charge it that way, but the smarter thing would be to carefully connect to the starter.
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Old 03-01-2009, 10:50 AM
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Originally Posted by dgrant3830
Someone in here posted about removing a tail lamp lense and connecting a charger on the positive lamp wire and the other to a vehicle ground which allowed power through the systems. In his case, he had the fob, just no battery juice at the time and it opened. If the positive wire connects all the way through to the battery, you could charge it that way, but the smarter thing would be to carefully connect to the starter.
I didn't see the post about hooking to the tail light but I would think that is a good way to blow up a BCM. The tail light bulbs have one side connected to ground. If the other side were connected to the battery then they would always be lit. The tail lights (all of them) are connected to relays in the Body Control Module. These appear to be solid state relays. Pumping voltage into them when the control has no power is not a good idea. Even if the relays survive you're still on the wrong side of the relay contact and not connected to the battery.

The starter (actually the starter solenoid), on the other hand, IS connected to the battery positive all the time and the negative of the starter is connected to ground. It is a mechanical relay so putting voltage to it without the control signal isn't a problem. You have a solid copper connection from the solenoid directly to the battery positive terminal so it is safe to apply 12 volts.

Last edited by FortMorganAl; 03-01-2009 at 10:52 AM.
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Old 03-01-2009, 11:11 AM
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If that's you in your avatar, get a haircut and wear a hat that flops down over your face. That will make it a lot easier to find a new wife.
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Old 03-01-2009, 11:28 AM
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Originally Posted by FortMorganAl
I didn't see the post about hooking to the tail light but I would think that is a good way to blow up a BCM. The tail light bulbs have one side connected to ground. If the other side were connected to the battery then they would always be lit. The tail lights (all of them) are connected to relays in the Body Control Module. These appear to be solid state relays. Pumping voltage into them when the control has no power is not a good idea. Even if the relays survive you're still on the wrong side of the relay contact and not connected to the battery.

The starter (actually the starter solenoid), on the other hand, IS connected to the battery positive all the time and the negative of the starter is connected to ground. It is a mechanical relay so putting voltage to it without the control signal isn't a problem. You have a solid copper connection from the solenoid directly to the battery positive terminal so it is safe to apply 12 volts.
If that is the way its connected, I agree totally with you. In fact, I was questioning the exact same thing myself to this other poster in the thread but he never replied back. The only way it would work is if the BCM is commanding the negative side only therefore the positive side of the lamp goes to the battery via the fuse block and the bcm prodives the ground path. Please note that I didn't say that this would work only that someone else said it would. The obvious preference is to connect directly to the starter in this case.
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Old 03-01-2009, 11:57 AM
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It has actually been two weeks since the last time this question has come up on the forum.

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but why do people keep leaving the keys ans fobs in the car?
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Old 03-01-2009, 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by timd38
It has actually been two weeks since the last time this question has come up on the forum.

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but why do people keep leaving the keys ans fobs in the car?
Maybe there are a lot of dull tools in the world?
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Old 03-01-2009, 01:49 PM
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This is the starter solenoid. It's easy to charge the battery buy hooking it up here. Jack up the front passenger side.

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Old 03-01-2009, 07:01 PM
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Thanks guys, I am going to go to the dealer Monday and have the new key cut. I would jack it but I have no pucks and i dont want the jack doing any damage. It would be no problem if the spare key we received from the dealership was the correct key to my car. That is why we thought it was no biggie leaving the fob in the car in my garage.
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Old 03-01-2009, 07:12 PM
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I just called my buddy who repos cars. He told me to take the key from the Yellow Vert and try to open the hatch of my Z06 with it. Sure enough the damn thing fit and it popped right open. He told me he thinks there are only 3 key combos on Vette hatches and I had a 33% chance and won. Of course its snowing here now so the damn thing probably wont leave my garage for another month,
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Old 03-01-2009, 07:17 PM
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Originally Posted by GN1270
I just called my buddy who repos cars. He told me to take the key from the Yellow Vert and try to open the hatch of my Z06 with it. Sure enough the damn thing fit and it popped right open. He told me he thinks there are only 3 key combos on Vette hatches and I had a 33% chance and won. Of course its snowing here now so the damn thing probably wont leave my garage for another month,
Hmmmm.....interesting.
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Old 03-01-2009, 07:24 PM
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Originally Posted by GN1270
I just called my buddy who repos cars. He told me to take the key from the Yellow Vert and try to open the hatch of my Z06 with it. Sure enough the damn thing fit and it popped right open. He told me he thinks there are only 3 key combos on Vette hatches and I had a 33% chance and won. Of course its snowing here now so the damn thing probably wont leave my garage for another month,
That's scary...
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Old 03-01-2009, 07:34 PM
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RICH 28
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Hard to believe Chevy uses only three different keys. Don't leave any valuables inside. Too many people have the key.
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Old 03-01-2009, 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by RICH 28
Hard to believe Chevy uses only three different keys. Don't leave any valuables inside. Too many people have the key.
And most Corvette owners are gonna pilfer your - or my - Vette? I think you need serious therapy.

Besides, when all too many C6 owners don't even know there's a key slot back there, how many "distrustful" C5 owners are going to know?

Last edited by 4thC4at60; 03-01-2009 at 08:03 PM.
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Old 03-01-2009, 08:19 PM
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I'll bet that they just gave you the correct key for the car
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