How can I get into the truck if the physical lock is broken and the 12V battery is dead?

[chl]

Someone didn't read the thread.

Oh I read it a while ago and forgot his spinning lock problem...my bad!

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[Chaldaean]

All, thank you very much for your help with this. I was able to unlock the truck by:
(1) Removing the wheel/tire
(2) Removing the wheel well liner
(3) Locating the underside of the positive jump terminal (it's not possible to access the top of this terminal as there is a red plastic cover on it and there isn't enough room to remove/hinge the cover out of the way) and making contact with a long metal probe. I used a random piece of round stock and insulated most of it with electrical tape (a long screwdriver would probably work).
(4) Locating some sort of chassis ground - I used a bolt nearby the standard negative jump location (see "In Lieu Of" bolt in the images below), but there's probably a much easier ground somewhere. I had a SlimJim that I had tried to use to unlock the door that I used as a conductor/probe.
(5) Applying external 12VDC to the jump terminals (I used another AGM battery, but a booster pack or a wall charger would work, too).
(6) When the vehicle powers up (which is pretty much instantly), hit the "door unlock" button on the key fob
(7) Remove the external 12VDC power
(8) Use the manual frunk release cable in the driver's foot area to open the frunk
(9) Charge the truck's 12V battery and cross your fingers that this situation never arises again

 

[chl]

This may sound crazy, but...if he could reach up int the 12v battery compartment from below and find the positive terminal and connect a jumper clamp to it, then a negative clamp to a frame part he could jump it and unlock it.

There is a lot of open space under the battery compartment so it might be possible.

UPDATE: ok he did something similar to that and got it open, super!

Now what he did is going into my folder of fixes!

 

[Al_V]

All, thank you very much for your help with this. I was able to unlock the truck by:
(1) Removing the wheel/tire
(2) Removing the wheel well liner
(3) Locating the underside of the positive jump terminal (it's not possible to access the top of this terminal as there is a red plastic cover on it and there isn't enough room to remove/hinge the cover out of the way) and making contact with a long metal probe. I used a random piece of round stock and insulated most of it with electrical tape (a long screwdriver would probably work).
(4) Locating some sort of chassis ground - I used a bolt nearby the standard negative jump location (see "In Lieu Of" bolt in the images below), but there's probably a much easier ground somewhere. I had a SlimJim that I had tried to use to unlock the door that I used as a conductor/probe.
(5) Applying external 12VDC to the jump terminals (I used another AGM battery, but a booster pack or a wall charger would work, too).
(6) When the vehicle powers up (which is pretty much instantly), hit the "door unlock" button on the key fob
(7) Remove the external 12VDC power
(8) Use the manual frunk release cable in the driver's foot area to open the frunk
(9) Charge the truck's 12V battery and cross your fingers that this situation never arises again

Well done, now we all have a step by step procedure.

 

[chl]

Charge the truck's 12V battery and cross your fingers that this situation never arises again

With a battery maintainer on the 12v as often as possible, this should never happen or only after many, many years of reliable use!

 

[flyct]

@Chaldaean

Now get the door lock repaired.

I had similar issue. My neighbor sent me a text that my hazard light were flashing. The app sent me a notification Vehicle in Battery Saver Mode and alarm was triggered.

I was at home. When I got to the truck in the driveway It opened with the door post keypad. When I entered the truck the interior lights stayed off. The 12v Battery voltage was very low per my Camscanner app. I attributed it to the BlueTooth OBDII device was left plugged in and drained the battery.

That was 6 months ago and it hasn't repeated this again since I now no longer leave the OBD device plugged in.

 

[chriserx]

With a battery maintainer on the 12v as often as possible, this should never happen or only after many, many years of reliable use!

not to mention you prolly could 'jump' it from the same cable.... I wonder what the 12v power on draw is....

 

[potato]

So is it actually impossible to use a slim jim, or just that the guy who tried wasn't skilled enough? Seems like that ought to be the easiest.

 

[Chaldaean]

So is it actually impossible to use a slim jim, or just that the guy who tried wasn't skilled enough? Seems like that ought to be the easiest.

The Ford Roadside Tech was unsuccessful SlimJimming the driver door. However, I read that the rear doors are easier. I tried, but failed.

 

[dww]

All, thank you very much for your help with this. I was able to unlock the truck by:
(1) Removing the wheel/tire
(2) Removing the wheel well liner
(3) Locating the underside of the positive jump terminal (it's not possible to access the top of this terminal as there is a red plastic cover on it and there isn't enough room to remove/hinge the cover out of the way) and making contact with a long metal probe. I used a random piece of round stock and insulated most of it with electrical tape (a long screwdriver would probably work).
(4) Locating some sort of chassis ground - I used a bolt nearby the standard negative jump location (see "In Lieu Of" bolt in the images below), but there's probably a much easier ground somewhere. I had a SlimJim that I had tried to use to unlock the door that I used as a conductor/probe.
(5) Applying external 12VDC to the jump terminals (I used another AGM battery, but a booster pack or a wall charger would work, too).
(6) When the vehicle powers up (which is pretty much instantly), hit the "door unlock" button on the key fob
(7) Remove the external 12VDC power
(8) Use the manual frunk release cable in the driver's foot area to open the frunk
(9) Charge the truck's 12V battery and cross your fingers that this situation never arises again

Great work and thank you for the write up! Does the physical key still spin with the 12v charged? Did you happen to check the resting voltage of the battery after jumping it?

 

[K6CCC]

Glad you got it working - quite the adventure.

Reading this tells me to walk out and test the physical lock in the door to make sure it works. Since I carry the fob, I always have a physical key available.

 

[chriserx]

The Ford Roadside Tech was unsuccessful SlimJimming the driver door. However, I read that the rear doors are easier. I tried, but failed.

Ya know, the more I think about this, the more it bothers me. I've never seen a pro start out with the drivers door, and only once was even a front door. In my experience it was always a last resort. Granted 99% of my experience with locksmiths was in the early aughts with a not insignificant portion of vehicles without power locks. Just seems strange.

 

[chl]

not to mention you prolly could 'jump' it from the same cable.... I wonder what the 12v power on draw is....

The NOCO GENIUS1 trickles at 1A, so not really a "jump" type charger/maintainer.

The jump draw is probably substantially higher, likely too high for the 16AWG SAE cord used. In standard ICE cars it can be in the hundreds of amps but they have to be able to turn a big ICE engine with it. The Lightning should be less, but haven't seen any data on that - would be interesting I agree t know.

My goal with having the maintainer is to never have to jump start the truck because the battery will be at 100% SOC when not in use.

 

[chl]

Ya know, the more I think about this, the more it bothers me. I've never seen a pro start out with the drivers door, and only once was even a front door. In my experience it was always a last resort. Granted 99% of my experience with locksmiths was in the early aughts with a not insignificant portion of vehicles without power locks. Just seems strange.

Car thieves could probably do it in a few seconds somehow...locks only seem to keep honest people out!

 

[Chaldaean]

Can you post a video of the physical lock spinning?

Here you go!

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