Possible dead battery, fob doesn't open car and manual locks don't work

[vyuen]

My fob doesn't work and it looks like it could be due to a dead battery. I tried to open the car manually using the key but it doesn't work, and now I'm stuck because I can't get in. What else can I do? Can I even jump start the car? I can't even tow it because the handbrake is engaged and I can't get inside the car to disengage.

[TheViper]

1) Get a new fob battery
2) Access the intertia switch white wire and put a 12V + supply on it and the doors will pop.
Emergency Unlock Switch – Easy Mod Pictorial - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community
For future reference, always carry the 2nd remote and a spare battery.
Cheers,
Michael

Originally Posted by vyuen

My fob doesn't work and it looks like it could be due to a dead battery. I tried to open the car manually using the key but it doesn't work, and now I'm stuck because I can't get in. What else can I do? Can I even jump start the car? I can't even tow it because the handbrake is engaged and I can't get inside the car to disengage.

[vyuen]

Originally Posted by TheViper

1) Get a new fob battery
2) Access the intertia switch white wire and put a 12V + supply on it and the doors will pop.
Emergency Unlock Switch – Easy Mod Pictorial - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community
For future reference, always carry the 2nd remote and a spare battery.
Cheers,
Michael

1) Sorry, I may have written it in such a way that the fob battery itself is dead. Rather the fob battery is fine but the car battery is dead
2) This fix is only good when the battery isn't dead and I'm not locked out

Any other ideas as to how I can open the doors?

[tesprit]

Originally Posted by vyuen

1) Sorry, I may have written it in such a way that the fob battery itself is dead. Rather the fob battery is fine but the car battery is dead
2) This fix is only good when the battery isn't dead and I'm not locked out

Any other ideas as to how I can open the doors?

Open the trunk lid/engine cover with your key (yes this will set off the alarm) and gain access to the battery. Attach a 12V source (another battery with jumper cables, jump pack, etc.) and now use your alarm fob to turn off the alarm and open the doors. Once you have the alarm and immobilizer off, recharge or replace your battery with a new one if it will not accept a charge. If you have an Exige, you can access the power posts under the forward access cover with your 12V jump leads and follow the same procedure.

[TheViper]

+1 Same thing happened to me yesterday. Remember, if you disconnect the battery with the alarm set on, the siren's back up battery will sound the siren.
Battery Choices & Information
Cheers,
Michael

Originally Posted by tesprit

Open the trunk lid/engine cover with your key (yes this will set off the alarm) and gain access to the battery. Attach a 12V source (another battery with jumper cables, jump pack, etc.) and now use your alarm fob to turn off the alarm and open the doors. Once you have the alarm and immobilizer off, recharge or replace your battery with a new one if it will not accept a charge. If you have an Exige, you can access the power posts under the forward access cover with your 12V jump leads and follow the same procedure.

[Kaliuzhkin]

Originally Posted by tesprit

Open the trunk lid/engine cover with your key (yes this will set off the alarm) and gain access to the battery. Attach a 12V source (another battery with jumper cables, jump pack, etc.) and now use your alarm fob to turn off the alarm and open the doors. Once you have the alarm and immobilizer off, recharge or replace your battery with a new one if it will not accept a charge. If you have an Exige, you can access the power posts under the forward access cover with your 12V jump leads and follow the same procedure.

I've found another step necessary - after attaching a 12V source. reset the system. Press both buttons on the fob for at least ten seconds / until the light goes out, release both buttons, and press the big button for 1 second.

I've been in this predicament twice , and am getting it down to a drill. I have an extra car battery and use that to turn off the alarm and unlock the doors.

[TheViper]

Interesting, I have never had the need to go though the step you mentioned.
I simply turn off the alarm and all is functioning normally .
What happens if you don't do it?
Cheers,
Michael

Originally Posted by Kaliuzhkin

I've found another step necessary - after attaching a 12V source. reset the system. Press both buttons on the fob for at least ten seconds / until the light goes out, release both buttons, and press the big button for 1 second.

I've been in this predicament twice , and am getting it down to a drill. I have an extra car battery and use that to turn off the alarm and unlock the doors.

[the1sen]

then the alarm goes into DVDA Mode, where it strands you and renders the car useless.

the alarm should be drawn and quartered.

[TheViper]

I now believe I have a way of disengaging the alarm/immobilizer while retaining the CDL.
Cheers,
Michael

[Kaliuzhkin]

Originally Posted by TheViper

I now believe I have a way of disengaging the alarm/immobilizer while retaining the CDL.
Cheers,
Michael

Yessss???? Do tell.

If I don't do that step, the fob has no effect on the alarm. It just keeps screaming. This is after I've substituted another battery.

[TheViper]

That's because it had switched to the back-up battery, and did not have enough power left in the car battery to turn off the alarm. Just turn off the alarm before disconnecting the battery.
Disconnecting the alarm/immobilizer is easy as long as you don't mind the CDL not working. Having the CDL still operable means a whole series of wiring mods that I am not sure many will want to attempt.
Michael

Originally Posted by Kaliuzhkin

Yessss???? Do tell.
If I don't do that step, the fob has no effect on the alarm. It just keeps screaming. This is after I've substituted another battery.

[the1sen]

Originally Posted by TheViper

Having the CDL still operable means a whole series of wiring mods that I am not sure many will want to attempt.
Michael

Viper - why not set the alarm to setting #12, no alarm when doors unlocked, no alarm when doors locked, alarm only goes off if you hit button #2. The alarm never arms the immobilizer, and the CDL work.

I would do it, but I can't seem to figure out how to program the damned alarm... It must be busy taking DVDA

[Kaliuzhkin]

Originally Posted by TheViper

That's because it had switched to the back-up battery, and did not have enough power left in the car battery to turn off the alarm. Just turn off the alarm before disconnecting the battery.
Disconnecting the alarm/immobilizer is easy as long as you don't mind the CDL not working. Having the CDL still operable means a whole series of wiring mods that I am not sure many will want to attempt.
Michael

No comprendre. Battery #1 is in the Elise and gets drained. Pressing the big fob button has no effect and the doors remain locked. Meanwhile, battery #2 is fully charged and waiting in the wings. I then disconnect battery #1, setting off the alarm, and install battery #2. You say to "turn off the alarm before disconnecting the battery." How do I turn off the alarm when battery #1 is dead and the fob buttons don't get any response?

The alarm continues to sound, but is quieter when neither battery is connected. You say "it . . . did not have enough power left in the car battery to turn off the alarm." At this point, we've got a fully charged battery, battery #2. That battery should have enough power. Well, I'm not sure anymore about the alarm. Maybe the fob does turn off the alarm. Regardless, the fob buttons don't unlock the doors. In order to unlock the doors I must press both buttons for 10 seconds. Then I can unlock the doors with the big button.

Please explain how to disconnect the alarm/immobilizer even with the CDL not working.

Thanks for all this information.

[vyuen]

Under the front access panels I think I've found the jump terminals next to the fuse box. I assume the +ve terminal is covered by a red rubber boot

[TheViper]

The remote will not switch off the alarm with a dead car battery. Because the system sensed the battery had been disconnected, it went into "tamper"mode and sounded the siren though the back up battery which can't be normally shut off. Your mistake is disconnecting battery #1, before connecting up battery #2. When the #1 battery goes dead, connect the #2 battery in parallel, just like you were going to jump start it, and at that point use your remote to turn off the alarm. Now you can disconnect battery #1 without the system switching to it's back up battery and sounding the alarm which you could previously not turn off.
To disconnect the alarm, simply pull the plug on the alarm module and splice the 2 pair of wires together at the immobilizer that go the the fuel pump and starter.
Cheers,
Michael

Originally Posted by Kaliuzhkin

No comprendre. Battery #1 is in the Elise and gets drained. Pressing the big fob button has no effect and the doors remain locked. Meanwhile, battery #2 is fully charged and waiting in the wings. I then disconnect battery #1, setting off the alarm, and install battery #2. You say to "turn off the alarm before disconnecting the battery." How do I turn off the alarm when battery #1 is dead and the fob buttons don't get any response?
The alarm continues to sound, but is quieter when neither battery is connected. You say "it . . . did not have enough power left in the car battery to turn off the alarm." At this point, we've got a fully charged battery, battery #2. That battery should have enough power. Well, I'm not sure anymore about the alarm. Maybe the fob does turn off the alarm. Regardless, the fob buttons don't unlock the doors. In order to unlock the doors I must press both buttons for 10 seconds. Then I can unlock the doors with the big button.
Please explain how to disconnect the alarm/immobilizer even with the CDL not working.
Thanks for all this information.

"Function N12" still arms the Alarm/Immobilizer when you press button "A" to lock the doors, and will respond to an alarm as normal. "Function N12" is simply programmed to stop the Immobilizer from passively arming.

Originally Posted by the1sen

Viper - why not set the alarm to setting #12, no alarm when doors unlocked, no alarm when doors locked, alarm only goes off if you hit button #2. The alarm never arms the immobilizer, and the CDL work.
I would do it, but I can't seem to figure out how to program the damned alarm... It must be busy taking DVDA

[Kaliuzhkin]

Here's another idea. When you lock the doors and arm the alarm using the fob, you can arm the alarm without the intrusion
sensor or battery interruption circuits being active.

According to the owner's manual, you do this by "arming the
system in the usual way with the transmitter larger button, and
within 20 seconds, pressing the smaller button twice." Owner's manual p.34.

So, if you expect to be draining the battery, say, by not driving the car for a week, you can arm the alarm this way and then when you do anything with the battery, you won't have the siren screaming.

[TheViper]

Not sure why you would sacrifice another level of security for the rare chance that you would have to remove the battery without having a back up available?
Cheers,
Michael

Originally Posted by Kaliuzhkin

Here's another idea. When you lock the doors and arm the alarm using the fob, you can arm the alarm without the intrusion
sensor or battery interruption circuits being active.

According to the owner's manual, you do this by "arming the
system in the usual way with the transmitter larger button, and
within 20 seconds, pressing the smaller button twice." Owner's manual p.34.

So, if you expect to be draining the battery, say, by not driving the car for a week, you can arm the alarm this way and then when you do anything with the battery, you won't have the siren screaming.

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by vyuen

My fob doesn't work and it looks like it could be due to a dead battery. I tried to open the car manually using the key but it doesn't work, and now I'm stuck because I can't get in.

Since no one else has mentioned it, I will.

The Elise actually has two separate door lock systems that are not dependent on each other. One is the central locking system - the alarm/fob remote door locks. The other is the key locks. Each of them lock the door in a different way, and one cannot "undo" the other's lock. If you lock with the fob, you can only unlock with the fob. The same for the key, if you use the key to lock the door, the fob cannot unlock it, only the key.

Note there is an exception to this - as already pointed out, there is a trick to jumper the inertia "impact" switch to cause the doors too unlock. The inertia switch activates a circuit in the case of a wreck to automatically unlock the power door locks - the trick is to jumper this circuit to power to unlock the doors.

But, if you have a dead car battery, the only way to get the doors open is to open the boot (the alarm may sound but it turns off after a couple of minutes) and jumper the batter with a good one. Then use the fob to unlock the doors. You might also need a new key fob battery as already pointed out by others.

[TheViper]

What seems happen Tim, is that with a low battery voltage, opening the "trunk" will NOT trigger an alarm .
Cheers,
Michael

Originally Posted by TimMullen

Since no one else has mentioned it, I will.

The Elise actually has two separate door lock systems that are not dependent on each other. One is the central locking system - the alarm/fob remote door locks. The other is the key locks. Each of them lock the door in a different way, and one cannot "undo" the other's lock. If you lock with the fob, you can only unlock with the fob. The same for the key, if you use the key to lock the door, the fob cannot unlock it, only the key.

Note there is an exception to this - as already pointed out, there is a trick to jumper the inertia "impact" switch to cause the doors too unlock. The inertia switch activates a circuit in the case of a wreck to automatically unlock the power door locks - the trick is to jumper this circuit to power to unlock the doors.

But, if you have a dead car battery, the only way to get the doors open is to open the boot (the alarm may sound but it turns off after a couple of minutes) and jumper the batter with a good one. Then use the fob to unlock the doors. You might also need a new key fob battery as already pointed out by others.

[Kaliuzhkin]

Originally Posted by TheViper

Not sure why you would sacrifice another level of security for the rare chance that you would have to remove the battery without having a back up available?
Cheers,
Michael

I don't know why but I was unable to get a connection using my jump starter cables. So I just replaced the dead battery and in the process, may have gone deaf. The advantage of this method is no screaming alarm. The disadvantage, as you noted, is a lower level of security.

(It's possible the jumpstart cables are defective.)

(Its also possible the alarm has a problem.)