cincykid

SO, I bought my 2006 and I DID NOT realize I was supposed to have gotten a magic key in case the battery died. SO, I go to my shop and realize the vette is completely dead. I have NO KEY. Thanks to this forum, I found a way to get your door unlocked with your FOB within about a few minutes as long as you have access to a battery charger. To repeat what was also menioned in this thread about using the fan wire, I didnt even try to look for the starter under the car since it was so tight. I jacked it up, put jack stands underneath for safety and rolled under the passenger side and saw the electric for the radiator fan right there in front of my face. I pulled the black connector off and of the 6 or so wires going into it, I traced the 2nd large red wire to the actual car and not to the fan. For the hell of it I placed the ground on the car from the car charger, took a small flat head screwdriver and gently slid it into the connector into the slot for the 2nd red wire, I attached the positive connector from the charger onto the screwdriver shaft, I plugged the charger into the wall and hit the door unlock on the FOB and saw the amps jump. I immediately jumped up and sure enough, the door was unlocked and opened up for me. I immediately unplugged the charger and dropped the car back down to work under the hood. Side Note: I DID have to reindex the windows to get them right. To reindex you simply roll the window all the way down, hold the button down for 3 seconds, and roll it all the way up and hold it for 3 seconds. THANK GOD for the forum. I really appreciate having a "go to" when this crap happens. Hopefully these terrible pics kind of help someone else. If anyone needs to call me and I walk you through it if you get stuck. 513 615-4800

usraptor

Thanks for sharing!!

vettedoogie

Wow, never saw that one before...congrats on getting in. Now go get yourself a key!

CH-Z51

Yep, I think that's a first.

vettedoogie

Yeah, frankly I wouldn't have had the ***** to try that one.

Hrdtop00

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think a "magic key" is required. On a 2006 there is a key receiver above the rear license plate & you use the door key to open the trunk.

PAmotorman

the key is in the end of the fob unless some left it out.

KX

VERY WRONG! There is no "door key", only the glove box/consul key which also fits the emergency hatch lock. I assume you meant to say glove box/consul key, yes!?

VET4LES

Next time make the connection on the solenoid.

America'sSportsCar

There is a hidden button above the rear license plate that when pushed, will open the rear hatch BUT it won't work if the car's battery is dead. Also, the fob has to be on you or near the rear hatch for the button to work.

The original poster said he didn't have the key. If he did have it, he could have used the key in the hidden lock, also above the rear license plate, (I think this is what you are talking about Hrdtop00) to open the hatch, then pull the door release tag to open the door. The OP probably knew that but he didn't have the key. That was a great McGyver-like trick he used with the jumper cables!

FortMorganAl

So, does the fan still work? Somehow I doubt it since that wire doesn't go to the battery. This cars are full of electronics. That wire goes to the fan control module which you may have destroyed. If you backfeed voltage into a control module you can cause it to short out making it appear that you provided current to the battery but you did it only through the molten silicon in the electronics of the module. This is the same reason you can't backfeed power from the tail lights. This isn't a 1950 Buick. Most of the wires in these cars goes to an electronic relay of some kind. You can NOT backfeed electronic modules. Usually a diode will make sure current doesn't flow that direction. If current does flow it will usually cause significant damage.

Next time USE THE STARTER SOLENOID!!! That is the only easily accessible heavy wire that goes directly to the positive terminal of the battery.

RadarP3C

Good advice.

To the op; glad you were able to get in the car and hopefully did not do any electrically damage.

To the poster that remarked that a key was at the end of the fob; the op said he has a 06 model. That year's fob did not include a key. It is a separate key just like the ones you put on a key ring.

cincykid

And yes, it is a 2006, so no key in the fob. And I didnt receive a key from the original owner. I DO have a warranty on the car so.... Also, drove the car last night for awhile after I replaced the battery and had no issues at all. I am taking it in for an oil change to my local shop (one of my friends owns it) and will have him check the fan. I figured someone would come back and tell me I detroyed something on here. I am going to have them check to see if anything is draining the battery also. I wonder if one of my 12v battery tenders for one of my motorcycles would work on the car battery. I ended up going with the yellowtop Optima. You would have thought I just walked in with a million dollars when other people at the counter saw i was paying $170 for a battery. Funny, people settle for putting cheap crap in their cars, guess thats why they are always lined up with their hoods open at the autozones and pepboys. On a side note for batteries lasting on older cars, I had a buddy I lived with in an apartment about 20 years ago who left his Honda VFR sitting outside (in the snow, rain, etc) all winter and in spring, he literally went outside, took about 4 times to do it but it started up. I was like wth??????? Anyway, have to get back to acting like I am working.

3 Z06ZR1

People settle for the cheap junk at Autozone,
but your macho with a Optima 170.00 battery?
Better use the battery tender on that overated overpriced peice!

Wayne O

This reminds me why I always carry the car key attached to the fob. Besides, I don't have a battery charger...my work-a-round to get into a dead, locked C6 involves a rock.

PS I generally prefer to go with the best but I don't use Optima batteries. I know and trust an older man who works at an auto parts store where they sell all kinds of batteries (including Optima). In his opinion, based on all the batteries he sees returned daily, the Optima isn't worth the price. I've had satisfactory results using cheap ($100) batteries in all my cars. With my C6 I've never used a battery tender and even after letting the car sit idle for weeks on end it always fires right up...I've never had a starting problem.

RadarP3C

Yes, one of your 12v MC battery tenders will work on a car battery also and I'd suggest making sure it has some sort of overcharge protection. I wouldn't want to ruin $170.00 battery.

fmarshall

That there's pretty funny, I don't care who you are.
-- Larry the Cable Guy