Frozen and dead. Help!

Here's a new one for ya...
The truck was parked for about 3 weeks in temperatures ranging from -20c to -52c (north west Canada). So long story short, everything's frozen and the battery is real dead.

So here's my conundrum:
The key fob is obviously doing nothing to unlock the doors. The key itself goes into the driver's door and turns but doesn't appear to be unlocking the mechanism. Even if it is, there is still no internal movement when i pull the door latch. FROZEN! Absolutely nothing going on in there. I'd try the other doors but I need electricity to power the locks.

So... battery!
If I cant access the cab I can't open the hood to access the battery.

Does anyone here know of another charging source that we can access that allows at least enough power to run the door locks? I need a way into that hood!

Thanks in advance for the help.

J

 

Use a lighter to warm your key, then insert it.

The hood can be opened from underneath but it should be in a warm shop to try that, it takes a little finesse.

I've boosted from the starter, but it takes long skinny leads, and I wouldn't want to try it outside of a shop either.

 

Shit, where in NW Canada? I am in GP, not that I can help you get into the truck but we are experiencing some cold weather here and I have never had an issue with the truck and what you are experiencing.

 

Sounds like you’re waiting till Summer or you need a baseball and a bat.

 

I'd just go trent a frost fighter and a tarp. Throw the tarp(s) over the truck and fire up the frost fighter.

 

you might be able to get jumper cable on the positive cable on the starter and then ground somewhere on the frame. Just have to make sure nothing touches the positive...

 

Squirt some vodka in the lock cyl

 

Frozen and dead. Help!

This is no place to discuss your sex life!



I'll see myself out...

 

sounds like you need to move to a warmer place

 

Anyone familiar with the live wire off the starter?

 

The suggestion of jumping the truck via the starter post makes no sense. If you can't get in the truck, you can't turn the key to on, so the truck can't start even if you could access the starter.

There are a lot easier ways to burn your truck down to collect insurance money.

Call a flat bed wrecker and have it hauled to a heated garage. It's your only option unless you want to tent it and heat it.

 

Locksmith?

 

The power through the starter trick is just to provide electricity for the door locks. Once inside I can pop the hood, add a secure cable to the battery and key to the ignition

The real suprise to me is that there isnt a way to open the hood from outside.

 

Any chance your truck has the RV trailer plug? You could back feed and charge thru the always hot port.

 

You are my hero!!
Well... you will be if it works.
I'll try it in the morning!

 

This might sound like a really dump question, but did you try to turn the key both ways? The only reason I ask, is I've had a similar problem and was only turning the key one direction (into the lock position). Once I tried turning it the correct way the door unlocked.

 

Put a big tarp over the truck with a heater blowing into it.

 

I can only guess what ever lube is on the door linkage is so stiff nothing will move.

electric locks can be opened with the battery removed from the system .

With the door unlocked with the door frozen to the gasket Pull the handle to open the door no pressure gently pry with a screw driver or pocket knife I pop my door open all the time like that

then Seldom are my doors locked for weeks on end

 

I was thinking the same thing, however on a lot of the trucks now adays that 12v goes to a relay and only works when ignition is on. If that’s the case then this will do you no good as the circuit will be isolated. So the starter motor might be the only other way.


However is your key cylinder is frozen they do make de-over you can spray in the cylinder to free it up. I would go this route first as if you can open the door you can get the hood open and jump it directly from the battery. However being that cold, with a low battery, it’s possible the electrolytes neutralized and the acid froze and potentially cracked the battery. So you may need a replacement