Driver's Door Won't Unlock

Well, after about a year or so I’ve decided to get Sporty, my 2002 Sport Edition XJ8, out of mothballs. For those who don’t know her story, I bought her as a non-runner on Ebay a few years ago from one of those charity car auctions. Had several mechanic friends take a shot at her to figure out why she won’t start, and then when, one of them finally got her running (was apparently a crimped fuel intake line issue),within a half hour her transmission went noisily to smitherneens. I bought a replacement transmission, but when the transmission shop went to start her up before r/ring the trannys one of her timing chains broke. Talk about horrible luck. :cry: So she has been sitting in a parking lot ever since, waiting for me to get her a timing chain replacement kit and a good tech to do the necessary work.

When I went to use my key to unlock and open Sporty’s driver’s door yesterday, however, it wouldn’t budge. The key turned normally and the “pop up” button moved upward like it should, but it’s like the door latch remains locked (and yes, the other doors are locked as well). I know it would do no good to use the remote, as the car battery is long dead and even if I put another battery in the boot I believe I would need to re-synchronize the remote to the car’s system in order for it to work again, which requires I be inside the car. Ugh! :confounded:

Any ideas? I am wondering if maybe I do put a battery in anyway that might give the locking mechanism a little extra “boost” when I use the key . :thinking:.

Well prior to the hammer through the window or the big pry bars I would surely put a battery in and try!

Paul you can open the boot one way or the other and it’s worth just putting the battery on charge in situ as that may just operate the dead locking and even the remotes may still work.

We’ll hook her up then and see what happens < fingers crossed > Thanks guys.

Can we reach a positive terminal by jacking up the front and going underneath there to attach jumper cables?

Well, fortunately the trunk does unlock w. the key (unlike the problem I was having earlier with Harlem) … phew! :disappointed_relieved: