[xj40] Opening Trunk to Jump Dead XJ6

XJ40
1

I am unable to open the trunk to jump start a dead '96 XJ-6. Trunk
lid is locked and keyless entry doesn’t work.

Please suggest a way to open the trunk or jump the car from under
the front hood.

Many thanks.–
Richard McGowan / 89 XJ-S Coupe
East Lansing, MI, United States
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2

In reply to a message from Richard McGowan / 89 XJ-S Coupe sent Sat 13 Nov 2004:

Richard,

Have you got a portable power pack? If so, plug it into the cigar
lighter and she’ll start. If not, in the engine compartment,
IIRC,there are 2 positive posts. You can jump start from one of
these.

Gary–
The original message included these comments:

I am unable to open the trunk to jump start a dead '96 XJ-6. Trunk
lid is locked and keyless entry doesn’t work.
Please suggest a way to open the trunk or jump the car from under
the front hood.

–
gary breyer
london, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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3

In reply to a message from Richard McGowan / 89 XJ-S Coupe sent Sat 13 Nov 2004:

Forgot to ask, why can’t you open trunk with the key?

Gary–
The original message included these comments:

I am unable to open the trunk to jump start a dead '96 XJ-6. Trunk
lid is locked and keyless entry doesn’t work.
Please suggest a way to open the trunk or jump the car from under
the front hood.

–
gary breyer
london, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

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4

In reply to a message from gary breyer sent Sun 14 Nov 2004:

Will that work on our XJ40s without blowing a fuse in the cigar
lighter circuit?

I ask because on my car, the cigar lighters won’t work unless the
ignition is switched ON - i.e. the key in position (II). I believe
it is therefore not possible to charge a flat battery through the
cigar lighter sockets - presumably you would not try to do that
with the ignition ON??

If that is correct, wouldn’t trying to jump-start a car with a flat
battery by using a power pack plugged in to the cigar lighter
impose the full starter motor current on to that circuit and fry
something?

Am I right or wrong - and/or am I more confused than usual?

I think on cars with the battery in the boot, I would prefer to use
the jump-start terminal post that Jag provided under the hood for
its intended purpose.–
The original message included these comments:

Have you got a portable power pack? If so, plug it into the cigar
lighter and she’ll start. If not, in the engine compartment,
IIRC,there are 2 positive posts. You can jump start from one of
these.

–
Bryan N ('91 Sovereign 4.0 L)
Cambridge, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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5

Bryan

I think you are right, I certainly would not try to jump start my Jaguar
thro’ the cigar lighter!

Norman
'94 XJ6 4.0S

Bryan N wrote:

In reply to a message from gary breyer sent Sun 14 Nov 2004:

Will that work on our XJ40s without blowing a fuse in the cigar
lighter circuit?

I ask because on my car, the cigar lighters won’t work unless the
ignition is switched ON - i.e. the key in position (II). I believe
it is therefore not possible to charge a flat battery through the
cigar lighter sockets - presumably you would not try to do that
with the ignition ON??

If that is correct, wouldn’t trying to jump-start a car with a flat
battery by using a power pack plugged in to the cigar lighter
impose the full starter motor current on to that circuit and fry
something?

Am I right or wrong - and/or am I more confused than usual?

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6

I would expect that to be the case, but it should be able to allow the boot
lock to operate, and thus open the boot. Thus achieving the desired effect.

Stewart----- Original Message -----
From: “Bryan N” sophistic@btopenworld.com
To: xj40@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2004 7:55 AM
Subject: Re: [xj40] Opening Trunk to Jump Dead XJ6

In reply to a message from gary breyer sent Sun 14 Nov 2004:

Will that work on our XJ40s without blowing a fuse in the cigar
lighter circuit?

I ask because on my car, the cigar lighters won’t work unless the
ignition is switched ON - i.e. the key in position (II). I believe
it is therefore not possible to charge a flat battery through the
cigar lighter sockets - presumably you would not try to do that
with the ignition ON??

If that is correct, wouldn’t trying to jump-start a car with a flat
battery by using a power pack plugged in to the cigar lighter
impose the full starter motor current on to that circuit and fry
something?

Am I right or wrong - and/or am I more confused than usual?

I think on cars with the battery in the boot, I would prefer to use
the jump-start terminal post that Jag provided under the hood for
its intended purpose.

The original message included these comments:

Have you got a portable power pack? If so, plug it into the cigar
lighter and she’ll start. If not, in the engine compartment,
IIRC,there are 2 positive posts. You can jump start from one of
these.

–
Bryan N ('91 Sovereign 4.0 L)
Cambridge, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting
services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On
Line Books and more !

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !

7

I think the point was to provide current to allow the electric trunk
release to work.
You don’t try to boost the car through the lighter. Most cigarette lighter
circuits are live in the
run and accessory positions.

They do sell battery chargers which plug into the cigarette lighter. They
only are trickle chargers and
limit themselves to about 2amps. This is handy for cars which sit unused for
long periods of time.

My booster pack comes with a cable with a lighter plug on both ends so the
pack can be recharged by a
running car. However I am sure it would also work fine to energize the cars
electronics enough to allow the door locks to work.

However if you have terminals under the hood for boosting it makes more to
use them when available.----- Original Message -----
From: “Norman Watkins” norman@norman-watkins.fsnet.co.uk
To: xj40@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2004 3:57 AM
Subject: Re: [xj40] Opening Trunk to Jump Dead XJ6

Bryan

I think you are right, I certainly would not try to jump start my Jaguar
thro’ the cigar lighter!

Norman
'94 XJ6 4.0S

Bryan N wrote:

In reply to a message from gary breyer sent Sun 14 Nov 2004:

Will that work on our XJ40s without blowing a fuse in the cigar
lighter circuit?

I ask because on my car, the cigar lighters won’t work unless the
ignition is switched ON - i.e. the key in position (II). I believe
it is therefore not possible to charge a flat battery through the
cigar lighter sockets - presumably you would not try to do that
with the ignition ON??

If that is correct, wouldn’t trying to jump-start a car with a flat
battery by using a power pack plugged in to the cigar lighter
impose the full starter motor current on to that circuit and fry
something?

Am I right or wrong - and/or am I more confused than usual?

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting
services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On
Line Books and more !

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !

8

In reply to a message from David Boarder sent Sun 14 Nov 2004:

Dave,

My comment was in response to the original suggestion that one
could start the car via the cigar lighter socket.

I agree that ordinarily you could trickle charge a battery via the
cigar lighter socket, certainly sufficient to operate the central
locking system, but on my XJ40, you would need the ignition ON with
the key in position (II) to open the cigar lighter circuit.

Are you saying that this is not so on your XJ40 and that you can
trickle charge the battery on your car via the lighter socket?–
The original message included these comments:

I think the point was to provide current to allow the electric trunk
release to work.
You don’t try to boost the car through the lighter. Most cigarette lighter
circuits are live in the
run and accessory positions.
They do sell battery chargers which plug into the cigarette lighter. They
only are trickle chargers and
limit themselves to about 2amps. This is handy for cars which sit unused for
long periods of time.
My booster pack comes with a cable with a lighter plug on both ends so the

–
Bryan N ('91 Sovereign 4.0 L)
Cambridge, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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9

No I never had the need to charge through the cigar lighter socket. As
others have
noted and as my manual seems to indicate the Jaguar does not energize the
lighter circuit except in the
on position of the switch. Even with the ignition on it would be perfectly
okay to energize the electronics with a booster pack with the sole purpose
of opening the electronic locks. However it would not be very useful to try
to charge the battery that way.

I guess as cars get more and more modern they try harder and harder to
protect the owners from themselves. All of my previous cars have energized
the cigarette lighters in the accessory position. Some even leave the
lighter socket live all the time. Of course will allow the owner to run the
battery flat with accessories if they are not paying attention but it can
also be rather convenient.----- Original Message -----
From: “Bryan N” sophistic@btopenworld.com
To: xj40@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2004 8:24 AM
Subject: Re: [xj40] Opening Trunk to Jump Dead XJ6

In reply to a message from David Boarder sent Sun 14 Nov 2004:

Dave,

My comment was in response to the original suggestion that one
could start the car via the cigar lighter socket.

I agree that ordinarily you could trickle charge a battery via the
cigar lighter socket, certainly sufficient to operate the central
locking system, but on my XJ40, you would need the ignition ON with
the key in position (II) to open the cigar lighter circuit.

Are you saying that this is not so on your XJ40 and that you can
trickle charge the battery on your car via the lighter socket?

The original message included these comments:

I think the point was to provide current to allow the electric trunk
release to work.
You don’t try to boost the car through the lighter. Most cigarette
lighter
circuits are live in the
run and accessory positions.
They do sell battery chargers which plug into the cigarette lighter.
They
only are trickle chargers and
limit themselves to about 2amps. This is handy for cars which sit unused
for
long periods of time.
My booster pack comes with a cable with a lighter plug on both ends so
the

–
Bryan N ('91 Sovereign 4.0 L)
Cambridge, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting
services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On
Line Books and more !

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !

10

In reply to a message from David Boarder sent Sun 14 Nov 2004:

Dave,

The subject of trickle charging the battery on a little used car is
of increasing interest to me and and it would have been convenient
to do that via an ‘always hot’ cigar lighter in my case, simply
because of the limitations of my ‘built in’ garage.

The garage is only one inch longer than the XJ40 so I have to park
with the nose hard against the back wall and as close as possible
to the left wall (the side where the battery is on my RHD car).
Furthermore, the bonnet of the car is underneath a ‘mezzanine
floor’-type storeage area which I had to install to create some
decent storeage space and still get two cars, a workbench, a tool
chest, a washer, a drier, a fridge and a freezer in there - and I
can’t extend the garage (building regs etc!)!

Consequently I can’t open the bonnet or easily get access to the
battery on the left side of the Jag to clip on a charger. I
remember reading on these forums some while ago about someone who
had ‘hard-wired’ an ‘always hot’ socket attached to the battery and
exiting around the front bumper so that on parking the car, they
simply plugged in a trickle charger to keep the battery topped up.
I’m thinking about doing something similar but I’ll have to mount
the socket somewhere near the front right jacking point so that I
can plug in the charger before I put the other car in the garage.

I suppose if I hang the charger on the rain gutter above the
driver’s door, that should be sufficient warning to stop me driving
out with the charger still plugged in! :slight_smile:

What other security measures should I take? A fused circuit for
example, hermetically sealed socket?–
The original message included these comments:

No I never had the need to charge through the cigar lighter socket. As
others have
I guess as cars get more and more modern they try harder and harder to
protect the owners from themselves. All of my previous cars have energized
the cigarette lighters in the accessory position. Some even leave the
lighter socket live all the time. Of course will allow the owner to run the
battery flat with accessories if they are not paying attention but it can
also be rather convenient.

–
Bryan N ('91 Sovereign 4.0 L)
Cambridge, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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11

It would certainly possible to wire a “always on” socket to the outside of
the car.
A good socket might be one like used on trailer lighting (not the flat
ribbon connectors).
These have a real socket with a spring loaded cover. I think you can even
get break away connectors
which would unplug themselves should you forget to unplug it. Or if you were
creative you could rig it up
so that the car will not start unless the charger is unplugged.

Even better might be to permanently mount the charger in the trunk and just
run the cable out.

Of course it would also be possible to rewire one of the cigarette lighters
so that it is always on.

In either case ensure that the lines are adequately fused.----- Original Message -----
From: “Bryan N” sophistic@btopenworld.com
To: xj40@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2004 9:47 AM
Subject: Re: [xj40] Opening Trunk to Jump Dead XJ6

In reply to a message from David Boarder sent Sun 14 Nov 2004:

Dave,

The subject of trickle charging the battery on a little used car is
of increasing interest to me and and it would have been convenient
to do that via an ‘always hot’ cigar lighter in my case, simply
because of the limitations of my ‘built in’ garage.

The garage is only one inch longer than the XJ40 so I have to park
with the nose hard against the back wall and as close as possible
to the left wall (the side where the battery is on my RHD car).
Furthermore, the bonnet of the car is underneath a ‘mezzanine
floor’-type storeage area which I had to install to create some
decent storeage space and still get two cars, a workbench, a tool
chest, a washer, a drier, a fridge and a freezer in there - and I
can’t extend the garage (building regs etc!)!

Consequently I can’t open the bonnet or easily get access to the
battery on the left side of the Jag to clip on a charger. I
remember reading on these forums some while ago about someone who
had ‘hard-wired’ an ‘always hot’ socket attached to the battery and
exiting around the front bumper so that on parking the car, they
simply plugged in a trickle charger to keep the battery topped up.
I’m thinking about doing something similar but I’ll have to mount
the socket somewhere near the front right jacking point so that I
can plug in the charger before I put the other car in the garage.

I suppose if I hang the charger on the rain gutter above the
driver’s door, that should be sufficient warning to stop me driving
out with the charger still plugged in! :slight_smile:

What other security measures should I take? A fused circuit for
example, hermetically sealed socket?

The original message included these comments:

No I never had the need to charge through the cigar lighter socket. As
others have
I guess as cars get more and more modern they try harder and harder to
protect the owners from themselves. All of my previous cars have
energized
the cigarette lighters in the accessory position. Some even leave the
lighter socket live all the time. Of course will allow the owner to run
the
battery flat with accessories if they are not paying attention but it
can
also be rather convenient.

–
Bryan N ('91 Sovereign 4.0 L)
Cambridge, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting
services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On
Line Books and more !

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !