VE Commodore. Battery is disconnected. Can't get into the car. Even the manual key won't unlock it.

[NB66]

VE Commodore. Battery is disconnected. Can't get into the car. Even the manual key won't unlock it.

The mechanic disconnected the battery to clear the ECU memory and he locked the car. Now he can't get into the car even using the key in the drivers side door.

How do you unlock it ??? ;o)

 

[Fu Manchu]

The ECU memory does not get cleared. It will still retain the data. Only minimal functions are affected by battery disconnect.

Clearing stored data is only done using a high end bi-directional scan tool.

Disconnecting and doing a full capacitor discharge will mean some modules reload and niggly things like a glitch can be rectified.

 

[Jeda]

Get underneath the car and connect to the starter motor and ground. Then pop the boot with the remote and access the battery

 

[Fu Manchu]

Hoping the positive terminal isn’t loose in the back touching metal.

 

[lmoengnr]

The key should unlock it manually, but it takes a bit of force.

 

[Fu Manchu]

The key should unlock it manually, but it takes a bit of force.

By force, do you mean taping the key to a brick?

 

[lmoengnr]

By force, do you mean taping the key to a brick?

No, just enough force to override the lock actuator.
It feels like quite a bit if you haven't done it before.

 

[NB66]

No, just enough force to override the lock actuator.
It feels like quite a bit if you haven't done it before.

The mechanic disconnected the battery via the red terminal in the engine bay, not in the boot. PS. Tried the manual key clockwise and counter clockwise with force lifting the door handle and still it won't unlock. Note: He has tried to pop the bonnet so he can reconnect the battery via the front positive terminal but he can't pop the bonnet!!!

 

[Fu Manchu]

????
The battery is in the boot!

Disconnecting just the cable in the engine bay and not at the battery is straight out dangerous. That post exists almost solely for access to positive to jump start the car with a suitable battery pack.

So some systems will have power via the battery and others won’t. This will be why the key is not playing and might be the security system has deadlocked the doors.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Isolating the battery should always be done with negative terminal first at the battery.