[428goat]

Wife came back from the store and when she got out the horn beeped kind of funny she said.
She went out this evening to plug in the charger and the door would not open. No lights, horn nothing. No dash lights.
12V battery? Of so how do you get in without a battery to open the trunk?
Car runs great. First problem.
HELP.
Oh and the Chicago mechanics are on strike.

 

[freshcut]

There are jump terminals under the hood near the brake fluid reservoir. This can be used to apply 12V to the Volt and allow you to open the rear hatch to gain access to the battery. You should see the 12V+ terminal under a red cap with the + on it. The negative uses a grounding lug just to the right of the positive terminal. If you have your owners manual it should be on 10-69 or thereabout.

 

[Steverino]

You can fold-down the rear seats, crawl in the cargo area, pop the small square cover off the hatch. Insert a flat blade screw driver into the small square hole and turn to unlock the hatch.

 

[mvanzanten]

Yes, you can still open the rear hatch with a dead battery:

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...Battery-connections-FAQ&p=1985650#post1985650

 

[428goat]

Ok got the hood opened. Found the negative terminal. I opened the little latch where the positive terminal is supposed to be and there is a small threaded rod sticking up. Is this the positive terminal?
Just got my knee replaced 11 days ago so things are not easy to do. If that's the terminal can I put a small battery charger on it just to get things going.

 

[hellsop]

Ok got the hood opened. Found the negative terminal. I opened the little latch where the positive terminal is supposed to be and there is a small threaded rod sticking up. Is this the positive terminal?
Just got my knee replaced 11 days ago so things are not easy to do. If that's the terminal can I put a small battery charger on it just to get things going.

That's the jump port, yes. I wouldn't try charging the 12v from there, though. Instead, I'd attach a booster, turn on the car, remove booster, and let the normal 12v charging take over. You can then move the car to where you charge it, if necessary, and plug it in. That should keep ahead of the low 12v and after 30 minutes of sitting there with the car on, it'll be okay to turn the car off and let it finish charging. And then you get to start thinking about replacing the 12v, because a) it's probably the original unless you know it got replaced already, and b) this kind of thing is even rougher on AGMs than it is on regular flooded batteries and you've just sucked a year of its life away, Count Rugen. How do you feel?

 

[428goat]

Real stiff. Just got to around 84 degrees of bend so I guess that's good. Its not a easy operation. I was not going to charge the battery with the charger just enough of juice to get it up and going so I can get the trunk open. I would think the charger could do that. Just checked the records and its the original battery.

 

[DonC]

Given your medical situation, a knee replacement is not a walk in the park or even a hip replacement for that matter, I'd find someone who will replace the 12v for you. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Take it easy. The knee is should be your priority. Lyft or Uber are other possibilities for a short term fix, depending on where you are.

 

[KDerrig]

We just had same issue. Hubby tested and battery only had 7.6v so we bought new replacement from Chevy... same brand, ACDelco for $189.00. If you need to replace, make sure you get an AGM (absorbent glass mat) battery!

 

[428goat]

Thanks for all the help. My wife and I went under the hood and jumped it just enough to get the trunk open. We removed the battery and got another ACDelco from my local auto parts store that I used to drive for. He had a local distributor that could get the correct battery AMG. Could not get one from the dealers in the Chicago area because they are still on strike and I do not cross the picket lines. She used it today and had no problems.
Thanks again and the knee is bending a little more each day.