Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi

December 8, 2005 10:30 PM

There are several inches of snow on the ground. My keys are locked inside my 1998 Chrysler Cirrus. The engine is running. No help will arrive for three hours. Any suggestions?

I've got a wire hanger, but after a few minutes of trying, wasn't able to accomplish anything useful.

posted by ludwig_van to travel & transportation (49 comments total)

Can you pop the hood latch (possibly with the wire hanger), and then kill the engine from there?
posted by I Love Tacos at 10:36 PM on December 8, 2005

In general, and not knowing anything about the doors on a 98 Cirrus, I'd say keep trying. In my experience, the key to wire-hangering a car door is persistence.

But also keep in mind that messing in a car door with a hanger can cause serious trouble in newer models. Or so I'm told.
posted by mediareport at 10:36 PM on December 8, 2005

I *think* you can stall a car by shoving a heavy cloth into the exhaust pipe (if you can do that safely). Might save you some gas and a trip to refill the tank.
posted by precipice at 10:37 PM on December 8, 2005

If you can pop the hood, you could pull off the thick wire that runs into the center of the distributor. The engine will shut off.
posted by Marky at 10:38 PM on December 8, 2005

Second cut: Open the hood, remove the air cleaner and hold a rag over the air intake. This should choke the engine off.
posted by Marky at 10:39 PM on December 8, 2005

Er, you might want to get someone else to confirm my suggestion before trying it. I did this to a Volkswagen once, but it was many years ago and I could have the instructions wrong.
posted by precipice at 10:40 PM on December 8, 2005

Can you describe how to turn off the engine in more detail? I'm afraid of messing around in there.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:40 PM on December 8, 2005

Can't you get zapped by yanking that ignition wire while the car is running? I'd just let the car run, unless you're low on gas, 3 hours of idling probably won't run you out.
posted by knave at 10:43 PM on December 8, 2005

Courtesy of the trip computer on my new car, I've gotten about 5.5 hours of driving out of a half-tank (ca. 6 gallons) of gas on a car being driven at about 20mpg. About the worst that happens from running out of gas, in any case, is that you get whatever sediment from the bottom of the tank through the works - not a big deal at all to have happen once.
posted by kcm at 10:45 PM on December 8, 2005

I'd be extremely wary of tinkering under the hood of your automobile on the say-so of strangers on the internet. Actually, check that: I wouldn't be "wary." I wouldn't do it. Ever. Under any circumstances.

I know absolutely nothing about automotive mechanics, but it seems to me that cars run out of gas every day and it's probably relatively simple to fix. People intentionally choking their cars by stuffing rags and yanking wires, on the other hand, seems like it carries potential of rendering far more costly damage.
posted by cribcage at 10:52 PM on December 8, 2005

I'm afraid I'm going to break my door. Man. I sure wish this hadn't happened.
posted by ludwig_van at 11:12 PM on December 8, 2005

I did the same damn thing once, only it wasn't snowing, I was nowhere near home, my car was parked illegally on the drive to a power substation, and my clutch cable had just broken.

Good luck!
posted by Good Brain at 11:20 PM on December 8, 2005

On another forum, they suggest pulling out the spark plug wires and they also mentioned blocking the air intake as Marky suggested.

Good luck!
posted by platinum at 11:31 PM on December 8, 2005

Open the hood and pull some of the spark plug wires. The engine will die.
posted by frogan at 11:34 PM on December 8, 2005

Why do you care so much about stopping the car? You use VERY little gas when idling, I would expect that even if idling for 4 hours you would barely see a dent in the gas gauge.

Do NOT go mucking around with spark plug wires. They carry high voltages, in the order of tens of thousands of volts. If you inadvertently cause a path where one discharges across your chest or heart you will be in some serious trouble.
posted by Rhomboid at 11:38 PM on December 8, 2005

>> They carry high voltages, in the order of tens of thousands of volts.

Which is why they're insulated.

But yeah, who cares if it's running...
posted by frogan at 11:51 PM on December 8, 2005

Yes. Just let it run out of gas. I don't know who you've called, but most roadside assistance services carry additional gas they can help you out with.
posted by scarabic at 11:56 PM on December 8, 2005

As an owner of older Volkwagens and Volvos, I could never let my cars idle that long as they would overheat--even in sub-zero.

My inclination would be to yank the cord that runs from the coil to the distributor.

Note I said inclination. IANAM, though I would do this without hesitation and I'm sure my mechanic would also.
posted by sourwookie at 12:07 AM on December 9, 2005

I've locked myself out similarly, and killed the engine by fiddling with the auto-shutdown relay, but I certainly wouldn't try to talk somebody through that on a car I've never seen, through the Internte.

Blocking the air intake would be trivial, once you popped the hood.

It's all a bit for naught though, since your engine probably idles less than a gallon per hour. You won't run out of gas unless you were already on E.
posted by I Love Tacos at 12:15 AM on December 9, 2005

As an owner of older Volkwagens and Volvos, I could never let my cars idle that long as they would overheat--even in sub-zero

this is dumb, and irrelevant. a '98 cirrus is most definitely water-cooled and most definitely has a radiator fan. it wouldn't overheat at idle on a summer day in dubai. don't go scaring the guy when he's already having a shitty night. jeez.

i don't have much in the way of advice here. i did this to myself once w/ a 96 neon, which happens to have frameless windows, so it was relatively easy to stick something in between the window glass and the weather stripping and wiggle the window enough to get my arm in there and unlock it. was worried the window was going to shatter all over my hands though.

just let it run, and if it runs out of gas, so be it, no harm will be done to your car. unless you have to be somewhere before the cavalry arrives, it's certainly cheaper to burn the gas than to risk breaking a window or electrocuting yourself (which is very much a possibility with the ignition stuff - don't fuck with it).

if you're bored, now would be a good time to practice lockpicking!
posted by sergeant sandwich at 12:19 AM on December 9, 2005

hey, anyway, if you're locked out of the car, how do you pop the hood? all of this "just do x to thingy y in the engine bay" assumes you can actually get to the engine bay.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 12:22 AM on December 9, 2005

If any accessories are running inside the car, like the radio, stalling the engine without turning everything off is likely to drain your battery over the course of a few hours.

If you can't get into it, just leave it running.
posted by krisjohn at 12:28 AM on December 9, 2005

Which is why they're insulated.

Yeah. Do you know how far that kind of voltage can jump?? I've seen people get zapped pulling plug wires from a car. And I've personally been zapped, pulling a plug wire off a lawnmower. If you're going to pull a plug wire while the engine is running, do it with a tool that lets you be a couple feet away from the actual wire.
posted by knave at 1:32 AM on December 9, 2005

They're insulated all right, right up until the point where you pull the rubber boot off. Then you've got 50,000 volts desperatly wanting to get to the nearest ground, and if that happens to be through your hand then the best you can expect is severe pain.

Again, don't go messing with spark plug wires on a running car.

The car will not overheat. The car will not be damaged even if it runs out of gas. Just let it run.
posted by Rhomboid at 1:51 AM on December 9, 2005

Sergeant Sandwich - there's a video out there on the net of a guy breaking into a 1st gen Neon in something like 10 seconds using that exact method. I'm glad I've got my 2002 now :)

And I know it's much too late now to help you, ludwig, but if you have power locks, the easiest way in the world to open the door with a coathanger is to just push the power lock button :)
posted by antifuse at 2:20 AM on December 9, 2005

Too late now, but for the record -- call the cops. They'll break into the car for you.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 2:39 AM on December 9, 2005

In my experience, cops might help - but they also might not. They generally avoid doing things that they might be liable for, but if they're bored they might slimjim it for you. The few locksmiths I approached wouldn't go near a car door. I would think a tow truck driver would be your best bet for quick assistance.

I hope you ended up just letting it idle - some of the suggestions in this thread were CRAZY talk.
posted by sluggo at 4:21 AM on December 9, 2005

For the sake of posterity, if you have the hood open of a running car and you want to stop it, disconnect the PRIMARY side of the coil. This will not expose you to any nasty high voltage, and yet it will have the same exact effect.
posted by Rhomboid at 4:41 AM on December 9, 2005

I've done this. Unless you're very low on gas, you'll probably be okay. Clear the windows of smow & ice - the heat from the defroster + the cold ice on the windshield can crack it. Yes, that has happened to me. Winter sucks. If it's a popular model of car, make some calls to junkyards. If the passenger side window isn't too expensive to replace, you could get into the car.

On preview, I missed this party. How did this play out?
posted by theora55 at 5:23 AM on December 9, 2005

Why wouldn't you call your dealer and ask them how best to accomplish this by yourself?
posted by arimathea at 5:39 AM on December 9, 2005

If it did run out of gas, be sure to get your fuel filter changed.
I don't know if they still make them, but you used to be able to get a plastic key that was on a card (about the size of a credit card) from the dealer. I had one for a car I had about 10 years ago and it saved the day a few times. You might check into it so that this doesnt happen again.
posted by nimsey lou at 5:54 AM on December 9, 2005

I know it's too late now... but plugging the exhaust of a modern car is not a good idea. Not sure the reasons why, but my father is a mechanic and told me that can cause problems (it used to be a prank people played, ala Beverly Hills Cop).

Anyways, I had the same make/model/year car until last week. It would be real easy to slim jim it (if you had one), and a coat hanger would be simple as well. The best way to use a coat hanger on a car like this one, is pull on the door and slid it in at the corner nearest the handle and slide it down. My father used to use a car radio antenna that he put two bends in (with a blow torch of course), the more rigid, the better.

Having done a few lockouts for people when I used to pump gas, I can say practice makes perfect when getting into a locked car. The passenger doors are usually easier than the drivers door.

Also, if you call the police station for a lock out, unless they're exceptionally bored that day, they'll tell you to call someone else.
posted by inthe80s at 6:07 AM on December 9, 2005

Well, if I had gotten to this thread in time, I would've said replacing a rear quarter-window probably costs about the same as paying for a locksmith to make an emergency call, so I'd wrap my jacket around my hand and bust one of them out.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:16 AM on December 9, 2005

4.5 hours later (5:30 AM), the lockout guy arrived. He used a device with a nyloc rectangle attached to a rubber handle, similar to what the doctor uses to take your blood pressure. He wedged the rectangle in the edge of the door and pumped the handle, inflating it and prying the door open. Then he stuck a curved metal rod through the oepning and unlocked the door. I wish I had one of those things. Thanks for the suggestions.
posted by ludwig_van at 6:51 AM on December 9, 2005

Er, that should be nylon, not nyloc. I'm tired.
posted by ludwig_van at 6:51 AM on December 9, 2005

Does AAA do lockouts? You should find someone in your area who is a member of AAA. You just need someone with a membership to call it in it doesn't need to be on the car. Where are you located? Maybe a local Mefite could help.
posted by any major dude at 7:35 AM on December 9, 2005

One other thing - to all those reading - go today to a locksmith and make two copies of your key. Put one in your wallet and another hidden somewhere underneath the body of your car. This kind of thing happens maybe once or twice in a lifetime but it only takes 10 minutes to save yourself hours - days of dealing with it.
posted by any major dude at 7:38 AM on December 9, 2005

I didn't mean to fright. I was just saying why idling would not be an option for me. Sorry.
posted by sourwookie at 7:46 AM on December 9, 2005

For the record -

Yes, AAA pays for locksmith services relating to lockouts. Note that I said pays for. You don't have to call AAA before calling the locksmith, or wait for AAA's favorite locksmith to show up. Pay the smith, then send AAA the invoice.

Any locksmith who won't open a car door is either new at it, or doesn't like you or your car foe some reason.

To echo what was said above, if your lights are on, you're better off letting it run, and you better believe you can get a shock by grabbing the coil wire. those who don't believe it most likely never did it.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:55 AM on December 9, 2005

Unless you have a specific reason for wanting to turn the car off, there's no reason to force it off.

At least, this is what I learned listening to Car Talk a few weeks ago -- a woman called to tell them that she had left her car running in the garage overnight, and would this do any damage?

Their answer was an unequivical No -- cars are designed to be driven for longer than that, so idling is a piece of cake.

--

Oh -- just saw your comment re: idling. Ok then.
posted by o2b at 9:23 AM on December 9, 2005

For any future readers of this post, unless it's an emergency, DON'T break a window. Especially not one that is fixed and/or tinted. They can be hundreds of dollars to replace. Much more than the gas and locksmith will cost. The driver's side door window on my Blazer was broken and cost $100 to fix. This was non-tinted. A tiny, tinted window on my brother's Cherokee was broken and it cost $400 to replace.
posted by 6550 at 10:41 AM on December 9, 2005

I wish I had one of those things.

So do I. However, you can accomplish much the same results with a towel, a flat-blade screwdriver and a coat hanger. Just like your lock-out guy used his nylon wedge, you can (carefully) pull on the top gap of your locked door farthest from the hinges, then (carefully) place the towel over the gap and use the screwdriver to push the towel into the gap. If you (carefully -- L Y) persist with moving the towel/driver closer to the hinges, you should be able to fish your straightened/hooked coathanger into the car. From that point, you just have to use the hooked end to grab your handle (if opening the door also unlocks) or to manipulate the lock itself.

And yes, this has been done to my own car with almost no ill after-effects.
posted by grabbingsand at 10:48 AM on December 9, 2005

6550 scribbled "Especially not one that is fixed and/or tinted. They can be hundreds of dollars to replace. "

Or heaven forbid you have an 82 Toyota Corrolla SR5 3dr coupe (not a liftback and not a fastback both of those are different) and the fricken' window has to come from Japan. And it takes six weeks to get to you including the entire month of December.
posted by Mitheral at 11:33 AM on December 9, 2005

Fortunately, we weren't talking about a Toyota or a Cherokee, we were talking about a Chrysler Cirrus. The first glass company I called had the passenger side rear window in stock, at $145 installed. To me, that's less than the value of 4 1/2 hours of my time with my car sitting idling in a snow storm. You may value your time differently.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 12:42 PM on December 9, 2005

Fortunately, we weren't talking about a Toyota or a Cherokee, we were talking about a Chrysler Cirrus.

My point wasn't about Cherokees, just that it can be very expensive to fix a broken window. Would it have been better to say "For any future readers, before you break a window, call some glass companies and figure out the replacement cost for the window. Then you can decide the cost of the window vs. the cost of your time."
posted by 6550 at 1:14 PM on December 9, 2005

mr_crash_davis scribbled "Fortunately, we weren't talking about a Toyota or a Cherokee,"
Note:
6550 scribbled "For any future readers of this post,"

Being aware of the concequences of breaking a window is good, I know if I had to be somewhere at 2:30AM I wouldn't hesitate to break a window to get to my locked keys but that's an informed choice.
posted by Mitheral at 1:18 PM on December 9, 2005

"Would it have been better to say "For any future readers, before you break a window, call some glass companies and figure out the replacement cost for the window. Then you can decide the cost of the window vs. the cost of your time.""

I think that's an excellent idea. A toast to agreement!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 1:54 PM on December 9, 2005

Hiding a key on the body of the vehicle is a really DUMB idea. Car thiefs know people do this, and will check under the bumper for them (about the only place on the outside of the car you can hide one). Even in those little magnetic boxes, they still get exposed to the weather, and can end up covered in rust and worthelss for opening a car.

I'd love to know who is going to call a window shop at 2:30 AM for an estimate on replacement glass.

The best solution, if you lack the ability to pick the lock or pop the latch with a wire, is exactly what the submittor did. Call a locksmith/AAA for a lock out and wait. The gasoline wasted is less than a broken window repair. If it runs dry, the gas filter will catch the junk from the bottom of the tank, they cost $10 at a supply store and can be easily replaced.

The only exception is if it's an emergency, which is the only case I can see breaking the glass window on the door.
posted by inthe80s at 7:27 AM on December 12, 2005

"I'd love to know who is going to call a window shop at 2:30 AM for an estimate on replacement glass."

The same person who would post about it on AskMe at that time? A person who's going to be sitting there with nothing to do for the next 4 1/2 hours anyway? Come on, use your imagination.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:18 AM on December 12, 2005