R18 DOOR LOCKS

REN TIN TIN

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Do any of you guys know how you're supposed to unlock a R18 fitted with central locking when the battery is flat?
The door locks have 'lock-unlock' switches fitted to them and don’t engage with the lock mechanism.
There’s an inertia switch and thermal switch to unlock the car in the event of an accident or fault but I can’t see how you’d unlock the thing if the battery was simply flat/dead (eg. Left the lights on etc.).

Ren
cheers!
 
Are you sure they don't engage with the lock tumbler?

I think on the Fuego if you turned the key lightly the solenoids would fire, but if there was no battery you had to turn further to engage the mechanism....
 
Hi Ren

Had the same problem with my Fuego, the key locks only operate switches and are not mechanically linked to the locks. What I did was to use a coat hanger to get the bonnet to release and put another battery in parrallel as if to jump start the car to get the door locks to open.

regards Col.
 
R18's and Fuegos allow you to unlock the doors individually without battery as the key operates on the lock mechnisum unless the mechnisum is faulty.
 
The 1980 model just has a switch clipped on the end of the lock tumbler and there is no physical connection between the lock tumbler and the lock mechanism.
Maybe the later R18’s were different. I can imagine the complaints Renault would get if people were lock out of their cars for want of a live battery.

Ren
cheers!
 
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