I'm looking for another way to charge the battery in the event that it's discharged and I can't get into the trunk to charge it. ('97 X300 4.0)

Anyone know of a good charge location under the hood? I wouldn't trust myself to hook a charger to the alternator.. Thanks

 

Not super familiar with your car, but, if you can get to it, there is a direct link from the starter to the battery. It is the heavy cable either on the starter or the solenoid,.
You may have to reach it from under the car.

 

Thinking further about my question. If I can't get into the trunk, then I can't get into the car either if it's locked.
That would mean that I couldn't open the hood either. I was thinking that I could charge the battery through the cigarette lighter but wouldn't be able to get to that either..
Hope I'm wrong about not being able to open the door or trunk if the battery is dead and the car is locked.. Thanks

 

Tom,

I sense there may be a subtext here - are you are standing next to a locked XJ6 with a flat battery or is this theoretical?

The luggage compartment lock has a mechanical linkage from the lock barrel to the latch whch operates even with a flat battery:





The X300 is relatively impregnable when locked. If the lock barrel is seized, the usual technique for getting into one with a flat battery is to drill a small hole behind the rear registration plate and flip the lock to latch lever with a screwdriver. Knowing where to drill the hole is rather important.

Graham

 

Purely theoretical. I'm just want to be prepared if this happens.. Thank you

 

Make sure the keyway works. The XK8 has a similar design and they frequently seize because no one ever tries to use them unless the battery is flat. Many owners don't even know it's there. Locksmiths graphite powder is the best treatment.

Graham