car alarms

[lefty]

my car alarm is playing up, keeps going off at random times, it says its error number 4 (current sensing triggered), and its really starting to piss me off. I have found out I can disable it from the switch at the back of the unit which I will do as soon as possible.

The problem is my alarm has been going into no state (not flashing/still led) and doesnt emit a chirp from the siren, sounds like a 'errr' sound.

Now i cant start the dam car, i cant disarm/arm the alarm, ive taken the battery negative off, and im going to be late for work again (happened last week).

It says theres a backup battery for the alarm, but I have nfi where it is. Are they inside the unit itself? Should i get a hammer and smash the dam thing? I pulled out the alarm connections (left the central locking park/cut starter motor park) and i still cant get it to start.

Last time i got it to start by leave the battery d/c and went through all the fuses under the dash, then for some reason it worked.

 

[Mottafied]

sound like it might be a vision alarm, if the modual box is black with a blue pannel i the middle on the top, lift it up and there should be a couple of microswitches. there should be a lable inside saying which one is current sensing just switch it off.

if that sounds like its the one its an old one, if you need some instructions i have some at work i can scan and send to you.
Oh by the way im an instalation technition at autobarn in traralgon 1 1/2 south of Dandynong, do alarms, stereo's, cruise controls, central locking, pretty much anything.

 

[Mottafied]

ohh yeah i forgot the batrey back up is inside the siren itself. and turning it off work disarm it or bypass the imobiliser. you need to find where the starter wire is cut and bridge it back together, usually under the steering column.
Hope this helps, Nick

 

[Richard]

fuck it off and get a new one with remote start, built in turbo timer, etc etc!

 

[lefty]

sound like it might be a vision alarm, if the modual box is black with a blue pannel i the middle on the top, lift it up and there should be a couple of microswitches. there should be a lable inside saying which one is current sensing just switch it off.

if that sounds like its the one its an old one, if you need some instructions i have some at work i can scan and send to you.
Oh by the way im an instalation technition at autobarn in traralgon 1 1/2 south of Dandynong, do alarms, stereo's, cruise controls, central locking, pretty much anything.

eheheh your spot on, its one of the old vision alarms indeed. I have the instructions, but its oldschool.

so the backup battery is in the siren itself ey? Easy to get to? I might have a go at this, proberly later, 11pm or so :S

the microswitches are on the outside, so i can just flick the current sensing off. I might turn on the 'backup battery beep' though.

I ended up leaving the negative off for 20mins, then it seems to work/come back on again.

Yea richard, i was thinking of smashing it this morning, calm now
i think it has a 'cool down' option, and a few nifty things i didnt know of. I want to connect it to the boot release some day (i got a solenoid). Not really interested in remote start, i always park the car in gear.

 

[Mottafied]

Yeah lefty the battery should be inbuilt into the siren itself. you should have a round funny looking key to turn it off. but that wont solve your problem of it not starting.

. you need to find where the starter wire is cut and bridge it back together, usually under the steering column.

fuck it off and get a new one with remote start, built in turbo timer, etc etc!

When alarms are done right they should last forever. But if you do wish to go down this path i would highly recomend the Vision Gold Star alarms.
Auto start, turbo timmer, two way pager (full colour animated display), remote has a built in rechargable battery and a docking station for your computer to recharge.
RRP $599. most places should be able to do them for $500 though.
(not fitted)

IMO dont get a Viper or a hornet alarm, overpriced and a nightmare to install, (i fit those too). Sorry for the short novel.

 

[lefty]

When alarms are done right they should last forever. But if you do wish to go down this path i would highly recomend the Vision Gold Star alarms.
Auto start, turbo timmer, two way pager (full colour animated display), remote has a built in rechargable battery and a docking station for your computer to recharge.
RRP $599. most places should be able to do them for $500 though.
(not fitted)

IMO dont get a Viper or a hornet alarm, overpriced and a nightmare to install, (i fit those too). Sorry for the short novel.

Well it looks to be have put in correctly, paper has straithfield and Kevin Dennis written on it, with some other crap.

My real concern is not the alarm going off. What happens is, I hear it go off (well, last night i dont know) and the next morning, the led is NOT flashing fast or slow, its off. The remote does nothing/doesnt respond. I opened the car via the key, try to start but it wont. The alarm test on the siren doesnt work. It makes a ERRRR sound. So far the only way ive come to get out of this problem is to remove the battery terminal for 20+ mins.

Any ideas as to why the alarm is going into a 'floating/no state'? The only thing i could think of was a flat backup battery. Any ideas as to why the current sensing circuitry is playing up also?

I want to first try a new backup battery is its flat/missing and ill get into the unit itself, and check for dodgy connections/leaking capacitors etc, and if it still plays up, i guess ill look for a new Vision alarm then.

 

[Mottafied]

yeah flat battery wouldn't help as any drop in voltage would be easier to detect. don't really that the back up battery is going to make a difference tho, iv'e seen alarms with compleatly stuffed back up batterys and still function perfictly, just means if the power cable to the alarm is cut or the battery is disconected by a thief the siren wont rely on the back up battrey to alarm you.

 

[lefty]

yeah flat battery wouldn't help as any drop in voltage would be easier to detect. don't really that the back up battery is going to make a difference tho, iv'e seen alarms with compleatly stuffed back up batterys and still function perfictly, just means if the power cable to the alarm is cut or the battery is disconected by a thief the siren wont rely on the back up battrey to alarm you.

hrm fair enough.

well the alarm has been going into this dead state since i got my boost gauge installed, although i dont think it has anything to do with it? Its only connected to Illumination (12v) and Ground... but the brightness is able to be adjusted via the illumination switch which controls the cluster brightness etc. Dont think this has anything to do with it going dead?

 

[lefty]

Just a little update... I decided to use central locking only since my alarm has been playing up, anyways locked doors sunday, come monday morning for work, alarm dead, couldnt get it to come back alive (i never armed it in the first place :? ), so took gemini, and said 'fck this, time to rip the alarm out tonight'... anyways come home after footy training monday nite, alarm is on and working, wtf.. ok then... ill drive car to work tues morning.

Tues morning comes, alarm dead = gr, so i pulled out the alarm, brought it with me to work, found two dry solder joints, so i fixed that, put it back together, cable tied it back inside the car, put the loom wiring back etc. The unit seems to look ok, and should work.

I put the negative batt back on the car, i hear a beep from my alarm siren (yay it working). Anyways I wanted to turn the 'Battery Backup Beep' switch on the alarm on, so i thought before i put everything back, ill find the backup battery, which was explain above was in the siren. I take off the siren, pull it open, its corroded quite badly. Great, ill have to try fix it tomorrow as best as possible.

Whilst now i wanted to see if the alarm will work without the siren, it seems it dead/not working again. Does anyone know if alarms can work without a siren? :S I assume it should. Edit: 10mins later after putting back the batt. contact again, it seems ok.

Btw, i tried the test mode whilst the siren was d/c from my car, lol the sound it makes. It sounds broken, the backup battery is definately flat.

Still though unsure as to why the alarm likes to go dead, im unsure if its due to the siren or if the unit has had its time

The circuit board in the unit looks good and should work. The siren circuit board is badly corroded, meh. Not waterproof it seems :S

 

[lefty]

Just a heads up, dont wash under your bonnent unless you cover up your electrics, just ends up getting corroded unless its waterproof.

I've tried cleaning the board with shellite/metho/acetone using a toothbrush, and im going to go outside in the cold now and start to resolder all the points & try remove the crap corrosion thats left on the board.

Then im going to check my 12v & GND for the alarm power, something must be going on for it to go 'dead'.

If it still doesnt work, i have a few options.
A. Send off alarm/siren/key button for repair $40 minimum
B. Buy a new siren (the corrosion may be messing with the unit)
C. Chuck the crap out/give away to someone who wants to fix/get out hammer
D. Buy a new alarm as mottafied said, vision gold star alarm sounds good, have been happy with my alarm when it was working. Looks like autobarn friday
E. Get smashed tomorrow night & not worry about it (my bday tomorrow anyways)

 

[vertex_vr4]

I can also recommend the Radiostar "King-eagle" alarm system.

I know it looks like cheap crap from Indonesia but having it installed more than a year ago now it is the best alarm system I have seen.

Off ebay - $120 bucks
Installation - $Too ashamed to say

1.5km paging range (more like 1km)
Remote ignition with (homebuilt) in-gear detection to stop you starting in gear.
Turbo timer (1,2 or 3 minutes)
Selectable shock sensor.
Alarm programmable zones - in case you have friends like mine that enjoy setting off your alarm.
Door/bonnet/boot open icon on your lcd pager
Remote boot open (if you have a solenoid)
Aux button - for whatever you like (turn on/off climate control perhaps?)

The only problem is my friends ask why I have a but-plug on my key ring.... :? :?

 

[lefty]

I can also recommend the Radiostar "King-eagle" alarm system.

I know it looks like cheap crap from Indonesia but having it installed more than a year ago now it is the best alarm system I have seen.

Off ebay - $120 bucks
Installation - $Too ashamed to say

1.5km paging range (more like 1km)
Remote ignition with (homebuilt) in-gear detection to stop you starting in gear.
Turbo timer (1,2 or 3 minutes)
Selectable shock sensor.
Alarm programmable zones - in case you have friends like mine that enjoy setting off your alarm.
Door/bonnet/boot open icon on your lcd pager
Remote boot open (if you have a solenoid)
Aux button - for whatever you like (turn on/off climate control perhaps?)

The only problem is my friends ask why I have a but-plug on my key ring.... :? :?

heheh tnxs for the advice

i took the dash/steering wheel cover off and took a look.
12v was twisted around the main wire but not soldered well.. just twisted around.
Acc was twisted not soldered, so i fixed that. Acc was a bit dodgy though with 3 bits of different wire soldered, but should work fine.

The rest of the alarm is fine/soldered ok. I'll see how I go now, i have a feeling it should be ok now, except my siren is gone. I must have shorted something when I resoldered everything (i doubt it tho), because I turn it to 'on' and its going off with only 12v & gnd which isnt good.