I just bought a 1985S and I am having trouble with the alarm system (I think). When I open the back hatch the car will not start. It will turn over but not fire. If I disconnect the negative cable to the battery and re-attach the car will start. I am considering bypassing the alarm system does anyone have another idea?

 

Yes...remove the trim strip along the inside of the upper hatch, (the section behind the keyed part of the latch)...and verify the electrical connector to your hatch lock is properly connected. No broken or loose wires (there are 3 wires into this connector, and its located just to the paasenger side of the center of the rear hatch, behind the trim piece I mentioned). Do your interior lights coome on and extinguish properly when the rear hatch is opened or shut ? If so...your in good shape on the bottom side of the lock and latch combo, but your alram system is operated by the upper lock and its electrical connector described above.

 

Make sure the alarm is working otherwise - open a window - lock the car, reach in and unlock the door with the **** - alarm go off? try both sides.
alarm is normally horn+ but if its silent check if the car will start too...

Try from the hatch too.. Open the hatch - lock the doors - wait 20sec - push down on the plunger in the bottom of the hatch receiver - hold a few seconds then release - alarm go off?

Alarm going off is horn honking, usually some lights flashing - markers & fogs most likely - and the ignition disable kicking in. Could it be your alarm is going off but the horn has been cut/failed?

If the alarm works normally otherwise why is the hatch triggering some other behavior? if the alram only does the ignition disable then you are geting an alarm on the rear hatch - probably means the connection for the hatch unlock isn't getting to the alarm - follow as jeff said...

Do you get the same problem if you unlock the car at the drivers door before you open the hatch?

Alan

 

ok apparently it not just the back hatch. I locked the driver side door then unlocked it from the inside no alarm went off but the car will not start. Also when I turned the ignition off I could hear a clicking noise under the dash. It sounds just like a blinker. I took the key and relocked and unlocked the car from the driver side the the clicking stopped. Car will still not fire. I have to take the negative off the battery to reset the system.

 

The clicking is the alarm relays activating - they should keep going for a minute or so - seems the alarm is going off and the horn is disconnected.... any lights flashing?

Check exactly what causes this...

Do you have the right keys (long alarm versions) for the locks?

The short versions will open the doors but not affect the alarm...

Alan

 

I only have one key the long version. When I dismantled the hatch lock the 3 wires were attached. When I reinstalled it two of the wires came loose so I disconnected the 3rd and taped the wires so they will not short. I don't have the problem with the hatch anymore but no resolution for the driver side door when you lock and unlock it you must reset the system by disconnecting the battery. Additionally, the electric locking mechanism at the door isn't working now. Possibly because the wires at the hatch are disconnected.

 

I forgot to mention that when the alarm relay is clicking there are no flashing lights and no horn.

 

Well I think its clear someone already did something to the alarm... you need to try to figure out what is in there - it may be aftermarket or someone maybe just cut the horn in desperation!

Your car may have no flashing lights - the lights flashing were optional, based on an extra plug in relay.

You obviously have some door lock issues though. The alarm can be triggered by the doors being opened (pin-switches) but also just by the locks being unlocked (with the door still closed) as you found. That worked correctly.

What you said seems odd to me though.... if you set the alarm off with the door **** (clicking) and were able to stop that with the key - seems the key is disarming in the drivers door. So the car should then start.... its possible you flooded it a bit since there was no spark but likey residual fuel pressure - so it may take a bit longer to start than normal - try again & crank it a while...

It may be the doors are working fine - check that again...

The rear hatch lock wires are normally not connected until you turn the key either way - so they should have no different effect now...

Can you reconnect the hatch switch wires the way they were? turn the key anticlockwise - does it lock the doors? dos it lock the doors when you unlock the hatch (if yes swap the wires)..

The rear hatch should not set off the alarm problems unless the key operated switch was disconnected - alarm set and hatch opened (as it can be now) or if the hatch switch connections were reversed - then opening the hatch would lock the doors/arm the alarm and instantly trigger the alarm (not good).

Alan

 

Often the rear hatch lock has been replaced with a unit which does not arm or disarm the alarm due to cost. So when the car is locked by an alarm door lock and the hatch is opened first the alarm triggers and SHOULD sound the alarm but often does not yet still disables the car . Also note that many door looks have been changed to none alarm units because of the price difference...

 

Jim - agree that often seems to have occurred...

But seem like in this case Cecil does have an alarm enabled rear hatch key lock with the integrated switch - but apparently its not working/wired correctly...

Also seems that the drivers door switch arms but maybe only sometimes disarms the alarm. (maybe it needs cleaning/ replacement - maybe its wiring connectors....)

Cecil the connections in the hatch lid for the lock allow you to arm and diasrm the alarm. Check the colors of the wires on the car side connector. Hopefully you should have a brown wire, a Brown/Red (or Red) and a Brown/Green (or Green)

If you have these colors: Connecting Brown/Red to Brown is like locking the rear hatch it should lock the doors and set the alarm (try it).

Connecting Brown/Green to Brown is like unlocking the hatch and it should unlock the doors and disarm the alarm.

(NB this does not unlock doors in newer models & just suspends alarm instead).

As long as you have at least a Brown and 2 other colors try each connected to Brown and see what happens (& label appropriately).

Test the key switch's terminals to see what connectors should match to that behavior? tell us what you find...

Alan

 

I've got to unhook my alarm. My alarm will go off independently with no provocation at 1-3 am. I don't mind but my neighbors do. So this thread is interesting to me. Some say it may be related to a low battery. Could be I guess.

Harvey

 

Harvey,
Why not jusy unhook the horn for now and start debugging...
disable the rear hatch switch @ the rear connector (under the receiver) and the hood switch at the connector and see if you get any more (quiet) alarms?

I'd say its better than 50:50 likelihood that its one of those two...

why - because they move as the car settles & cools

The only real other possibiity is a flakey connection somewhere.

Alan

 

Alan, my friend and I (he did the majority of the work) disabled the alarm last night. The problem I was having seems to be fixed. When we got into the fuse box it was apparent that at some point it has been tampered with. Obviously, I would rather have it in its origional state but felt this was a good option for me. Thanks again for the help!