kmskier

I was just reading dfinnegan's post on a battery drain problem only to find myself in a similar situation shortly after.

I had been experiencing a problem with the interior light for months and fuse #11 keeps blowing every few days after I get around to replacing it. I tried wrapping the contacts with electrical tape in case something was causing a short, but the problem persisted. It wasn't bothering me and fuses are cheap so I didn't worry about it...until today.

I have been replacing the interior and recently yanked all the soundproofing - it was soaked. I have all the leak issues except one resolved (see https://rennlist.com/forums/964-foru...loor-help.html).

Could the short be related???

Now I don't get any crank when I turn the ignition. I jumped the battery but it drained almost immediately. I jumped the car a second time and when I turned the ignition, it started, but so did the alarm (which I thought was disconnected). Anyway, the alarm cut out after 4 minutes as it is supposed to. I went fishing to see if I could figure out the problem when I touched a wire that normally sits under the insulation on the passenger side. This caused the alarm to chirp but not go off completely. I can't see exactly where it goes (looks like speaker but not sure), but I pulled off the tape that was covering the resistors and they appear intact. Next, I open the glovebox to grab the owners manual and voila, the alarm goes off completely.

Any ideas/help appreciated!
Keith

-nick

Sounds like your alarm box under the passenger seat got water-logged. You can hope that it will dry, or look for a good used replacement for ~$125 or so. I went through the exact thing with my cab after a deluge...

I'm still tracking down the source of the water ingestion too. I just keep it out of the rain nowadays.

kmskier

Thanks for the info! Any shot of pulling a fuse and/or alarm wiring in the interim?

As an update, I jumped the car again and got it running with alarm triggering and then going off. Took it for a drive of about 15 min. When I pulled into driveway, I opened the door and the alarm went off again. I tried to start the car back up again immediately and it wouldn't turn although the windows and radio still worked. Is it possible the alarm can drain the battery so fast?

-nick

I think that you're probably bumping into the alarm ignition immobilize feature when you turn the key and nothing happens. There isn't a way to remove the alarm from the circuit with a fuse or anything else; electrical engineering degree notwithstanding.

I would at least pull the alarm box out, open up the case, and see how badly corroded/wet it is inside. Swabbing it with alcohol and letting it dry would be the first step, but I'm betting that it shorted out and needs replaced. All of this is 100% familiar to what I went through.

Good luck!

Edit: you'll just need an allen wrench to pull the seat out. But be sure and raise it all the way up if you have 4-way power. It makes it much easier to get to the allen seat bolts (6 total) and they *will* strip if you don't seat the allen wrench in them straight!

kmskier

Thanks! My definition of 'weekend plans' has just been changed!

kmskier

OK...got the alarm system out. Searching for replacement now. In the meantime, does anyone know if the battery can be jumped, hold a car and have the car run without the alarm box?

kmskier

Nick-
Thanks for making the diagnosis! I replaced the alarm and have the car running good as new. Just took it for a quick drive to recharge the battery...I missed that feeling!

By the way - your comment about the allen bolts stripping is absolutely true! In fact, somebody stripped them for me long before I owned the car apparently. I went to Home Depot and picked up a low profile ratchet driver that accepts 1/4" bits. I was able to remove the 2 screws that hold the alarm box in place under the seat without removing the seat itself. Best $16 tool I have purchased in awhile!

Thanks again,
Keith