Alarm problem?

[X1ons]

Morning all

My car was nicely frozen last night and all was in working order. Awoke this morning to be told there had been a car alarm going off and it sounded like it was in my street. Of course my wife did not check mine!

Anyway, the centra locking wouldnt work so I had to manually open the car. The battery is totally flat - so I'm assuming the car alarm was indeed mine. My wifes car was parked behind mine blocking mine so I doubt it was someone trying to steal it. Any ideas what may have caused it to go off? Does the alarm just keep going till it flattens the battery (must have been hour or so).

I have Greenflag popping out to start it.

Appreciate the help

Mark

 

[conaero]

There have been a lot of problems with the alarm.

On the GS, when the alarm has been triggered and you first get back in the car, there is a sequence of a flashing red LED on the dash, if you look in the handbook, it tells you what set the alarm off if its 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 flashing sequence.

My money will be on the movement sensors in the A posts (1 behind each a post inner trim, remove curtain trim first by popping it off to reveal a nut at the top of the A trim, then the rest pops off)...mine are now disconnected as the alarm went off every time it rained, and the Maserati engineer told me I would save myself a lot of time and money if I did this as alarm faults are a nightmare to sort....and he was right.

 

[jpmondalek]

I think the GS requires that the key fob unlocks the car to disarm the alarm.

Once, one of my keys had a weak contact (didn't realize this at the time) and could not get it to unlock after pressing the button a bunch of times. I resorted to using the key to get in, but as soon as I attempted to start the car the alarm would go off.

Of course the car was parked in front of a hot spot with a crowd of people looking over to see/hear the Maser make an exit...needless to say, I left with my tail between my legs...and the alarm going off like I had stolen the car!

I also think it triggered some sort of "limp" mode because the car wasn't running at 100%. Sure enough, I went home and grabbed my other key and unlocked then fired it up with no issues.

 

[urbanmaser]

Maybe battery in the key is on the blink

 

[jpmondalek]

I have Greenflag popping out to start it.

I don't think you want to jump start these cars, as I have read on other forums it causes havoc to the electrics in the Maser.

I suggest a battery tender like CTEK

 

[nfm]

I am nearly sure I read a post on the other forum that if you hold your key fob depressed for 10 seconds or such like that you then get a beep and the internal alarm sensors will have been deactivated.

Don't take my word for it - suggest you do a search - but you may not need to physically disconnect??

Cheers

 

[conaero]

Yeah, I posted that!!!!

Its the same as the Alfa system, where you can hold down the key fob button to disable the interior alarm, so if you want to lock you car with your kids in it and not have them set up the ultrasound trip.

It should give a different bleep at the end when its done.

 

[Parisien]

Yes, mine also plays up on occasions......no reason.......one cold night.....just locked and unlocked it.....?! Luckily not after midnight!

P

 

[X1ons]

Morning all

mine is the 4200 so I'm unsure if it's the same as what's described?

Greenflag started her up, they put lights on to earth her. Eerything seems to be fine. Took her for a 10 mike hard blast to top battery back up.

It seems strange as for the last few days the car didn't feel right. I had a bizarre fishy smell in the car (seems to have gone since the battery incident) and it stalled when I was reversing it, perhaps needs a tweak on the throttle?

All seems good now, just a very strange incident.

One final thing - do all you 4200 owners notice that when the car is cold (either first thing or on an evening when the cars stood at work all day) that it's very jumpy? In first and then a little in second, she almost feels like she is kangarooing! I have to be careful with the throttle only opening her up after a few miles. Is this a self protection system that the engine has?

Cheers

Mark

 

[urbanmaser]

One final thing - do all you 4200 owners notice that when the car is cold (either first thing or on an evening when the cars stood at work all day) that it's very jumpy? In first and then a little in second, she almost feels like she is kangarooing! I have to be careful with the throttle only opening her up after a few miles. Is this a self protection system that the engine has?

Cheers

Mark


Mark I am starting a seperate thread on this problem which is very common

 

[conaero]

The fishy smell you describe is classic with plastic getting hot, so it would sound that something is or was draining your power and may now have blown or sorted itself out.

 

[X1ons]

Well, just gone to start the car and the same thing has happened, flat battery. No alarm this time, it's just dead. What on earth can it be??? I go on hold for a week soon so will have to sort on my return. Just very unsure what has happened???

 

[conaero]

Mike Roberts told me a while ago is that was due to the Navtrack unit, they get old, the don't hold their charge. I had a similar thing on my Alfa, it turned out to be the radio, it did not switch off properly and went into demo mode and flattened the battery.

What I would do is charge the car then everytime you leave the car, isolate the battery. If it keeps doing it, you know your battery is stuffed, if it does not you know you have some ancillary unit draining power (that's what I reckon it is). As you have the burning fishy plastic smell, it should not be too hard to track down......on your hands and knees, sniffing round the intermate parts of the car, can see it now, ha ha!

 

[X1ons]

Thanks mate. The smell seems to have gone. The green flag guy looked under the car and there are signs of plastic having burnt to the exhaust. Possibly a plastic bag?

I'll isoloate it tonight (turn it off in boot??).

Will this affect my tracker or anything? Also noticed the wing mirrors have stopped working due to battery when I reverse.

Bet you wished I'd stayed on the other site now!!! Hahaha!!!

 

[conaero]

If the wing mirrors have stopped working you have probably blown a fuse, maybe this was/is the initial fault. If the fuse is in tact and you prove your battery is ok, I would pull the fuse to the mirrors and see if that solves it....but it back in see if it goes flat.

Yes, turn off in the boot = isolate the battery, you will loose your radio presets and your clock will be wrong, but he ho, at least the car will start.

 

[X1ons]

Thanks mate. The strange thing is the mirrors were fine yesterday?!!! I will isolate tonight and see what happens. I will report tomorrow...!

I appeciate the help, without doubt this is why this site is superb and the only one I now check. The expertise is superb.

Where is Loz in all of this by the way?!!

Mark

 

[X1ons]

By the way, will my tracker be ok with it isolated?

 

[conaero]

Tracker should be fine, it has its own battery. Loz, he is about. I know he spend alot of time on here with the start up and all, and I think hes fallen behind with his work. He'll be back shortly, hes coming to Ace cafe on Thursday.

Thanks for your comments with regards to this forum, is really appreciated.

Matt

 

[X1ons]

Well the car started after isolating the battery. So it's an electrical drain then.

I it easy to locate for an indie????

It will now stand for a week then get it fixed after. Battery will stay isolated for now so I can start it!

Any good places in Newcastle that people know???

 

[conaero]

Hum, now the fun starts. I would take it to an auto electrician first, point him to the fuse panel and and ask him to spend and hour with the car off, where the power drain is coming from, once you know this the rest will be straight forward. If you take it to a main dealer, they will charge you £120plus VAT an hour and I bet you wont get out or there with less than a £400 bill.

Oh, by the way, the fuse panel is behind the passenger footwell carpet.