So my Crossfire periodically decides it's being stolen and sets off the alarm. It seems to get in a mood where no matter what whenever the doors are locked it will set off the alarm randomly. Then the problem will go away for a week or two, all on its own.

Lovely.

I have a suspicion that it's a faulty door sensor, since [when it's in one of these paranoid moods] if I have the cabin light switch set to the door-activated position the lights will never go out.

So my question is: what's the cheapest/easiest way to 1) determine if that's the problem 2) fix said problem.

I don't care at all about having a functional alarm system (hey, if somebody's gonna steal the car they're gonna steal the car), but I do need the door locks to still work.

Thanks!

 

I think that the most common fault with the alarm is the actual alarm itself, this is under the cowl and is awkward to get to. Do a search on alarm.

 

I did see a couple threads about that, but since it seems to be related to the door switch (or it's one hell of a coincidence that both problems come and go together) I figured I'd ask specifically about that.

 

I just threw that into the mix. It could also be the rear hatch switch, it has caused these problems as well.
If it was not for the light it could be the hood latch as well and the console on roadsters.

 

It is quite an interesting thing that the dome light stays on randomly. That MIGHT be a very good clue!

 

It is a good clue, isn't it?

Unfortunately, the fine folks at my local Chrysler dealer don't think as you do.

Instead, their solution was:

0) Ignore my note about the fact that a door/hatch switch is probably faulty.

1) Remove the aftermarket alarm sounder.

2) Remove the Sprint Booster.

3) Realize they shouldn't have removed the Sprint Booster and reinstall it (breaking the throttle in the process.)

4) Reset the throttle (but forget to clear the P codes)

5) Declare the problem fixed now that the sounder is disengaged (although still installed.)

6) Charge me $200.

Sadly, steps 1-6 simply resulted in a car that still trips its alarm randomly but now does so silently -- so if it goes off at night I won't notice until I go out and find that the battery's dead from the lights flashing all night.

Awesome. Gotta love that classic Chrysler attention to detail.

So I'm taking it back later this week to explain to them in no uncertain terms that the problem is still there and that "the alarm doesn't sound anymore" is not the same as "we fixed the problem".

 

Damn idiots! Make sure you get your $200 back too, and since they busted stuff make em fix it B4 you leave. Good luck on those two things though...

 

There are a few things to check....

1. On the door itself there is a trim piece held in by one screw that surrounds the latch. Make sure it is sitting properly on the door. This trim is what strikes the pin switch and if it is missing or is not seated properly it may not take up enough room to activate the switch.

2. The door pin switches simply provide a ground connection when elongated thus triggering the lights and alarm. Make sure each switch is moving with tension on it, if it is loose you may have an issue.

3. You can fold back the carpet and check to make sure noting is happening behind the switch if you want.

4. Now I am going to tell you to do something you may not have thought about....Remove the switch in the glovebox! That's right unplug it and see if your issue remains.

5. If you are in good with your dealer they can plug into the car and read the security codes and it will tell them what is causing the issue.

I chased a random alarm issue for nearly a year before my dealer indicated there was a series of codes that do not present themselves with my friend's diagnostic machine (not a basic obdII reader) and a quick check revealed the glove box switch was acting up. The design of the switch is really not that strong and over time the spring begins to loose tension and the button on the relay that triggers the alarm gets tripped. Heat and cold would cause the car alarm to go off. I changed out the horn, tore the car down to check everything over that year and even attempted to simulate conditions all with no conclusive evidence. My dealer read the codes for free and the part was 25.00 for the switch.

 

Thanks.

I just heard back from the fine folks at the dealer again.

They're saying it's a bad locking pump which is causing the driver-side door not to fully lock. This matches my experience (that the driver side won't auto-lock when the car is under way), but does seem a little odd.

They quoted 1300 USD for the part. That is funny. I laughed. The service rep did not know that was a joke. He did not laugh. Still, that price is unrealistic, especially since the top prices on eBay are around 600 USD (and ones can be had for 290 or so shipped).

They're going to re-enable the sounder (how sweet of them... well... sorta. It took some persuasion.) After that I'm looking at another 1.5 hours of labor (since they'll count their failed attempt towards the 3.5 hour replacement) at 115/hr.

Ugh.

So first I'll check your suggestions. Maybe that solves it, maybe not. If it doesn't, then I'm going to order the part (since they're confident that's the cause) and get them to install it. Normally I'd do it myself, but the only way I have a prayer of that 200 being anything but a waste is if I get them to do the install...

 

Is it possible that the problem goes away until the car gets wet and then the problem reoccurs?
If so I would say it is water in the trunk which is affecting the security/locking module.
Look down the back of the foam under the mat on the passenger side of the trunk and see if any water is visible.

 

Ta-da! We have a winner.

Without actually seeing the car, you fine folks managed to diagnose it. The Chrysler people, who had the car TWICE managed to miss the whole "water in the trunk" thing. Which, now that I think about it, makes me a little skeptical of their claim that they're "100% certain" it was the vacuum pump -- since in order to get at the pump they'd have come face to face with the small puddle in the foam liner.

Ok, so clearly I have one of those "special" SRTs with the leak problem. So what now?

My planned course of action is:

0) Avoid returning to the dealer. They re-enabled the siren, so I'm back to square one with them and I think they have enough of my cash for the time being.

1) Try to clean/dry the area as much as possible. I'll probably have to remove the foam to get at the pump, so I may as well see if there's any water in that area and clean it up if necessary.

2) Remove the vacuum pump and check it for obvious signs of corrosion or failure. (Speaking of which, does anyone know what sort of current and where I need to apply it to test it when it's outside of the car?)

3) Try to disconnect pin 18 of the security module (which I understand to be in the same area as the pump, yes?) That might stop it from sounding the alarm.

4) Remove the spoiler, try to seal it. Tips on that?

5) Try to figure out how to seal the gas tank gasket (or rather, figure out if that's the issue *then* try to figure out how to fix it?)

Does that look reasonable? I really appreciate the help y'all have offered so far and I'd be happy to hear any tips, suggestions, etc. to get this fixed.

 

To remove the foam without damaging it you have to remove all the side panels in the trunk, that would be the bottom and top panels on the sides and the rear panel.

The hatch trim panel pops of after removing the cover that hides the screw and the screw at the bottom of the hand grip that you hold when closing the hatch.

Water in the trunk repair.
This covers the fuel filler leak

SRT-6 Spoiler leak fix.
This covers the leak around the spoiler and spoiler attachment panel.

I have seen where on the MB forums that they advocate putting the security/locking module in a plastic bag, others have installed the module upside down.

 

Ok, so Mortite for the spoiler seems to be the best option. Hopefully there's not a lot of rust or anything -- if there is, then Rustoleum for the non-visible parts should be sufficient to take care of that.

I'm still not 100% sure what I'm looking at for the fuel well -- are there WIS instructions or anything for that?

Also, are there instructions for drilling new drain holes as a precaution? I didn't see anything in those threads, but I did read some people mentioning there was a way to add an extra drain or two just in case the leak fixes don't work.

Thanks again!