I got some problem with the anti theft alarm, I can still drive the car without problem.

Sometimes I get an false alarm when enable the alarm. The door switches turn on/off the interior lights so I don't think it can be them. I think it's one of the other swithes, the hood or the tailgate. I found a lot of documents here with schematics which help a lot.

I try to make it a bit clearer how it works and how to find what cause this problem with the alarm. I think it can be for some help for others with similar problem (when I have solved the problem). It's here on my homepage: Chrysler Crossfire: Control unit . Page 2 and 3.

Anyone who knows which codes from the OBD reader that sense the alarm switch's status ?

Lars

 

If your alarm siren is the original and has never been replaced, that may be your problem. The alarm siren has it's own small batteries inside of it. These original batteries corrode over time and the acid leaks onto the circuit board.
This will cause the alarm to go off randomly and cause other problems. The alarm siren is located under the windshield wiper cowl. You can just remove the alarm siren or replace it. You should also clean the drains while you have the cowl off.
I chose to replace mine, here is a post I did on how to replace the alarm siren. There are two parts;
Link to Alarm Siren and Drain Cleaning PART 1
Link to Alarm Siren and Drain Cleaning PART 2

 

Hi,
I checked the siren earlier. It's an aftermarket siren and it works as it should. Earlier I both had the original and the aftermarket siren. I disconnected the original because not functional and it took 20 milliamps from the battery. I too had a lot of dirt in the windsheild crowl. It's clean now and rust protected.

I must be a liittle bit cleare about my problem. It's only when I close the door and by remote lock the car the siren sometimes turns on, it doesn't lock the doors either in that case. It's like a door was open. It never turn on the siren if I suceeded to lock the car.

Next time I'm in the garage I will discoonect the cables to the hood switch and the tailgate switch and do a test if the siren goes on.

Thanks a lot for your answer !

Lars

 

AstroFriend, the anti theft alarm does not have to be programed. You can get another and it will connect in your car without programming.

Even if water drained from the car it will cause corrosion not only at the connectors but moisture can wick up the wires and get inside the wire bundle. So if you should get another air pump/security system unit try to find one with the wiring attached and cut maybe 6 to eight inches (20 cm) up the harness so you have good wire to work with.

The mounting plate which secures the wing is usually the part that leaks and water runs down into the well near the anti-theft electronics. Some have also found the rubber seal that surrounds the fuel fill door can leak.

That small unit you show in your pictures is just for the inclination/ towing alarm. I do not believe it has anything to do with the door locking.

 

Strange, I have always read that it must. Is it the one at rear trunk with the vaccum pump you refer to ?

Lars

 

At this distance, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

Lars, The two units in the rear of the car CLP/SLS (Central Locking Pump/Security Locking System) which is a single unit with the air hoses attached, and the tow away alarm do not require programing. Simply interchange between like models. Coupe to coupe, roadster to roadster. NO programing.

The SKREEM (Sentry Key Remote Entrance Module) located under the dash behind the instrument cluster on our left hand drive cars requires programing. The SKREEM interchanges info between several other devices and must be programed to match the PTCM (Power Train Control Module). The PTCM is often referred to as the ECU, but in Chrysler terminology it is the PTCM.

Is it possible one of the air/vacuum lines has a crack which allows the system to work sometimes, but not at others? Perhaps test with a pressure gauge from the rear of the car and open close the doors to see if pressure leaks out.

 

I took a new look at the car's anti theft system. I measured all wires to the Central locking pump and found something. The switch in the tailgate behave strange.

Photos and what I found here for you who want a closer look, page 7 and 8:

Chrysler Crossfire: Anti theft alarm

Note: there is wrong in the Chrysler schematics, they call the hood sensor for door sensor.

Next time in the garage I take apart the locking mechanism in the hatch. I have done that a couple of times earlier.

Thanks for all help !

Lars

 

You say that you get "a false alarm", but you are not clear at all as to what you mean by that. Our "alarm" system is the siren AND the lights. If you get sound but no lights, you are not "getting a false alarm".

To fully evaluate what is going on, these questions must be answered:

1) When locking the car with the FOB, what sounds do you hear and where do such sounds appear to come from?
1A) When locking the car with the FOB, what lights flash and how many times do they flash?
2) When unlocking the car with the FOB, what sounds do you year and where do such sounds appear to come from?
2A) When unlocking the car with the FOB, what lights flash and how many times do they flash?

These tests tell us what the CLP/SSM, the BCM and the SKREEM are doing.

Another test you should do is to lock and unlock the car by inserting the key in the driv'ers door lock and turning it to lock or unlock the car. What do you get then?

 

Sorry to be unclear.

It's when I lock the car with the FOB the siren starts sounding. I have no lights flashing more than the green turn signal indicators on the instrument. The doors and tailgate doesn't lock either.

I think they did some modifications to this car to adapt it to the Swedish market. So only siren sounds even earlier when it worked. Before it got to never work it was during a 6 months period that it sometimes worked and sometimes not (to activate alarm and lock the car).

The siren isn't the original, some standard aftermarket and some modifications of the cars electronics to have it to work.

When I lock the car by the key it only lock the driver door, nothing more happens. Even erlier when the alarm worked it was still only the driver doors that locked when using the key in the door. But doesn't matter for me.

But I think the problem is going to be solved know when I found the liftgate sensor not giving correct signal as it should.

By the way, on a car that isn't modified in any way. Is it possible to lock the car with FOB or key in the door without activate the theft alarm, only locking the car ? And how to do that ?

Lars

 

You still do not understand. I asked four questions because I am TRYING to troubleshoot this for you. But if you wont answer the questions, I cant help, I am NOT standing next to your car, only you are. I wanted responses like this:

1A) A noise comes from the trunk area that sounds like a "whirr" sound and the siren sends out a chirp for about 1-2 seconds....
1B) The turn signals flash twice.



So let's forget that, you are pretty much on your own (but you knew that already), my thoughts are in blue below.

It's when I lock the car with the FOB the siren starts sounding. I have no lights flashing more than the green turn signal indicators on the instrument. The doors and tailgate doesn't lock either.
If the green indicators are flashing, then the front and rear turn signals are flashing, as they are all wired together, the indicators cannot flash apart from the turn signals. This means the SKREEM is processing the FOB signal successfully, as the SKREEM flashes the turn signals. The CLP/SSM can turn the fog/driving lights and tail lights on, if they were lighting up, it would imply the CLP/SSM has gone insane because those sets of lights don't come on simply because you locked the car.

I think they did some modifications to this car to adapt it to the Swedish market. So only siren sounds even earlier when it worked. Before it got to never work it was during a 6 months period that it sometimes worked and sometimes not (to activate alarm and lock the car). That is hard to follow, but it sounds like the car has had issue with the locking-anti theft system for some time. This makes it sound like the CLP/SSM has intermittent issues that are getting worse.

The siren isn't the original, some standard aftermarket and some modifications of the cars electronics to have it to work. That is a hard sentence to read, I think you mean the replacement siren was put in and someone modded the electronics to make it work - which makes no sense, as there are aftermarket sirens the bolt in and work simply by connecting them to the wire from the CLP/SSM. Again, what mods? The alarm siren itself is a very simple module, it takes the command from the CLP./SSM and makes noise. That's it, that is all it does. I doubt any mod has been made, but I admit I don't really know for sure. If the car is modded, I don't know of anyone who can help without seeing the mods and "reverse engineering" what was done.

When I lock the car by the key it only lock the driver door, nothing more happens. Even erlier when the alarm worked it was still only the driver doors that locked when using the key in the door. But doesn't matter for me. This means the door lock cylinder wires (there are two, one for lock and one for unlock) are not connected to the SKREEM or the SKREEM is not processing those inputs correctly. It's starting to sound like your theory of some sort of modification has been done, might just be accurate. Is there any chance an after market remote start, keyless entry or anti-theft kit has been installed?

But I think the problem is going to be solved know when I found the liftgate sensor not giving correct signal as it should. I doubt that, but I admit I cant say for sure.

By the way, on a car that isn't modified in any way. Is it possible to lock the car with FOB or key in the door without activate the theft alarm, only locking the car ? And how to do that ? The anti-theft/alarm system is integrated in what they refer to as the 'Power locks", so no.

Based on what I have read, I'd tear the trim from the trunk until you get to the CLP/SSM. Unplug EVERY connector from the CLP/SSM and look for water damage, that is, corrosion, on the connector pins and sockets. It is common for water to find its way into the wheel well, then follow the wiring harness down to the CLP/SSM, where the water corrodes the pins in the connectors, then seeps into the CLP/SSM, destroying various components. VERY common. If this is the case, the system will do all sorts of weird stuff.

The fact that (as I commented before), the issues seem to have become worse implies, to me, water damage in the CLP/SSM, as water damage is progressive, as the corrosion 'grows' and contact is lost between wires and pins in the connectors over time.

IF this is the issue, then the fix is to replace the CLP/SSM and the last 2-3 feet of wiring harness and all connectors. You can get an CLP/SSM and wiring harness from a donor "parts car". I've had to replace at least three in other owner's cars over the last 5-6 years.

If the CLP/SSM is clean and dry, then I'd go looking for aftermarket modifications. I'd then remove them and restore the car to factory and go from there.

 

Hi Pizzaguy,
I really appreciate the help you give, but I don't remember how the lights behaved when the alarm worked. The few times the alarm was triggered before, I turned it off as soon as I could because of the noise. I didn't study in detail what happened on those occasions.

What works today is the switch on the dashboard to lock or unlock the doors. The pump starts in the CLP/SSM unit so it works. But of course, the alarm doesn't activate and it shouldn't.

If I lock with the FOB, the alarm (siren) starts immediately, nothing else happens, nothing locks. And I wrote wrong earlier, the green turn signal lights on the dashboard don't flash either. They did before when the alarm worked.

The siren that is installed today only has 2 cables in, +/-. No separate power input. The original has 3 cables in, two of which are for power, the third is the signal input from the CLP/SSM. I don't think the CLP/SSMM unit can deliver the current needed and that they put a relay in between to make it work, but I don't know how much current the CLP/SSM can deliver. Some amperes into the siren and it sounds loud. But this isn't a problem, it has worked earlier.

It's common for them to reroute the cables for the turn signals and rewire them and maybe some other wires here in Sweden. Some stupid rules that have to be met that cause problems and cost a lot of money. I hope to figure out what they did to the car's electrical system later, I can see traces of what they did in some places.

I've taken the CLP/SSM unit apart and can't see any water ingress or corrosion damage. If I'm unlucky and it's defective, you wrote that it doesn't need to be programmed. What do you think, can I replace it with a CLP/SSM from any Mercedes from the years 1997 to 2004? My unit has a Mercedes logo on it.

I think we can wait a while now until I examine the tailgate switch, or if it is the cable to it that has become pinched.

Very good information you gave: "The anti-theft/alarm system is integrated in what they refer to as the 'Power locks', so no.", thank you very much, I have been looking for that information!

Thank you very much for your help, I will be back!

Lars

 

Hi Pizzaguy,
I really appreciate the help you give, but I don't remember how the lights behaved when the alarm worked. The few times the alarm was triggered before, I turned it off as soon as I could because of the noise. I didn't study in detail what happened on those occasions. But that' is part of symptom-function troubleshooting. I understand that you did not do it back then, I get that, my questions were to prompt you to do it now.

What works today is the switch on the dashboard to lock or unlock the doors. The pump starts in the CLP/SSM unit so it works. But of course, the alarm doesn't activate and it shouldn't. You are making an assumption there. The commands from the dash switch are not the same as the commands from the SKREEM, even tho they both go thru the BCM.

If I lock with the FOB, the alarm (siren) starts immediately, nothing else happens, nothing locks. And I wrote wrong earlier, the green turn signal lights on the dashboard don't flash either. They did before when the alarm worked. But does the siren continue to go off or is it a momentary thing? YOu continue to make vague statements to someone on the other side of the world who is trying to help, but you withhold information in every response.

The siren that is installed today only has 2 cables in, +/-. No separate power input. The original has 3 cables in, two of which are for power, the third is the signal input from the CLP/SSM. I don't think the CLP/SSMM unit can deliver the current needed and that they put a relay in between to make it work, but I don't know how much current the CLP/SSM can deliver. Some amperes into the siren and it sounds loud. But this isn't a problem, it has worked earlier. I have no clue what they did here, the original siren is powered by fuse 13 or 9 and the CLP/SSM sends a trigger signal to the siren, it does not and cannot power the siren.

It's common for them to reroute the cables for the turn signals and rewire them and maybe some other wires here in Sweden. Some stupid rules that have to be met that cause problems and cost a lot of money. I hope to figure out what they did to the car's electrical system later, I can see traces of what they did in some places. And this alone means that I can't help. I have no clue what they do.

I've taken the CLP/SSM unit apart and can't see any water ingress or corrosion damage. If I'm unlucky and it's defective, you wrote that it doesn't need to be programmed. What do you think, can I replace it with a CLP/SSM from any Mercedes from the years 1997 to 2004? My unit has a Mercedes logo on it. You want the unit from another Crossfire, coupe or Roadster. As to what other Mercedes pumps work, I cant say. I suspect the SLK320/32AMG unit works but since the CLP/SSM is more than a pump, but is the brain of the security system, I am unsure about that. I've never used a non-Crossfire part. I do know the pinout of the wiring harness is different.

I think we can wait a while now until I examine the tailgate switch, or if it is the cable to it that has become pinched.

Very good information you gave: "The anti-theft/alarm system is integrated in what they refer to as the 'Power locks', so no.", thank you very much, I have been looking for that information!

Thank you very much for your help, I will be back!


For the reasons above, I am withdrawing from this, I can't help with a car modified like that, unless I can stand there and take the time go to thru it personally. With the mods you say they make to cars over there, you want to talk to someone who understands what exactly is done to comply with what ever laws there are. I would download the service manual and start making notes as I talk to those who know.