S60 Completely Dead, No Dash Lights, No Crank, Alarm Randomly Sounding
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08-29-2009, 05:02 PM
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S60 Completely Dead, No Dash Lights, No Crank, Alarm Randomly Sounding
Hi all,
I bought my 2002 S60 2.5 Bi-fuel 3 weeks ago, and after taxing it a few days later, have been using it to get to work (35 miles away) and back most days since then. I got home from work yesterday at tea time, parked the car, and pressed the key fob button to lock the doors; a couple of seconds later I heard the deadlocks click (is that noise the deadlocks?).
This afternoon I went to get the car to take it out; as I approached I pressed the button on the key fob to unlock the car, and instantly the alarm sounded (not the panic alarm sound from the horn, I didn't press the wrong button). My presses on the key fob did nothing, wouldn't unlock the car; in my desperation to stop the alarm going off, I opened the drivers door with the key, put the key in the ignition, and turned it to position II, the alarm stopped.
The thing is, as I turned the key in the ignition, nothing happened, literally; no dash lights, no engine cranking, nothing, and it is still the same now. Could this be the immobilizer cutting all power, shouldn't the dash lights still come on?
What's more, the deadlocks are still all locked on all doors but the drivers door, even pulling the open handle from the inside will not open them.
For the rest of the day the alarm has been going off at random intervals, the only way I could guarantee that the alarm would not go off, was to have the key in and turned to position II. Later, I disconnected the negative terminal of the battery; I tried this on advice from a friend, who suggested it might even reset the alarm/immobilizer if I left it off for a while; we left it around an hour, but as soon as I touched the negative terminal back to the battery the alarm sounded again. I should also mention that a couple of times when the alarm tried to sound, it made a really strange garbled electronic noise rather than its normal sound for a few moments, and then returned to normal.
Having read on several forums that the alarm siren modules on the P2 cars suffer a fault where the battery leaks electrolyte onto the connections and board, damaging the connections, and causing the alarm to sound at random intervals, I wondered if this might be the problem I am suffering with now. Does a complete loss of all power sometimes appear as a symptom of a faulty siren module? Someone I know suggested that car alarms sometimes go off when the battery runs flat, and this would seem to fit with the complete lack of any power when I turn the key, but surely the fact that the alarm sounds when the negative terminal is reconnected proves the battery has juice. Furthermore, doesn't the strange noise from the alarm suggest that the module may be faulty? Would the faulty alarm module cause my immobilizer to be permanently engaged, could this explain a complete loss of electrical power?
When I get up in the morning, I am going to remove/check the fuse for the siren; forum posters have suggested that this fuse is in the fuse box on the end plate of the dashboard, fuse number 38. However, my manual states that the siren fuse is in the fuse box behind the sound barrier, in the drivers footwell, fuse number 8. I am going to see if removing either one, or both of them disables the siren module and restores power; I will post back with my results.
I should also add that I have not seen any service messages relating to the alarm system on the dashboard LCD display.
Any suggestions as to how I might proceed will be gratefully accepted, many thanks for taking the time to read.
Cheers,
Paul
I bought my 2002 S60 2.5 Bi-fuel 3 weeks ago, and after taxing it a few days later, have been using it to get to work (35 miles away) and back most days since then. I got home from work yesterday at tea time, parked the car, and pressed the key fob button to lock the doors; a couple of seconds later I heard the deadlocks click (is that noise the deadlocks?).
This afternoon I went to get the car to take it out; as I approached I pressed the button on the key fob to unlock the car, and instantly the alarm sounded (not the panic alarm sound from the horn, I didn't press the wrong button). My presses on the key fob did nothing, wouldn't unlock the car; in my desperation to stop the alarm going off, I opened the drivers door with the key, put the key in the ignition, and turned it to position II, the alarm stopped.
The thing is, as I turned the key in the ignition, nothing happened, literally; no dash lights, no engine cranking, nothing, and it is still the same now. Could this be the immobilizer cutting all power, shouldn't the dash lights still come on?
What's more, the deadlocks are still all locked on all doors but the drivers door, even pulling the open handle from the inside will not open them.
For the rest of the day the alarm has been going off at random intervals, the only way I could guarantee that the alarm would not go off, was to have the key in and turned to position II. Later, I disconnected the negative terminal of the battery; I tried this on advice from a friend, who suggested it might even reset the alarm/immobilizer if I left it off for a while; we left it around an hour, but as soon as I touched the negative terminal back to the battery the alarm sounded again. I should also mention that a couple of times when the alarm tried to sound, it made a really strange garbled electronic noise rather than its normal sound for a few moments, and then returned to normal.
Having read on several forums that the alarm siren modules on the P2 cars suffer a fault where the battery leaks electrolyte onto the connections and board, damaging the connections, and causing the alarm to sound at random intervals, I wondered if this might be the problem I am suffering with now. Does a complete loss of all power sometimes appear as a symptom of a faulty siren module? Someone I know suggested that car alarms sometimes go off when the battery runs flat, and this would seem to fit with the complete lack of any power when I turn the key, but surely the fact that the alarm sounds when the negative terminal is reconnected proves the battery has juice. Furthermore, doesn't the strange noise from the alarm suggest that the module may be faulty? Would the faulty alarm module cause my immobilizer to be permanently engaged, could this explain a complete loss of electrical power?
When I get up in the morning, I am going to remove/check the fuse for the siren; forum posters have suggested that this fuse is in the fuse box on the end plate of the dashboard, fuse number 38. However, my manual states that the siren fuse is in the fuse box behind the sound barrier, in the drivers footwell, fuse number 8. I am going to see if removing either one, or both of them disables the siren module and restores power; I will post back with my results.
I should also add that I have not seen any service messages relating to the alarm system on the dashboard LCD display.
Any suggestions as to how I might proceed will be gratefully accepted, many thanks for taking the time to read.
Cheers,
Paul
#2
08-29-2009, 05:47 PM
I am not familiar with the alarm options (or behaviors) on the Volvo, but might suggest that the battery connections be checked out and cleaned/tightened. If you can get a small volt/ohm meter, you may want to verify that the battery has a 12V output at the terminals. Another option, if suspecting a dead battery, would be to get a jump and see if some of the symptoms you mention clear up when you have a full charge attached.
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