Help, Can't Reset Alarm

[Bill Dally]

My battery was dead after a few weeks of non-use, so I opened the door, clipped the jumper cables to the post in the fuse box and the door latch, and tried to open the front hood. It didn't work. The front hood won't open and the alarm just keeps beeping. I can't reset the alarm with the key either in the door or the ignition.

Does anyone know how to shut the alarm off and open the front hood? My next step is to pull the front left wheel and pull the cable.

----Bill

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Bill Dally

My battery was dead after a few weeks of non-use, so I opened the door, clipped the jumper cables to the post in the fuse box and the door latch, and tried to open the front hood. It didn't work. The front hood won't open and the alarm just keeps beeping. I can't reset the alarm with the key either in the door or the ignition.

Does anyone know how to shut the alarm off and open the front hood? My next step is to pull the front left wheel and pull the cable.

----Bill

You can't, the alarm system is programmed to do exactly what the car is doing. And the dead battery is preferentially sucking up the power you are applying to the fuse box terminals. You need to keep it hooked up until the car's battery gets enough juice built up that you can pop the hood and pull the cable off the battery. Good luck...........

[Bill Dally]

Is there any way to turn off the horn while I'm waiting for the battery to charge up enough to open the hood?

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Bill Dally

Is there any way to turn off the horn while I'm waiting for the battery to charge up enough to open the hood?

Not easily, otherwise thieves could just do the same thing. Some of the early cars, and those delivered in Europe, had an extra siren mounted next to the battery for the same reason. Remember, this is supposed to be a system to prevent getting into the car without disarming the alarm, which is not going to happen with a low battery.

[Bill Dally]

is it likely to beep before it finally lets me open the hood? The Sheriff will probably be here after 10 minutes.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Bill Dally

is it likely to beep before it finally lets me open the hood? The Sheriff will probably be here after 10 minutes.

Along with beeping at you until you remove the battery cable, when you install the new battery, the alarm will go off as well.

[Bill Dally]

I let it beep for 10 minutes and it still wouldn't respond to the key in the door or ignition - or let me pop the hood.

I'm going to try trickle charging it through the lighter. The battery is currently clamping everything to about 2V.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Bill Dally

I let it beep for 10 minutes and it still wouldn't respond to the key in the door or ignition - or let me pop the hood.

I'm going to try trickle charging it through the lighter. The battery is currently clamping everything to about 2V.

Connecting a maintainer to the lighter circuit is not going to be able to pass enough current (read amps) to bring the battery up, the wiring is just too small to handle it. You would be better off connecting another battery via the fuse panel.

[Bill Dally]

10 minutes of having a second battery on the fuse panel wasn't enough to bring it up, and I'm not willing to let it beep for longer than that.

[Loren]

Is this a UK or RoW car?