Alarm beeping 3 times every minute urgent help needed

[garyp159]

Hi all,

After checking the fluids and putting the battery on charge the alarm has started beeping/ chirping 3 times every minute.

I've tried disconnecting the bonnet switch, to no avail.

Is it possible to reset or even just switch the alarm off?

It also sometimes flashes the lights when the engine is running, for no reason. I'd very happily get rid of it altogether, however I'm meant to be driving it down to Goodwood on Thursday, so I need a quick fix!!!

Thanks,

Gary

 

[colb]

How about disconnecting the siren in the engine bay to stop the beeping not sure about the flashing headlights that would be down to the options that have been set in the alarm coding which would require using NCS Expert on a laptop to code that option out.
The car really needs a scan to see if its set any codes for these alarm issues which may point you in the direction of a fix.

 

[garyp159]

I'm concerned the alarm will keep playing up, get worse... If that's unlikely then yeah, I guess I could disconnect it. It sounds like it's on top of the inner wing on the passenger side, is that right?

 

[colb]

Yes it should be there, they did come with a special key to turn them off but maybe that's long gone during ownership changes.

 

[Nodzed]

Lock the car with the remote by pressing the lock button twice, this should turn off the internal sensors and tilt switch, if it dosent cure it you can eliminate those, my money is on the tilt switch being or has been submerged in water.

 

[garyp159]

Locking the car doesn't work, at least it doesn't stop the beeping.

Where is the tilt sensor?

 

[Nodzed]

Locking the car doesn't work, at least it doesn't stop the beeping.

Where is the tilt sensor?

Rear passenger corner of the boot, remove the carpet by the rear light and stick your hand in, it's fairly deep the sensor is there about the size of a fag packet. This area gets flooded and the connectors corrode. If it has, throw it away and don't bother replacing it.

 

[garyp159]

Excellent, thanks. I'll look when I get home this evening.

 

[colb]

If you find water in there check out the aerial grommet, this degraded and can split allowing water to get in. Replacement cheapest from BMW. Two types one for series 1 cars and other for facelifts with the wider rear wings.

 

[Nodzed]

Locking the car doesn't work, at least it doesn't stop the beeping.

Where is the tilt sensor?

Have you tried pressing the lock button twice?

 

[garyp159]

Have you tried pressing the lock button twice?

Yes, to no avail unfortunately.

 

[garyp159]

Can I just remove the alarm module (which I believe is behind the glove box)? Will that cause any issues apart from door locking? I'm happy just to use the key.

 

[Ianmc]

We had the alarm module removed on our E36 convertible a few years ago; symptoms similar to yours. Didn't affect the central locking, we just use the key to lock.

 

[garyp159]

That may have to be the solution! Thanks

 

[garyp159]

Friend came round yesterday with his diagnostic equipment, alarm is now off (not disabled), everything is working fine, no error messages. It seems the key fob has been corrupted and is sending false messages to the alarm...

Key fobs now locked away, I'll just use the key!

 

[Nodzed]

Friend came round yesterday with his diagnostic equipment, alarm is now off (not disabled), everything is working fine, no error messages. It seems the key fob has been corrupted and is sending false messages to the alarm...

Key fobs now locked away, I'll just use the key!

Thats a new one on me. Glad you sorted it.

 

[garyp159]

One key fob appears not to work, the other key fob works intermittently. When pressed it either does nothing or appears to send a stream of data to the alarm module, the red LED flashes quickly (like a high data rate download on a Broadband router) for numerous seconds (felt like ages but I didn't time it). The behaviour of the fob is intermittent and either results in doing what is expected, doing nothing, or the alarm starts flashing the indicators (no audible), the latter can happen with the car parked, locked, open or sitting idling, sometimes immediately, sometimes after the data stream from the key fob stops...??? Taking the battery out of the fob for a while, then putting it back in seemed to reset things. At which point I stopped.

The beeping stopped after reseating the bonnet switch, WD40 on the boot switch, then resetting the alarm... At which point the above started...

Anyway, now all reset, and the key fobs won't be touched, for now.