Uninstalling an aftermarket alarm

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I bought a 1994 F150 a few years ago, and the person I got it from had at some point installed an alarm. He gave me the clicker to it, which I have since lost. I am trying to replace the battery, but when I connect the new battery the alarm goes off. I first tried just disconnecting the actual audio device which got rid of the sound, but then I realized the alarm also kills the starter. I found the relay under the dash and was able to bridge the starter wire based on a tutorial in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBZmwZW1ePE
I have pretty much that same exact alarm. That got me one stop closer, the truck now starts. But now I realized my flashers go off when the alarm is going off.

I want to just completely disable the alarm. Am I able to just cut out the relay, and connect the two wires that I bridged together? I dont’ want to start snipping until I’m sure I won’t mess anything up

2

You need to find the manufacturer who made your alarm and see if you can get a good wiring schematic. Good luck in that department though because these companies go in and out of business on a daily basis. None of them are very reliable in my opinion and the funny thing is…they don’t work. No one pays attention to a car alarm other than the fact they are a nuisance. The next best step is just to take the truck to a stereo shop and see if they can figure out the wiring. You are absolutely right in not “snipping” because that can run into some real money.

3

Thanks. I can’t even figure out who the manufacturer is, though. There is no brand on the relay, at least nothing that is legible at this point. Now that I am actually able to start the truck taking it somewhere is an option, although I was hoping to avoid having to pay someone.

4

Look for the main box stashed up under the dash somewhere. The manufacturer data will be on that piece of the system.

5

Thanks, I will try that when I get back home

6

Find the main box and trace each wire to where it was spliced to the trucks original wiring and re-splice any of the original wires that may have been cut.

7

And just take the distributor wire with you if you want to deter a hot-wire artist.

8

there is one company out there that sells under a hundred different names, I would visted a electronics store no a big box but local custom shop talk to them

9

If the only problem remaining is the flashers, get a schematic and find out the wire colors which go to the manually operated flasher switch. It is likely just a mechanical switch with two contacts. When you turn it on, it closes the contacts. ( Or just look up under the dash if that’s possible, see what wires are connected to the switch that turns the emergency flashers on.) In any event, once you know the wire colors, well, there must be splices in at least one of those wires somewhere, connected with the alarm or the alarm relay, which allows the alarm to close the flasher switch path itself. Once you find where the wiring harness incursion occurs, you can disable the ability of the alarm to turn on the flashers.