Sparkrite Alarm nightmare - HELP!

[Topgeartom]

When i bought my car it came fitted with a Sparkrite alarm from the previous owner. It never workd however and i bought it in the knowledge it was just defunct. Having got my car back on the road after a few months and a trip to a local garage or two, the alarm has grown a mind of its own. It sets itself off randomly whilst driving and pressing the sparkrite alarm fob button, or indeed the renault central locking button doesnt do a thing. I drove all the way from leeds to rotherham - over a 100 mile round trip, and it behaved itself perfectly, i get back to 2 mins from my flat and i beeped the horn at some twunt who shouldnt have pulled out and the alarm goes mental whilst im driving - picture the scene - 12 at night loads of people out drunk on the streets and im going down the road at 40 with the hazards on and a siren blairing. I pulled onto my road followed by a copper who obviously was rather suspicious but ok when the car came back to my name. It then set itself off whenever opening or locking the car with the renualt fob once i was parked up.

Earlier in the day me and my dad has a crack at killing it, by taking off the wire to the batery but then the whole car wouldnt start at all, so surely it is linked in with the immobiliser or something which is odd for a cheap DIY alarm.

Can anyone who knows something on the subject help me out. Is there a way to kill the alarm without it stopping the car from starting, or at least somehow make it stop going off randomly? Just to rub it in, if, when the alarm isnt going off on one of its own accord, you try to arm the alarm, nothing whatsoever happenes!

Help!

 

[Topgeartom]

Anyone?

 

[BrianR]

I don’t think you are being ignored, it’s simply a case of someone knowing how a DIY alarm has been installed. (Very unlikely)

No respectable alarm installer would fit Sparkrite (clue is in the name) so its very unlikely anyone on here can help.

The obvious answer is to remove it completely but…:lolup: ..see above.

I could do it for you but you wouldn’t want to pay my labour rates.

I would think you could identify all the wiring associated with the alarm as from memory Sparkrite use really thin wire in very odd colours, so striping it shouldn’t be a problem once you find the module.

Sorry if that’s not much help but it’s a real piece of string question.

 

[Topgeartom]

No thanks dude i appreciate its a specific problem and i dont want to come across as impatient or anything, its almost like having your engine go bang - the end result is the same you cant really drive the car when it looks like youve stole it!

All the wires are easy to identify and see, so if i had a few hours i imagine i could just rip the whole thing out, the only thing stopping me from breaking out the scissors and hammer straight away is the fact that when i took the power off the alarm the car wouldnt start at all. My only worry is that if i rip everything out it then wont start and then im really knackered!

I read somewhere that the alarm might be atached to the starter solenoid which is why when the alarms power goes it wont start.

Anyway thanks for the advice.

 

[Topgeartom]

Ive left the car well alone for a day or so, came back to it today and tried to unlock it - as soon as i press the renault key to unlock the doors the alarm goes off.

Does this mean the alarm is linked with the central locking?

I wouldnt mind the alarm going off if i could stop it but pressing the alarm fob button does nothing, the siren just keeps on. Arghhh!

Is there anyone i could call out that would come and solve it?

 

[BrianR]

Ive left the car well alone for a day or so, came back to it today and tried to unlock it - as soon as i press the renault key to unlock the doors the alarm goes off.

Does this mean the alarm is linked with the central locking?

I wouldnt mind the alarm going off if i could stop it but pressing the alarm fob button does nothing, the siren just keeps on. Arghhh!

Is there anyone i could call out that would come and solve it?

It sounds like the locking is tied in with the alarm rather than the other way round.
By unlocking the car with the Renault plip locker, you are putting a voltage drop on the alarm which is one of the detection methods used in cheap alarms. (it avoids having to wire up door switches)

The non starting issue is probably a sign that they have used a relay to knock out the starter circuit, if it doesnt even crank the engine.

What I would suggest is this.
Trace the wires to the siren and the indicators and cut them. Then at least you can drive the car. even if the alarm is going off there will be no visual/audible indication.

Then get someone to look at it for you, or work your way through the wires till you find them all.

The one thing that would help you is a wiring diagram or the colour codes for the wires. The chances are good that they havent changed those on newer later models of Sparkright, so ask if anyone on here knows them or take a pen and pad and go into Halfords and crib them down.

Where are you ????

 

[Topgeartom]

Cheers for the advice.

I spent ages searching but eventually found a website that has all the user manuals for the sparkrite alarms online, which outlines what colour wire does what etc. Theres clearly wires going to the indicators so i could cut them no problem, but the main module itself is the speaker unit so i dont know how i would kill the siren without just cutting every single wire going into the unit, however then i might end up with the same situation as when i took the power supply off the alarm - the car wont start due to it being linked with the starter.

Im in leeds though btw.

 

[BrianR]

Leeds is a bit far for me Tom.
Post the link to the sparkrite site please ???

 

[Topgeartom]

Dont worry i wasnt meaning for you to come out!

This is the site that has the sparkrite instructions in pdf format.

http://www.stadiumcp.co.uk/
Im not entirely sure which model i have but im fairly sure its the SR-85

 

[BrianR]

Hi Tom,
quick look shows, as I suspected, they use the same colours on all the range.

The purple and grey wires are your indicators and the red is the main supply.

I dont think the alarm on your car is a SR-85 as that does not have an immobilser circuit.

The SR-100 does, and they fit a relay to the starter circuit.

Mostly this type of interrupt relay is fail safe, ie power from the alarm disconnected it will remain open (car immobilized) so if you follow the brown and orange wire to where they have fitted the relay (I would guess close to the ign switch ) and check which wire is live and which is not (my guess is orange live) cut the other one and hold it to earth and the car should start.

If thats the correct procedure then get that relay out of the circuit and repair the cars original wiring ( i am fairly sure its the orange wire on your car)

Or as a stop gap....

If they have used a bosch type 5 pin relay simply remove the brown & orange alarm wires and remove the orange starter wire from term 87 on the relay and pop it on term 87a.

 

[Topgeartom]

Thanks for that, ill give it a go tommorrow.

If finding the correct wires or repairing the cars original electrics goes seriously tits up though, i might do what you suggested previously and cut the wires to the indicators, and find witch wires come from the door switch/ignition sensors and cut them too. That way if i kill any possible input into the alarm which would trigger it, it shouldnt go off. Or is that a bad idea?

Im seriously tempted to just go medieval on it and stab a screwdriver through the speaker which i would like to think would fix it, however i still have a little bit of rational reasoning left in me before we get to that point!

 

[Topgeartom]

Ok ive just been out and had a look - i opened the car using the barrel lock so as not to set the alarm off and pulled the bonnet catch - as soon as i did that however, the alarm went off again.

I disconnected the red power wire, and just to test again, tried to start the car - all i got was the same old click - nothing else.

This is where it gets odd though. It is, like i though the SR85 model, which doesnt have an immobiliser feature. What the hell can be stopping the starter from operating if it doesnt have an immobiliser feature on the alarm!

here is the link the correct online manual:
http://www.stadiumcp.co.uk/Instructions/Sparkrite/SR85.pdf

 

[Danith]

who the frig went to the trouble of actually buying and fitting a sparkrite alarm?
just for the time being couldnt u just cut the wire to the siren to save yourself a lot of embarassment?

 

[Topgeartom]

I wish i could, but the siren is part of the main module, there is only wires going into the alarm module, and im just bothered that if i take the scissors to all of them, then ill be in the position i am now where the car wont start as there is no 12v connection.

 

[Topgeartom]

The more i think about it, the more it doesnt make sense that an alarm module that doesnt have an immobiliser, would stop the car from starting. What could possibly be causing it?

 

[BrianR]

Hi Tom,
There is nothing in that alarm that can be regarded as an immobiliser, the only possibility is that they have added device triggered by either the locking interface or the indicator circuit.
Philips made one about 10 years ago, but I haven’t come across one since.

The bottom line is, no matter how they have triggered it, it will still be an interrupt relay...........start looking near the ignition switch........you may need to remove the cowl round the column and possibly the top of the dash.

Alternatively look at the cars own starter relay and see if they have interrupted that.

 

[Topgeartom]

I strongly doubt the guy before me will have added anything other than the alarm, so i think the best bet is that it is something to do with the starter like you suggested. Whereabouts is the starter on a mk1 1.4 energy lump? The cars not in a brilliant location at the moment and i cant get underneath it where it is, so would it need to be moved before i can have a look?

Daft question maybe, but if i pull the unit itself out can i just open it up and sabotage the siren - pull the fuses out the hazard activation wires and therefore not be able to tell the alarm is active?

 

[Jones]

Tom just find the siren and pull the multi plugs out of it they are proper w**k alarms they are usually under a big rubber thing

 

[Topgeartom]

If i do that though then ill be in the situation i am now, where ive taken the poewr wire from the battery so the alarm has no power, and now the car wont start at all.

 

[Jones]

Ah didnt read all your thread you'll have to chase out the wires i'd expect its cuting the fuel pump.

 

[Topgeartom]

Yeh no worries, my dads coming down saturday to have a look at it all, i had a good look yesterday and all the wires coming out the back of the unit are accounted for i think, i really dont understand why the starter isnt engaging. Before trying to trace everysingle wire im going to have a play around and see if there is a way i can 'mute' the alarm, that way i can have it connected up still so the car will start, but no-one will be able to notice the alarm is activated.

Ill post up what happens later on.

 

[BrianR]

Hi Tom,

If you are going to "butcher" the siren unit, open it up and look for 2 the wires that go to the small speaker-like device, and cut them.

I still think you have a starter inhibit relay in there somewhere.

I dont know your car that well, but the basics of the Renault start and run electrics havent changed much over the years.

The ignition switch has 4 wires on it.
Red which is the Battery supply (always live)
Yellow/green Accessory. key position 1 (radio etc)
Yellow ignition. key position2
Orange starter motor relay. key pos 3

My guess is the orange wire has been cut and a relay fitted somewhere.
Good luck this weekend.....

 

[Leeshez]

My mate had a sparkrite. It was rubbsh LOL

 

[Topgeartom]

Hi Tom,

If you are going to "butcher" the siren unit, open it up and look for 2 the wires that go to the small speaker-like device, and cut them.

I still think you have a starter inhibit relay in there somewhere.

I dont know your car that well, but the basics of the Renault start and run electrics havent changed much over the years.

The ignition switch has 4 wires on it.
Red which is the Battery supply (always live)
Yellow/green Accessory. key position 1 (radio etc)
Yellow ignition. key position2
Orange starter motor relay. key pos 3

My guess is the orange wire has been cut and a relay fitted somewhere.
Good luck this weekend.....

Thanks for that ill have a damn good look for an interruption in an orange wire going to the starter. Hopefully though, if i can bypass the speaker and hazard lights, i can have the alarm wired up to power as normal.

Thanks for the advice thoguh, and like i say, ill let you know how i get on.

 

[Topgeartom]

OK, evevrything just got even stranger.

Went to the car this morning with the idea of wiring the alarm back up to power, starting the car, then killing the alarm again so it wasnt going off while i was on the way home where i was planning on attacking the alarm a proper. I took the fuse out of the power wire and wired the end to the battery terminal, my thinking being it would be easier to pop the fuse back in rather than wrapping a wire around a terminal. At this point i thought i might severly push my luck and see if this for some bizzare reasone would let the car start. It did! So by wiring up the power wire to the battery and then removing the power wire fuse the car starts and as far as i can tell the alarm is dead. Insane stuff.

The moral of this story - avoid anything with sparkrite written on it.

Big thanks to BrianR and everyone else for helping me out on the way though!