Viper 550ESP Problems

I've had this alarm for 4 years on my Honda Civic and have had no problems with it. Back in November I was involved in a head on collision which didn't total the car and was repaired. The Viper siren was damaged and replaced by a generic siren. A month after the repairs and new siren, stuff began getting buggy.Whenever I had headlights or parking lights on, the siren would go off and continue to go off as long as the lights remained on. The siren volume was faint, but noticeable inside the car while driving. Also, if the driver's side door was open WHILE the lights were on, the siren would not go off. But the moment when the door closes AND the lights are on, the siren would go on. This is just one problem...Now, 2 months after the siren began having issues, I just lost all power locking capabilities. I noticed this happen this past Saturday while I was in a parking garage in Chicago. I was driving and usually when I begin driving, the alarm would auto lock the doors until the car turned off. This time I was driving and the locks didn't auto lock. After about 5 minutes, the locks cycled a couple times (locked, unlocked, and locked again). When I parked and turned off the car, the locks didn't open/unlock. I tried the power door lock on the driver's side door and nothing. That switch is now inoperable. I now have to open the locks by hand inside the car or by key outside. When I try to arm the alarm with the keypad, the lights inside and outside the car flicker really quickly and do nothing. Inside the car, it sounds like relays are clicking, but doesn't do anything. Autostart also does not work now, but it hasn't worked since the siren began going off when the lights turned on. I bought a brand new 550ESP kit and tried switching components from under the dash with the new components from the box and to no avail.I had this alarm professionally installed back in 02, but ever since the accident back in November, it's been downhill. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Bryan

Check the brain's ground connection, and make certain that all of the constant +12V wires have a solid connection and fuses are good. Keep us posted.

Did you verify that all of the connections to the vehicle were still solid? It is rare that the DEI pieces go bad, although it happens. This really sounds as if you are having a bad connection problem. Try remaking the connections to your supply wires and verify that there is no corrosion under the ground connection. Keep us posted.

I would agree strongly with the possibility of a bad ground. I know from experience that if you are halfway through an alarm install, and the siren is hooked up, and the brain isn't grounded yet.......... the alarm's brain will "find" a ground somewhere else, not a good ground, but an "almost-good-enough" ground......usually from the parking light wire (they rest as ground when the lights are off), or the door trigger wire (it is a ground when the door is open). Since you are already able to access the brain for the Viper 550, CAREFULLY note which of the black wires is ground-----it is labeled on the back of the brain----it is in the wide, narrow white plug. Poke an extra wire into the plug alongside the Viper's black ground wire......then temporarily hold the other end of your wire to body ground. Does the alarm work properly now? If that gets it to work, all you have to do then, is find the source of the problem and make a permanent repair. It could be that the screw connecting the Viper's wire to the car body has come loose, or there's a break in the wire, or the crimp-connection going into the brain is bad, or the crimp-connection where the wire is screwed to the car's body is bad.

it's a bad ground issue, any time ive seen a dei peice act strange with the situations your having it's usually related to the ground on the unit. if you cannot find the problem i'd suggest taking it to an authorized dei dealer and have them either service the unit or replace it and the wiring but more than likely when you hear a "faint" siren output that explains the lack of ground......if the ground looks good, make a new one anyway. that way you are sure that you have made the correct connections.canada's cold eh.

Good to hear that you got it worked out!