Rover 414 alarm problem - please help

pruney

Hello
I usually frequent the DIY board but I have an "alarming" problem which I don't think they can help me with.
I have a rover 414 (1996 model) and the alarm has just started going off randomly and for no reason.
I've read online that you can adjust the sensitivity but it says you should do this on the camera type thing near the driver side windscreen at the top but I don't appear to have one. The only thing I have which looks like a sensor type thing is just above the driver side seatbelt and there is nowhere to adjust with a screwdriver, which is what I'd read online you were supposed to do.
My husband has taken to disconnecting the battery when we aren't using it because he is suffering with anxiety and depression at the moment and it is really stressing him out when it goes off, particularly in the evening, because he is worried the neighbours are going to shout at him.
If I have to take it to a garage then so be it but I'd really like to try to reduce the sensitivity if I can so if anyone can help with that or has another (cheap) idea for fixing it, I'd love to hear about it. We're trying to save to do our bathroom at the moment and a trip to the garage would have to come from that fund so I'd like to avoid costly garage bills if possible.
Thanks in advance to anyone that can assist me,
Ayesha

Jonesya

2 suggestions:

Have a read through the manual to confirm but if it's the same as my Rover 25 then you can lock the car without arming the alarm by locking with just the key. It's only when you press the lock on the keyfob that the alarm is armed. That should save having to disconnect the battery until you get it sorted.

If you don't get the answer on here then you may want to try the forums on the MG-Rover owners site - have a search through on the 45/400 section of the forums. It's unlikely your the first to suffer this problem.

http://forums.mg-rover.org/

Conor_3

If you look in the boot under the side panel on the drivers side, you'll see the alarm. Take it out and I bet you'll find the connector has corroded connections. They get water ingress and when that happens, the alarm can just go off.

pruney

Jonesya wrote: »

2 suggestions:

Have a read through the manual to confirm but if it's the same as my Rover 25 then you can lock the car without arming the alarm by locking with just the key. It's only when you press the lock on the keyfob that the alarm is armed. That should save having to disconnect the battery until you get it sorted.

If you don't get the answer on here then you may want to try the forums on the MG-Rover owners site - have a search through on the 45/400 section of the forums. It's unlikely your the first to suffer this problem.

http://forums.mg-rover.org/

Thanks, I'll check that site out. Unfortunately locking with the key still arms the alarm and it has still been going off. I might try locking with the keyfob, then unlocking with it and then locking with the key just to double check it wasn't left on the last time we used it.

pruney

Conor wrote: »

If you look in the boot under the side panel on the drivers side, you'll see the alarm. Take it out and I bet you'll find the connector has corroded connections. They get water ingress and when that happens, the alarm can just go off.

Thanks, if it is that, do you know how I can fix it or is it a garage job? I read somewhere that because Rover alarms are factory fitted only rover dealers can fix them when they go wrong. I'd love to just have it completely disconnected.

Unfortunately we were desperate for a car when we bought this as our last one was no more, if we hadn't been I'd have waited for something else as I hate cars with central locking, electric windows, alarms, etc, it is just more expense when something goes wrong.

peterbaker

pruney just a thought but have you had to charge the battery lately, or have you noticed that it hardly turns the engine fast enough to start it?

Many alarms I think are defaulted to go off if the voltage drops below a certain figure. Mine does on my 1999 Audi. It took me a while to notice too ... I was vaguely aware of someone's alarm going off in the street from time to time (mine only goes off for a minute or so and resets I think). Took me a while to realise it was mine at least some of the time!

Being a bit of a DIY merchant on cars, I always have made sure that I can start my car instantly without churning the engine for even a second but I had already noticed that starting was sometimes less than instant, and for a while I suspected that the alarm going off might have flattened the battery and not the other way round

The battery on my Audi might well have been original. They don't last forever and cars used for short journeys everyday might wear one out in less than 3 years.

You can try recharging yours as I did, but you might typically find that one cell (usually on the end) does not charge (no bubbles once it gets charging). That's an indicator that the battery really needs replacement.

I did in fact swap mine with a good battery from another vehicle, and experimented with the dodgy one by hitting it with a mallet to dislodge any heavy sulphate deposits (a sign of over discharging a battery repeatedly without recharging it fully again). which might be short circuiting the bad cell preventing it from charging. After I'd used this fine surgeon's tool, I then tried recharging the battery again. I think I succeeded because I got a good stream of bubbles from the previously dead cell, but I haven't dared use it again on the Audi because of the type of alarm embarassment you describe!

I need a battery hydrometer to be sure of the health of each cell.

Anyway, as I said, the battery might be the problem and not the alarm.

Anyone agree/disagree? Certainly I've had no further alarm problems since I replaced the battery.

Conor_3

pruney wrote: »

Thanks, if it is that, do you know how I can fix it or is it a garage job? I read somewhere that because Rover alarms are factory fitted only rover dealers can fix them when they go wrong. I'd love to just have it completely disconnected.

I did mine myself. Merely cleaned up all the pins in the connector with WD40 and it sorted it.

Trouble is it also controls the central locking.