1996 Maxima OEM Alarm goes off for no reason. Please help. Anti-Theft problem.

Is there any timed device in the car:

As in a lojak updating, and causing a power draw/

An aftermarket radio, with a clock that automatically resets?

A small current draw will set off the alarm, and if it's always at the same time, it's something to do with a timed device, maybe even a GPS>

I hope this helps.

There is not anything I can think of that is causing a power draw.

No lojack, No aftermarket radio, no GPS.

Someone told me it might be a bad battery, I replaced it yeaterday with a new Interstate brand 75 month battery. The same problem occored again today.

I really apprecaite your feedback, I hope I can get this thing solved...

One or more of your ground points is rusted out and making the alarm flaky. dis-connect the battery and thoroughly clean all ground points. Get a metal toothbrush and brush the rust away. There's 2 ground points I can think of off the top of my head: follow the negative battery cable from the battery to the motor. At one point in between it also connects to the body. Then there's the connections from the alternator. OK maybe that's 3. There's a few more but I can't think of them. Find 'em, clean em. Your car will be good.

CD

Hi again:

The Interstate was the first mistake, they always over rate their cold craning amps, Auto Zone and Wal Mart have the best batteries.

Now, let's try to isolate this problem:

1- Check the battery cables all the way down, carefully by sliding your fingers over the insulation. If you feel any bumps, the cable is corroding from inside out. Do that to both cables, negative and positive and also any wires near the battery. I would say that might be your problem.

2- Check all of your grounds, especially the ones to the engine and the body.

I have a feeling that is where your problem might be.

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me directly.

I h>> Is there any timed device in the car:

This is the 1st I've heard a negative opinion of Interstate batteries. I've only known it to be a well regarded brand.

CD

If I were you, I wouldn't replace something just because someone said so... because you will end up replacing everything in your car eventually. I recommend mounting a $1-$2 Volt meter(get it from Harbor Freight), plug it in your cigarette socket. When alarm went off, check the voltage against the moment you left your car. Good battery should be in between 12V -

12.4V. 11.45V is not a good sign.

I suspect your proximity sensor or a motion sensor maybe tilting due to it getting hit previously, its wrong position in addition to gravity could cause your sensor to be extra sensitive. I know my Mercedes has this motion sensor because when I lift my front wheel, its alarm went off. So I think this theory might be associated with your car.

Good luck.

My little mistake here, you won't be able to see the readout if your key is off ignition, so you must enter and turn on your ignition but do not start your car, check your car's battery asap after alarm went off. Who knows, you could have another bad battery or your charging system is not doing its work. 1/2 day driving can drain off your battery without the proper Return Power from your alternator.

I've had the same problem on a 97 Nissan Primera (U.K. model). In my case I reckon it's the (original!)battery, all grounds are as good as new (I checked the voltage drop and have kept them greased for years), but as the battery is old but good in all other respects I haven't changed it but I've found a workaround:-

Before you take the ignition key out, turn the headlights on if they weren't already on, THEN take the key out and wait a few seconds before turning the lights off and leaving the car. I believe this may let the alarm system think the battery voltage is a bit lower than it really is, so when the unloaded battery voltage suddenly falls a little 5 minutes later (because it's off charge) it's still higher than the recorded threshold. Haven't had a false alarm in 6 months since doing this but if I forget then it goes off half the time about 5-10 minutes after leaving the car. Yours does sound like a bad connection though, but try this temporary fix anyway.

That's a great idea!

What you're doing by leaving the lights on, is taking off the surface charge of the battery, that the alternator puts on it. After a couple of hours, the parasitic drain from the volatile memory in the computer, even though small. Draws just enough, now that the battery is older, and The BCM (Body Control Module) sees that as an intrusion, as in stepping on the brake for an example.

Thank you for that idea, I do diagnostics for a living, besides body work. This will save me a diagnostic nightmare, if a case as this ever enters the shop.

Thank you again.

RK

I apprecaite all the repiles to my previous post and I am gald this seems to have been of some benefit to the 'Maxima Community'.

Here is a brief recap and an update on this situaiton;

The OEM alarm or Anti-Theft system on my 1996 Maxima seems to be going off for no reason. The horn starts blowing, the lights flash.

I had originally stated that this seems to happen the same time every day. That is no longer the case. It seems that was just a coincidence for the first two days that it happened.

In my original post I also neglected to include that the car had just been painted nad had some body work done. A few days after the body work was done I started having problems with the power window and door lock on the passenger side front door. I took the car back to the body shop that did the work and the guy took off the interior door panel and found where shop had left the plug kind of hanging that connects the power door lock and window controls. This leads me to believe they my have also left some other 'bad connections'. I talked to the owner of the body shop and he says he will help me find the bad connection. I hope that what ne means by that is that we will remove each of the door panels and check each of the connectoins at each of the points that could trigger the alarm system.

I have a diagram that someone sent me showing the layout of the anti- theft system and where all these points or connections are.

New concerns, new questions;

A couple nights ago, the starter would not engage upon turning the key. In some of the reading I have done on Maxima Anti-Theft problems I have seen this.

In the event that this problem does not magically disappear by itself I am open to any feedback, advice, suggestions, Etc.

QUESTOIN...

When the alarm goes off on these Maximas, is there anywhere that information is kept on which trigger-point set the alarm off?

I am in hopes that it is stored in the 'Brain' or the 'Central Computer' of the Anti-theft system.

If it is not stored, is there any device that I can 'plug-in' to the Anti-theft system that will record this info?

Unfortunately, I think this question is a long-shot, but I had to ask it. Any good news on this one certainly apprecaited.

I apprecaite all the repiles to my previous post and I am gald this seems to have been of some benefit to the 'Maxima Community'.

Here is a brief recap and an update on my situaiton;

The OEM alarm or Anti-Theft system on my 1996 Maxima seems to be going off for no reason. The horn starts blowing, the lights flash.

I had originally stated that this seems to happen the same time every day. That is no longer the case. It seems that was just a coincidence for the first two days that it happened.

In my original post I also neglected to include that the car had just been painted nad had some body work done. A few days after the body work was done I started having problems with the power window and door lock on the passenger side front door. I took the car back to the body shop that did the work and the guy took off the interior door panel and found where shop had left the plug kind of hanging that connects the power door lock and window controls. This leads me to believe they my have also left some other 'bad connections'. I talked to the owner of the body shop and he says he will help me find the bad connection. I hope that what ne means by that is that we will remove each of the door panels and check each of the connectoins at each of the points that could trigger the alarm system.

I have a diagram that someone sent me showing the layout of the anti- theft system and where all these points or connections are.

New concerns, new questions;

A couple nights ago, the starter would not engage upon turning the key. In some of the reading I have done on Maxima Anti-Theft problems I have seen this.

In the event that this problem does not magically disappear by itself I am open to any feedback, advice, suggestions, Etc.

QUESTOIN...

When the alarm goes off on these Maximas, is there anywhere that information is kept on which trigger-point set the alarm off?

I am in hopes that it is stored in the 'Brain' or the 'Central Computer' of the Anti-theft system.

If it is not stored, is there any device that I can 'plug-in' to the Anti-theft system that will record this info?

Unfortunately, I think this question is a long-shot, but I had to ask it. Any good news on this one certainly apprecaited.

The closest thing I've seen in on a 2001 Sentra with factory alarm.

The problem was the remote control. It had been dropped in water a while ago, and was intermittently triggering the alarm.

Cheap suggestion is to remove the batteries from both of your remotes and see if it still happens (a remote may have fallen in the water or been washed...)

Gary K

I don't know if the Body Control Module retains this information:

If it does, you will need a high quality scanner, and maybe a dealer only scanner.

....

Only Maxima models 1999 and newer have the OEM alarm that is also the ignition integrated to the system.

If you are having ignition problems, then its the ignition and not the alarm. Check the starter, it may be worn.

CD

I think you must be thinking of the "Chip"d key, which the '96 does not have. The alarm system in the '96 does have an integrated ignition system cut-out, (its in the FSM).