factory alarm gone scatty on 97 Camry after having changed main car battery

I have a 4cyl. 97 Camry with the black two button Toyota keyless fobs.

The main car battery died and I replaced it with a new one from the dealer.

Then the alarm started playing up. I thought this was caused by having a under charged battery. I thought I had cured the problem by charging the battery through and extended journey (charging the battery via the alternator).

However the wretched alarm goes off if I decide to start it having left it idle for two days. The alarm stays silent if the car is started within 2 days after being switched off. But on that 3rd day of non-use I can be sure that the alarm is going to scream blue murder! This is driving me NUTS because before I changed the car battery everything was fine. Now I have a car, which I have to drive once every two days or suffer the indignity of having a wailing car alarm, which I can't control!

I think this has something to do with the power level of the battery, somehow the alarm senses the level of battery charge and if it is too low this sets it off! I have no instructions for this alarm! I suspect there must be a reset procedure for the alarm, which will calibrate it to the new battery. I have checked that the new battery is the correct model for the car.

Has anyone experienced this battery change hell?

Reply to
Don
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A new battery should be able to hold a charge for 3 days without a significant voltage drop unless something is drawing power while the car is sitting idle. If you have automatic headlights, turn them to the off position if you are going to park the car for any length of time. Do you have any aftermarket accessories like an audio system, remote starter, fog lights, hard-wired radar detector, etc.? If there is no significant parasitic draw and the battery is not holding a charge, then the replacement battery may be bad or marginal. If you have a volt meter, you should check battery voltage when you shut the engine off and when the problem occurs.

After the car has sat for 3 days, when does the alarm trigger? When you open the driver's door or when you insert the key in the ignition? Is there a difference if you open the door with the key instead of the remote? How about if you unlock the passenger door or trunk first? There is a switch connected to the lock cylinder that may not be detecting the unlock.

Reply to
Ray O

Ray

Car doesn't have auto-sensing headlights. Prior to the battery change I was driving the car once every 14 days or so with no starting problems at all. Car has no after market fittings. I purchase the car second hand about 4 years ago and have driven it with no problems until this battery change. I think the previous owner did fit a CB radio or something where the central cup holders are situated, but that had been removed before I purchased the car.

After leaving the car for three days of non-use I unlock the car with the remote (this works fine). I start the car with the key and the engine fires up first time with no indication that the battery is having difficulty turning the starter motor over. The alarm usually triggers after the engine has been running for a short while between 10-30 seconds. The alarm may sound hesitant by appearing to shut off for a fraction of a second but then carryon annoying me. I have tried raising the rev counter level using the throttle pedal and this has on occasion stopped the alarm for a fraction of a second before it restarts. I suppose the alarm sounds for no more than about 5 mins (although is seems much longer than this when your wishing it to shut up). After alarm has said its piece then its shuts up and I cannot induce it to sound.

The annoying thing is that I can start it up on the 3rd day and be on the road within 30 seconds and the alarm will sound off while I'm in traffic very embarrassing.

As long as I don't let the car stand for 3 days this alarm nonsense doesn't appear.

I have tried to unlock the car with the key and this works, however I think all four indicator lights light up permanently (i.e. not flashing). Engine can be started ok but obviously I can't drive the car with the indicators all lit at the same time. I don't think the alarm sounds though.

The only other time that the alarm goes off is when I have not driven it for a short while and use it to drive a short distance 0.5 - 1 mile or so then

20 minutes after I park up and lock the car the alarm sounds. I've checked in the specification section of the manual and it does say something about the voltage being checked by the car 20 minutes after shutoff.

It would be interesting to find out where the alarm computer box is situated so I could find out the name of this malfunctioning piece of rubbish.

Reply to
Don

I hope you don't find out that Lucas of England (the prince of darkness) is the part's supplier! ; - )

Reply to
mack

If you have the factory repair manual, check the theft deterrent section in the Body Electrical (BE) section. I don't think it covers your particular symptoms, so I'd check voltage at the harness connection for the theft deterrent system ECU.

The ECU for the theft deterrent section should be in the trunk on the left side.

Reply to
Ray O

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