94 Astro is dead

[cdzipby]

About a month ago the alarm went off on my astro, we do not have a clicker so my husband had to come and disconnect the alarm when I got stuck at the gas station. The car has been fine until yesterday, went to the store and when I got back in the car turned the ignition and heard a click and nothing else. It has been dead since, there is not an ounce of spark. My husband has checked the fuses, the battery and everything else he could think of and still nothing. I have been very lucky and have never had any problems with my astro until now.
Any advice would be great!

[Blue Bowtie]

Alarm? As in aftermarket alarm? I've never seen ONE of them that was worth much, especially after some of the "professional" installation methods used to hack them onto the factory wire harnesses. Most of them have some sort of starter disable relay or cut into the wiring for the factory starter enable relay.

If it were mine, I'd disable, remove, uninstall, or do whatever is necessary to get the factory wire harness back to original specifiactions, then troubleshoot from there (if any trouble still exists).

[cdzipby]

My husband is certain it is an aftermarket alarm system. The only reason my husband believes the alarm has something to do with it is because the car has zero power, no click, no nothing and that's what the car did when the alarm went off for the first time a few months back.
I will pass your information along to him.
Thanks!

[Blue Bowtie]

Pass along my condolences as well, please. Aftermarket alarm systems seldom have decent support, and finding exactly how it was installed (and therefore, what circuits were affected) can be a labor-intensive process. Some of the more common brands do have some support, and you might even find some documentation in the WWW, but individual installers can vary their methodes greatly.

It would be best to start with a voltmeter and factory schematic to know where the power SHOULD be, then find out if/why power is actually there or not.

[spasticone]

I have a HUGE box of old aftermarket alarms that I can't bring myself to throw away. "Why?" you ask... I removed every one of them from every car I and my family has ever owned.. They cause nothing but electrical nightmares. If you hubby is able, tell him to find the 'brain' of the alarm and just start puting things back the way they were from the factory (wire the origional wires back together). It may not solve this problem, but it will help in the long run... solder and tape is my preference. Good luck!!!!!

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by cdzipby

About a month ago the alarm went off on my astro, we do not have a clicker so my husband had to come and disconnect the alarm when I got stuck at the gas station. The car has been fine until yesterday, went to the store and when I got back in the car turned the ignition and heard a click and nothing else. It has been dead since, there is not an ounce of spark. My husband has checked the fuses, the battery and everything else he could think of and still nothing. I have been very lucky and have never had any problems with my astro until now.
Any advice would be great!

If your husband is electrical minded have him take the alarm off and drop it in the trash can and put the wires back like they were to start with.
Good Luck
MT

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by cdzipby

About a month ago the alarm went off on my astro, we do not have a clicker so my husband had to come and disconnect the alarm when I got stuck at the gas station. The car has been fine until yesterday, went to the store and when I got back in the car turned the ignition and heard a click and nothing else. It has been dead since, there is not an ounce of spark. My husband has checked the fuses, the battery and everything else he could think of and still nothing. I have been very lucky and have never had any problems with my astro until now.
Any advice would be great!

Also even thow the alarm has give you trouble befor do not overlook the basics on the starter system.
Check the ign system and neutral switch for sending a 12 volt start signal to starter and jumper starter to make sure it is working good.
Her is a link to bulldog alarm systems that may have some help with the wiring. It is for installing them but may help with the wiring on removing to.
http://www.bulldogsecurity.com/
Good Luck and let us know how it goes.
MT

[cdzipby]

Thanks everyone for your help, my husband took the alarm system out and the car started right up.

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by cdzipby

Thanks everyone for your help, my husband took the alarm system out and the car started right up.

Glad he got it going and good for him.
Just tell him to drop it in the trash can where all old elcheap O alarms belong.
And thanks for posting back and letting us all know how it went.
MT