alarm problem and stalling/battery question

[LoveMyShittyJeep]

hi everybody,

i have a 94 grand cherokee limited, v8, with 155,000 miles on it.

remote
for the last two days my alarm somehow has been messed up. normally, when i close the car and lock it with my remote (name DEI, VIPER), i have a blinking red light next to the radio. now, this light is on the whole time and will not go off. i have tried the remote key programming that someone described in this great forum here. but it didn't help. i open the door, lock the door manually, turn key to run and then hold the key for 5 seconds. this will not open the door but the alarm will start. i have really no idea what to try. could it have to do with the hood sensor?

battery
my jeep is stalling and eventually dying, if i don't push the gas hard enough when accelerating. on the forum i read that it could be iac,tps,o2 sensor or battery. i know that my battery is pretty old, but the indication looks ok, when car is running. now i was wondering whether i can rely on this indication or is it always ok when the engine is running? i had some problems starting the car, too. check engine light is not on, no error code is stored.

thanks a lot for any kind of help in advance,
sebastian

[drummerb86]

For the alarm try pushing both buttons at the same time. The red light will stay on when in valet mode. This should turn it off. Im not sure this will solve your problem but give it a try.

as for the batt. that it to like autozone or local auto parts store and they should be able to test your batt for free.

[drummerb86]

that = take .... lol sorry

[LoveMyShittyJeep]

thanks for your help

the second key on my remote seems to have no effect at all, i guess because it is not the original one. i open/close with one key only.

anyway, i somehow fixed it. i checked the hood sensor and opened the liftgate with the key a few times. something did it, i guess the alarm logic was just messed up.

again thanks for your reply.
happy jeeping

[ponchonutty]

Nope, you got into Valet mode. 2 ways to get into or out of this is....
With a door open, press number one on the remote, then number 2, then number one again. The other way is right after you shut the car off, press and release the valet button that's usually under your dash.

There is no way you had any "alarm logic" that was messed up.

[djeep]

Hey Everyone.
I'm new to this site and have been reviewing different threads for the past hour or so...and decided to join and kick-in my 2 cents!
I'm convinced that a bunch of these similar threads have to do with a power drain and random alarm problems. My 94 GC 5.2L started giving me issues last winter and they went away all summer. Now that we've returned to the cold (I live in Northern Ontario) they're back!
Twice this month I've gone out in the morning to a dead vehicle. Yesterday was the latest...I was able to hook it up to a spare battery. As soon as this is done the alarm system triggers. I try to disarm this by turning the key in the passenger door and it appears to work. However, when you attemp to start it the beast will fire and then stall. It needs repeated coaxing to keep going and idle and then it ran rough. This is probably the 6-7th time something like this has happened (only in the winter!). In the past it usually takes several days before the throttle response returns to normal.
I also can't lock the doors and then unlock them with the driver's door; this always sets off the SOB alarm. Recently, my tailgate lock stopped working properly. I can lock and unlock it with the power locks from either door arm but can't do it with my key.
Everytime I have to disconnect the battery to do any work the hard starting and rough running thing returns to make the next couple of days a real treat.
Yesterday I had it back in the shop and my mechanic said that the battery was holding charge and that there didn't seem to be a drain...
I've also seen, however, the symptom described elsewhere with the voltmeter dropping significantly when at lower engine reves, almost as if the alternator is bad (I don't think mine is, as this is the second alternator I've seen this with). The voltage drop on the meter isn't always consistent, either.
I wish someone could help with these issues. I love this vehicle when it's working and am almost ready to give up hope. I put a new fuel pump in it recently because that's what the dealer said ...I'm $600 poorer and no further ahead!
Any ideas would be great and I will post any ideas or solutions that are offered by my new service shop (no more dealer!!)
Any ideas on an aftermarket replacement alarm?
Thanks,
Derek.

[ponchonutty]

Originally Posted by djeep

Hey Everyone.
I'm new to this site and have been reviewing different threads for the past hour or so...and decided to join and kick-in my 2 cents!
I'm convinced that a bunch of these similar threads have to do with a power drain and random alarm problems. My 94 GC 5.2L started giving me issues last winter and they went away all summer. Now that we've returned to the cold (I live in Northern Ontario) they're back!
Twice this month I've gone out in the morning to a dead vehicle. Yesterday was the latest...I was able to hook it up to a spare battery. As soon as this is done the alarm system triggers. I try to disarm this by turning the key in the passenger door and it appears to work. However, when you attemp to start it the beast will fire and then stall. It needs repeated coaxing to keep going and idle and then it ran rough. This is probably the 6-7th time something like this has happened (only in the winter!). In the past it usually takes several days before the throttle response returns to normal.
I also can't lock the doors and then unlock them with the driver's door; this always sets off the SOB alarm. Recently, my tailgate lock stopped working properly. I can lock and unlock it with the power locks from either door arm but can't do it with my key.
Everytime I have to disconnect the battery to do any work the hard starting and rough running thing returns to make the next couple of days a real treat.
Yesterday I had it back in the shop and my mechanic said that the battery was holding charge and that there didn't seem to be a drain...
I've also seen, however, the symptom described elsewhere with the voltmeter dropping significantly when at lower engine reves, almost as if the alternator is bad (I don't think mine is, as this is the second alternator I've seen this with). The voltage drop on the meter isn't always consistent, either.
I wish someone could help with these issues. I love this vehicle when it's working and am almost ready to give up hope. I put a new fuel pump in it recently because that's what the dealer said ...I'm $600 poorer and no further ahead!
Any ideas would be great and I will post any ideas or solutions that are offered by my new service shop (no more dealer!!)
Any ideas on an aftermarket replacement alarm?
Thanks,
Derek.

You gotta get the vehicle under control before going with anything aftermarket!

[djeep]

Well it's holding charge and last night was -20 so it was a good test for the battery. I guess I must have several issues:
1) The driver's door can't be opened when it's locked without setting the alarm off...
Could this be a sensor in the door?

2) My tailgate lock won't turn with the key but can be operated from the power lock switches...
Rusted tumblers inside the lock??? (I've soaked it with WD40 but no luck).

3) There is the rarely occuring problem where something drains the battery while it's sitting turned off. (only when it's cold and damp outside). Then when I charge or jump it, the alarm cycle kicks on. I can disarm it by locking/unlocking the passenger door, but then it doesn't want to keep running. It will start and then cut off. After repeated attempts it will run but will be rough and have poor throttle response for the next day or two. (It never does this without the alarm tripping 1st).
?????? No ideas here.
I'm going to take it in for more troubleshooting at the garage.
Thanks,
Derek.