Battery dead but car alarm goes off when I try to jump start the car!

[CrustyBadger]

OK, I am trying to fix this problem myself instead of having the car towed.

Here's the situation:

I have a 2005 Honda Accord.  It is a dead battery.  Recently in the past, I have been able to jump start it with no problem.   This time, however, when I try to jump start it, the car alarm immediately goes off.   (Before I actually start the dead car).  With the alarm still sounding, I am able to get in the dead car, and start it no problem, but the alarm keeps blaring.  I have a key fob to turn off the alarm but it doesn't work.

Once the car is started, I disconnect the jumper cables, and the alarm still blares.  I turn off the 2005 Accord, the alarm stops, but then I am unable to start the car again.


I would like to start the car with no alarm (or turn the alarm off) and drive the car for 30 minutes to see if the battery charges itself up again as it has in the past.  Or to drive it to a shop to get the battery replaced.  Would prefer not to have to hire a tow truck to replace the battery.

Ideas?

[RWD]

Is this an aftermarket alarm system?

[CrustyBadger]

no, original to the car

[RWD]

Presumably unlocking the car with a key will disable the alarm. Have you tried locking and unlocking the door without the fob? Is the fob completely dead or just not working to disable the alarm? Have you checked if the manual specifies any procedures for disabling the alarm?

[RWD]

Also, replacing a battery is (usually) super easy to do yourself. Do have alternative transportation to go to an AutoZone or similar? Just take in your old battery to cover the core charge. It might be better to try diagnosing the alarm problem after replacing the battery.

[CrustyBadger]

Also, replacing a battery is (usually) super easy to do yourself. Do have alternative transportation to go to an AutoZone or similar? Just take in your old battery to cover the core charge. It might be better to try diagnosing the alarm problem after replacing the battery.

I don't know what that means, which shows you the extent of my electrical knowledge.    (-:

[CrustyBadger]

D'oh I get it -- it's a recycling charge.

[GuitarStv]

Can you just cut the wires to the alarm system?  It's not like car alarm systems serve any purpose whatsoever, or reduce car thefts at all anyway  . . .

[RWD]

D'oh I get it -- it's a recycling charge.

Yes. Essentially if you don't bring in your old battery "core" they will charge you extra. A lot of places will let you bring in the core later to get a refund (sort of like a soda can deposit), but it's easiest just to do it at the time of purchase.

[SnackDog]

Just drive it around until the battery recharges.  Ignore the alarm.

[Car Jack]

Does the alarm use the regular car horn or is there a separate horn in the car?  If it's separate, locate it and cut the wires.

But yes.....if you don't replace the battery, you're not going to solve your problem.

[austin944]

Googling reveals a ton of solutions mostly involving turning off the alarm with the key fob like @RWD suggested -- do none of those work on your car?

http://www.dispatch.com/article/20100320/news/303209743
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/stop-alarm-while-jump-starting-car-828882/

Dozens more like the above.

[CrustyBadger]

Googling reveals a ton of solutions mostly involving turning off the alarm with the key fob like @RWD suggested -- do none of those work on your car?

http://www.dispatch.com/article/20100320/news/303209743
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/stop-alarm-while-jump-starting-car-828882/

Dozens more like the above.

Thanks so much!   It occurs to me that perhaps my key fob is dead.  When I get home I will try using my husband's first, see if that works. 

Driving the car around with the alarm on is not an option in my location; I'd get pulled over by the cops immediately and then would have to turn off the car and then have it towed when it doesn't start up again.

Learning how to replace the battery will be my next step.  Thanks for the advice.

[robartsd]

Hopefully the battery in your fob just needs replacing. Easy fix: 1) change battery in fob (or bring other fob), 2) change battery in car (be ready to disarm alarm as soon as you connect new battery), 3) take old battery back to ge a refund of the core charge. Alternatively: 1) change battery in fob (or bring other fob), 2) jump car (be ready to disarm alarm as soon as you connect jumper cables), 3) drive to where you will fix car.

It may be that your car has had a dead battery long enough that the alarm doesn't remember which fobs are associated. You'll need to learn how to reprogram the car to recognize the fobs again before you can turn off the alarm.

Driving the car around with the alarm on is not an option in my location; I'd get pulled over by the cops immediately and then would have to turn off the car and then have it towed when it doesn't start up again.

If you replace the car battery, without solving the alarm problem at least you'll be able to start up again after the inconvenient traffic stop. At home you'll need to disconnect the battery to get the alarm to stop, but at least you be more free to solve the alarm problem at your leisure.

Twice on dates (different individuals, still good friends with the first and now married to the second) where I went out dancing I had a problem with the key fob. The first time I was fortunate to be close enough to home that someone was able to bring me the other fob fairly quickly. The second time we opened the fob and found that condensation had formed on the circuit board. My date's brother improvised a small fan to help dry off the circuit board. I stopped keeping car keys in my pocket while dancing after that.

[katsiki]

If it is the fob, it probably takes a CR2032 or similar battery.  Some people call these watch batteries.  They are also used in PCs.  You can find the # on the one in the FOB now (if bad).  You can likely get a replacement at a local pharmacy.  (Amazon carries them too but it will likely be overpriced).

[HPstache]

Early 2000's Hondas do that.  The alarm goes off when they get super low battery.  I would disconnect the battery and charge just the battery while it is still in the vehicle.  Once it gets a sufficient charge, when you reconnect the battery, the alarm should not go off.  Alternatively, as others have said, you can just replace the battery... but that could be a bit wasteful if it's still good.

[CrustyBadger]

Early 2000's Hondas do that.  The alarm goes off when they get super low battery.  I would disconnect the battery and charge just the battery while it is still in the vehicle.  Once it gets a sufficient charge, when you reconnect the battery, the alarm should not go off.  Alternatively, as others have said, you can just replace the battery... but that could be a bit wasteful if it's still good.

Considering OP said he/she has had to jump the battery a few times already, I would imagine the battery isn't holding a charge anymore. Either that or the vehicle has a battery draw or the alternator isn't working to peak performance.

No, it's a seldom driven car and I just haven't had a lot of time to drive it and get the battery charged up again.  I think the battery is still good, just needs to be charged up.  I'm going to try to look at it again this weekend if not today.

[katsiki]

Early 2000's Hondas do that.  The alarm goes off when they get super low battery.  I would disconnect the battery and charge just the battery while it is still in the vehicle.  Once it gets a sufficient charge, when you reconnect the battery, the alarm should not go off.  Alternatively, as others have said, you can just replace the battery... but that could be a bit wasteful if it's still good.

Considering OP said he/she has had to jump the battery a few times already, I would imagine the battery isn't holding a charge anymore. Either that or the vehicle has a battery draw or the alternator isn't working to peak performance.

No, it's a seldom driven car and I just haven't had a lot of time to drive it and get the battery charged up again.  I think the battery is still good, just needs to be charged up.  I'm going to try to look at it again this weekend if not today.

You may want to get a trickle charger if you can't drive it once a week or so.

[RWD]

Early 2000's Hondas do that.  The alarm goes off when they get super low battery.  I would disconnect the battery and charge just the battery while it is still in the vehicle.  Once it gets a sufficient charge, when you reconnect the battery, the alarm should not go off.  Alternatively, as others have said, you can just replace the battery... but that could be a bit wasteful if it's still good.

Considering OP said he/she has had to jump the battery a few times already, I would imagine the battery isn't holding a charge anymore. Either that or the vehicle has a battery draw or the alternator isn't working to peak performance.

No, it's a seldom driven car and I just haven't had a lot of time to drive it and get the battery charged up again.  I think the battery is still good, just needs to be charged up.  I'm going to try to look at it again this weekend if not today.

You may want to get a trickle charger if you can't drive it once a week or so.

A battery tender is better than a trickle charger (it won't keep trying to charge even when the battery is full). If you're not sure whether your battery is still good some places (e.g. AutoZone) will test it for you for free.

[katsiki]

^^^ Thanks RWD!  I thought that was 2 names for the same device.

[robartsd]

Lead acid batteries age more if stored at a low state of charge - a battery tender would be a good idea. If the vehicle is normally stored outside, you can get one that is solar powered; however, a solar unit might have difficulty bringing a discharged battery back up to full charge.

Early 2000's Hondas do that.  The alarm goes off when they get super low battery.  I would disconnect the battery and charge just the battery while it is still in the vehicle.  Once it gets a sufficient charge, when you reconnect the battery, the alarm should not go off.  Alternatively, as others have said, you can just replace the battery... but that could be a bit wasteful if it's still good.

Would this be the case even when hooked up to a fully charged battery for the jump?

You can remove the battery and take it to Auto Zone for testing. Most likely the initial result will be charge and retest. They will offer to let you leave the battery with them for charging. When you come back to pick up the battery they will test it again and let you know if it needs replacing.

[CrustyBadger]

Presumably unlocking the car with a key will disable the alarm. Have you tried locking and unlocking the door without the fob? Is the fob completely dead or just not working to disable the alarm? Have you checked if the manual specifies any procedures for disabling the alarm?

I want to thank everyone for all their advice!   This may seem like a minor problem, but it was hard for me to figure out.

I finally had the time this afternoon to deal with the car and started with the easiest solution first.  Both my key fobs for this car have dead batteries.  I managed to start the dead car by hooking both positive and negative terminals to the jumper cables (I tried first the way I was taught -- positive to positive, negative to unpainted metal ground of dead car) but after 15 minutes that did nothing.   So I turned off the live car, moved the negative jumper cable from "ground" to "negative terminal of the battery".   That immediately set the car alarm off.

I used one key to start the "dead" car and it started, but the alarm remained.  I pushed the fob alarms and buttons a few times but no joy.  With the car running and the alarm still blaring, I took the second key, got out of my car, shut the door, and locked and unlocked the door (manually) with the second key.  That did the trick!

I was able to take the "dead" car for a nice long 60 minute highway drive and it started again when I came home. Tomorrow I will get the battery charge checked out.

Appreciate everyone's comments!

[RWD]

Presumably unlocking the car with a key will disable the alarm. Have you tried locking and unlocking the door without the fob? Is the fob completely dead or just not working to disable the alarm? Have you checked if the manual specifies any procedures for disabling the alarm?

I want to thank everyone for all their advice!   This may seem like a minor problem, but it was hard for me to figure out.

I finally had the time this afternoon to deal with the car and started with the easiest solution first.  Both my key fobs for this car have dead batteries.  I managed to start the dead car by hooking both positive and negative terminals to the jumper cables (I tried first the way I was taught -- positive to positive, negative to unpainted metal ground of dead car) but after 15 minutes that did nothing.   So I turned off the live car, moved the negative jumper cable from "ground" to "negative terminal of the battery".   That immediately set the car alarm off.

I used one key to start the "dead" car and it started, but the alarm remained.  I pushed the fob alarms and buttons a few times but no joy.  With the car running and the alarm still blaring, I took the second key, got out of my car, shut the door, and locked and unlocked the door (manually) with the second key.  That did the trick!

I was able to take the "dead" car for a nice long 60 minute highway drive and it started again when I came home. Tomorrow I will get the battery charge checked out.

Appreciate everyone's comments!

Congrats!

Replacing key fob batteries is typically really easy. Take apart one to figure out what size battery it uses (probably a CR2032 or similar) and then pick up a two-pack at a local store or Amazon. It'll only run you a few bucks tops.

[CrustyBadger]

Congrats!

Replacing key fob batteries is typically really easy. Take apart one to figure out what size battery it uses (probably a CR2032 or similar) and then pick up a two-pack at a local store or Amazon. It'll only run you a few bucks tops.

Just have to find the tiny screwdriver!  (-:

[robartsd]

Congrats!

Replacing key fob batteries is typically really easy. Take apart one to figure out what size battery it uses (probably a CR2032 or similar) and then pick up a two-pack at a local store or Amazon. It'll only run you a few bucks tops.

Just have to find the tiny screwdriver!  (-:
[/quote]
If you don't already have a tiny screwdriver, eyeglass repair kits at the dollar store include very cheap ones.