hey guys, i'll start with my vehicle details:
-2004 mazda6
-auto transmission
-4cyl
-viper aftermarket alarm
my on-board trickle charger seems to be setting off my alarm...
here's my dilemma, I don't use my car daily, and during the winter months if I don't drive for 3-4days in a row, my alarm seems to be draining my battery beyond the point of being able to start my car. recently over xmas break I didn't drive for a week, and it was below -30C. my battery was totally dead, and frozen. I disconnected it and brought it inside to thaw so I could take it back for warranty(I used to work in a lube shop and I know they don't warranty batteries when they are still frozen). after thawing I figured I'd charge it up so they can test it right away and I don't have to wait. turns out it took a charge, and came back from the dead, lucky. but I didn't want to deal with it again, or waste gas running the car needlessly, or deal with using the big battery charger all the time. so I bought a trickle charger to install permanently under the hood, and then I can just plug it in like I do my block heater. easy enough solution, I did this for my mom's 2007 Honda accord years ago because she only has a 3km drive to work, and it wasn't enough to keep her battery charged.
after installing, my alarm has been going wonky. it SEEMS to work normal when nothing is plug in, and goes off randomly when the trickle charge is plugged in. I checked hood pin, and all doors/trunk. and I checked almost daily for the whole week. what got me, was that one time my 'alarm' went off, and it wasn't even armed. I believe the factory alarm is still active to a certain extent, as the lights will flash after I lock and shut the door. but normally, it's only when the aftermarket viper alarm is armed that I have problems.
the catch here, is that I'm pretty sure the only reason I NEED the trickle charger is so I can keep the viper alarm on while 'storing' the vehicle for a few days. but the trickle charger can only be used when that alarm is off. what's bugging me even more, is that the exact set up has been installed and working flawlessly on my mom's 2007 Honda accord(that also has an aftermarket viper alarm/starter from the same era). the same battery mainainer, same brand of alarm/starter with similar features.
so I'm guessing that the trickle charger is somehow setting off the factory mazda alarm, that sets off my viper alarm? I can't see any pattern, sometimes it's a few seconds, sometimes minutes, sometimes close to an hour before it sets off the alarm. again, I'm guessing the alarm sees some current draw or something that it thinks is a dome light coming on indicating a door has been opened.
wondering if anybody has any other ideas, and possible solutions? I see no way I can use the trickle charger and arm my alarm at the same time right now. it's not the worst thing if I don't turn my alarm on while at home(when charging), but it's rather inconvenient as I lose my ability to lock the doors via remote, and after years of that I'm constantly having to walk back and lock my doors, haha.
thanks!
-2004 mazda6
-auto transmission
-4cyl
-viper aftermarket alarm
my on-board trickle charger seems to be setting off my alarm...
here's my dilemma, I don't use my car daily, and during the winter months if I don't drive for 3-4days in a row, my alarm seems to be draining my battery beyond the point of being able to start my car. recently over xmas break I didn't drive for a week, and it was below -30C. my battery was totally dead, and frozen. I disconnected it and brought it inside to thaw so I could take it back for warranty(I used to work in a lube shop and I know they don't warranty batteries when they are still frozen). after thawing I figured I'd charge it up so they can test it right away and I don't have to wait. turns out it took a charge, and came back from the dead, lucky. but I didn't want to deal with it again, or waste gas running the car needlessly, or deal with using the big battery charger all the time. so I bought a trickle charger to install permanently under the hood, and then I can just plug it in like I do my block heater. easy enough solution, I did this for my mom's 2007 Honda accord years ago because she only has a 3km drive to work, and it wasn't enough to keep her battery charged.
after installing, my alarm has been going wonky. it SEEMS to work normal when nothing is plug in, and goes off randomly when the trickle charge is plugged in. I checked hood pin, and all doors/trunk. and I checked almost daily for the whole week. what got me, was that one time my 'alarm' went off, and it wasn't even armed. I believe the factory alarm is still active to a certain extent, as the lights will flash after I lock and shut the door. but normally, it's only when the aftermarket viper alarm is armed that I have problems.
the catch here, is that I'm pretty sure the only reason I NEED the trickle charger is so I can keep the viper alarm on while 'storing' the vehicle for a few days. but the trickle charger can only be used when that alarm is off. what's bugging me even more, is that the exact set up has been installed and working flawlessly on my mom's 2007 Honda accord(that also has an aftermarket viper alarm/starter from the same era). the same battery mainainer, same brand of alarm/starter with similar features.
so I'm guessing that the trickle charger is somehow setting off the factory mazda alarm, that sets off my viper alarm? I can't see any pattern, sometimes it's a few seconds, sometimes minutes, sometimes close to an hour before it sets off the alarm. again, I'm guessing the alarm sees some current draw or something that it thinks is a dome light coming on indicating a door has been opened.
wondering if anybody has any other ideas, and possible solutions? I see no way I can use the trickle charger and arm my alarm at the same time right now. it's not the worst thing if I don't turn my alarm on while at home(when charging), but it's rather inconvenient as I lose my ability to lock the doors via remote, and after years of that I'm constantly having to walk back and lock my doors, haha.
thanks!
