Viper remote start/alarm problems

I have the popular Viper remote-start/alarm 2-way system (can't recall the model off hand, but it's the one you can get almost anywhere and has a blue remote.) and it is giving me hell today. This morning I went to start the car in the driveway and the car would not respond to the remote at all! I can't disarm it or start it. I think this may have happened to me once before on a similar day last year, as it's a whoppin zero degrees with a -30 wind chill this morning.

I opened the door manually and the alarm went off, put the key in the ignition and held the button under the dash, it either took a min to override it or the alarm timed out. Went to start the car and sure enough the alarm was still armed! Keep in mind this is a 6AM in a residential area and I'm sure my neighbors are loving me!

I ended up disconnecting the negative battery cable hoping it might reset the alarm to disabled, but it didn't. It keeps going off every time I touch the negative cable to the battery! So I ended up waking the wife to drive me in to work DOH!

Does anyone have any suggestions for a fix? If I can't figure it out when I get home, I am going to either call Viper or some where like Best Buy and see if they can help me. I changed the battery in the remote yesterday, and the remote is reading hte battery as good. Worked fine on the way home and all. I don't get it. Seems like really cold weather messes witht he system.

Check the vehicle Battery. 99.9999999% sure. Take your battery out of the car, take it inside to warm up for a while and reinstall after it warms up. I had this exact problem. Got a jump and all is good. Maybe clip, (or unhook from alarm brain,) your siren wires if the siren keeps going off,(cause thats annoying) then reattach. Minnesota. Greaaaaaaaat. dont forget to curse and stomp and have a fit either, thats par for the course. then say out loud "why do I have a remote start when it wont remote start AAAARARAGGHHHHHH!!!"

My truck went on the fritz with a similar system, I just unplugged the damn horns until I figured it out. Key in the door always fixes my problem. Now, when I get that alarm and my factory alarm going off, thats a nightmare...

fordsvt98 said:

Check the vehicle Battery. 99.9999999% sure. Take your battery out of the car, take it inside to warm up for a while and reinstall after it warms up. I had this exact problem. Got a jump and all is good. Maybe clip, (or unhook from alarm brain,) your siren wires if the siren keeps going off,(cause thats annoying) then reattach. Minnesota. Greaaaaaaaat. dont forget to curse and stomp and have a fit either, thats par for the course. then say out loud "why do I have a remote start when it wont remote start AAAARARAGGHHHHHH!!!"

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I think you're most likely right. Although I have a yellow-top Ultima battery, both times the alarm was freaking out was when it was this cold out and the car had to work to turn over. I wonder if having the battery relocated in the trunk makes the connection weaker, causing it to act up when it gets cold out?

Chances are it will start when I get home and the temp has risen, as that's what happened before. Now to find the correct wire to mute the siren!

Just unplug your horn...

The horn does not sound when the alarm goes off, a really loud siren does. Unplugging the horn won't help.

ya maybe for the heck of it just go pro rate your battery at any ultima dealer and exchange it just cause you can. It would be nice to have a new one anyway right?

Can you do that even if they test it and it's good? How much do you think they would run?

Anyway, got home hooked the batt back up, jumped in the car turned the key to "ON" and held the button under the dash. Must have reset it cause the remote started responding again!

I am guessing the 3 degree increase helped as well! :troutslap:

Ya id say so! 1 degree is really a big change in temp! So thats some good news. Way to go. Ya I bought my battery at walmart, so those kronies really dont know the deal. Half those customer service dorks dont know how to use a voltmeter, so, I just stress the fact that it don't work, it aint got enuff juice anymore, and I need a new one, so help a person out.....They usually dont ask questions after that. needless to say I pay my 8 bucks every winter and be gone with it! I do it every winter. Its only fair. It says 5 year warranty and all that! Theres even a spot to put your reciept in front of the battery too! how convenient!