550 Alarm Issue

Tom- Sounds like you need some professional help. The 550 Workshop Manual has a list of alarm system signals. Multiple beeps and LED flashes are related to open/closed sensors on the doors, hood and trunk. I would have thought this would give an open panel warning light, but you need to ask a pro.

The battery in your alarm siren is self-charging, and can cause problems when it or its charging circuit is failing, but usual symptoms are no beeps, so not sure if your steady LED light indicates a siren battery impending failure or not.

Maybe someone here knows if a failing siren battery will give those symptoms.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Those alarm batteries will eventually die, and a constant LED on the dash after start up is a symptom. Replacing the battery requires removing the front bumper if I am not mistaken, but do not take my word. That still leaves the mystery of the dead battery. Maybe coincidence, maybe not. Did the dead battery and constant LED lights start at the same time?

 

Tom, Wayne- The 575M WSM does indeed call for removing the front bumper to replace the siren. Here is the one you want, not the $500 one in the 550 parts catalog.

http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=207296

Here is the location of the siren and other components from the WSM. Other threads will tell you how to replace the internal siren battery with an external rechargable battery, if you want to try. Personally, I would just replace ithe siren with a new one.

Taz
Terry Phillips
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For what its worth, my siren battery has been dead for over a year. Other than not hearing that obnoxious chirp and having the red light on, there have been no issues with a dead main battery. The fact you still hear the chirp makes me think yours is just beginning to go, as it took mine a while to completely stop sounding. One of these days I will get around to replacing the batteries in both the alarm and TPMS, but not in a real hurry.

Edit: the more I think about it, the tech told me the constant LED could be the warning for a number of alarm related issues. It just happens that mine was a dead alarm battery. It was a while ago I had the conversation. Perhaps it is related and something is draining your main battery. I am a lawyer, not a mechanic, so take my word for what it is and not the final say all. I do not get my legal advice from mechanics

 

Solid red=dead. The siren battery that is. Everything else functions on the alarm except the noise. I took my siren/battery unit out without taking the bumper off on my 550. I live with a red light that one of these days I'll delete but quite frankly the alarm is a nusiance and the best thing I can do it take that entire circuit out entirely one of these days.

 

FBB- I have also heard you can reach it by removing the starboard headlamp assembly, but no personal experience. How did you do it?

Wayne- Rocket scientist (or dumb fighter jock) here, so what I do is just repeat what the manuals say and try to remember what problems other people have had. Glad you remembered about the alarm siren battery. Any time you are working with the alarm system and it only costs you ~$300, it is a good deal.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I got it out from underneath during an oil change. It was so simple I can't remember exactly what i did but iirc it was right there staring me in the face. I thought about cutting it open and doing the remote replacable battery thing but really hate alarms so i never did.

 

On the 550 its easy to access, I guess its different on a 575

 

Dave- Unfortunately, the 550 WSM does not have the detail of the 575M WSM, so hard for me to tell except ask you 550 guys or the pros.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Dear Terry

I just learned from the German factory that these 3.6V Batteries are no more in production since 2004!! Meaning, when you pourchase the orignial Ferrari alarm siren set for $ 330+, the batteries in there will be at least 6 years old. With average life between 3 and 5 years of these accus, you are buying yourself some cold meat ...

The factory offered me to custom make some of these accus especially for "old customers" with a price tag of appr. 40 $ each.

With these, one would be able to replace the old batteries and have an "original" replacement instead of a difficult adaption to other 7.2 V accus.

Someone interested?

Regards
Eric