550 Permanent LED Alarm light

The permanent LED ON in the dashboard indicates a worn battery/empty in the siren.

The car has been sitting for 6 months with a dead battery and a trickle charger that did not work. No idea who took out who. I will call Elon Musk to find out.

So...does anyone know how the siren batteries are charged?

My guess, they get a very slow charge only when the engine is running.
I do not think they are charged if the key is out of the car and the engine is not running.
What do you think?

If this is the case then the batteries might revive after a couple of hours running. A 100mah charge would get the 7.2 volts charged in about 2-4 hours I thinK.

Or are my assumptions incorrect...

 

I don't think the batteries in the alarm recharge they just run down and have to be replaced. You just buy a new unit that is below the right headlamp on the 550 Maranello. They are made by Bosch and You can buy one from Recambi for about $400.00 or Ferrari for about $200.00 or the same one with the Bosch number on it from Chevrolet for the Corvette for $74.00.

 

Word of caution - some have reported that the Corvette siren will act normally (LED functions), and chirp on lock/unlock but will not actually sound when the alarm is tripped.

 

That is a possibilty but I believe they are NiCd so made to be recharged.

Also a Ferrari workshop note calls for a permanent wire to battery negative from the siren (which is executed on my car) so that also leads me to believe rechargable.

The Vette is indeed a viable alternative but in Belgium where I live a corvette is scarce. And so are the dealers. Ordering it from the US and the Belgian state will add another 31% on top of it so I will not be very far away from the 220€ a new OEM Ferrari costs me.

 

The batteries are rechargeable and that is one system that bypasses the battery cut-off switch. Often when the batteries fail, they leak and wipe out the circuitry in the siren. One of our pros used to do battery swaps, but they nearly all failed, resulting in come-backs. Now he just does what most of us do and replaces the siren. The GM siren is much cheaper, but, as mentioned, is not a 100% replacement for all models of Ferrari. There are lots of threads in the 360/F430 forum on how to replace the batteries with internal and external rechargeable batteries if you want to try that. All involve cutting open the siren.

 

The corvette siren is not an option where I live so I will open it up and solder in new batteries.

Maybe it will work maybe not....

I was able to find them online.

 

If I opt for 'no siren, no chirp', is there any idea where to cut the wire which feeds the annoying LED - without pulling the dashboard.

cheers,

cinque

 

I have the Corvette unit and it works fine, no issues at all. Out of curiosity I opened up the old Ferrari unit to see if I could resolder new batteries in, and keep it as a spare (I intend to keep this car forever), but as Taz mentioned, they leaked and the corrosion was a mess.

 

That was my experience as well. I kept the old unit just in case. If I have to, I can clean it up with a little effort. Other than oil filters and spark plugs, I never throw any parts away. Not even used wiper blades.

 

You can find the Bosch unit on eBay for low $. This part is also used on DB7s, and some from that owner community have successfully replaced the batteries. For the money, it seems that the eBay unit is the easy choice.

I now need one in the 550 as well. Can anyone here outline what needs to be removed for access? Can it be done without removing the headlight assembly?

 

Figured out: we cut the pink cable from immobiliser box and the LED is stays off.
(550, from 1997)
360 got a blue/white cable to cut as far as I know.

 

Anyone able to detail the alarm module replacement procedure? Not sure if cutting a wire (per post #11) is a good "fix"

 

Pretty simple. Remove the right headlight and it's right underneath.

 

Eliminating the LED also disables the ability to start the car using the back-up, key only procedure.

 

Details on headlight removal? I suppose that is the time to replace the rubber gasket surrounding the headlight as well...

 

Well?

 

Johnny to remove a headlight is very straight forward. You might search archives also. The WSM helps too. Most difficult part is lining it up properly upon reassembly. First do one at a time so you can use other as a reference. Take pics of all sides inside and out to help with putting the mounting brackets back in the correct location and also to get the headlight back into the same spot. Take some pics with hood closed to compare alignment.
On a 575 all brackets and bolts are visible and accessible from the the engine compartment. One bracket is inner front and there are several bolts around the back side of headlight. The brackets you are unbolting are satin black. Assuming very similar for a 550. PM if I can help further. And yes replace gasket if it’s marginal. If not you will have to remove all glue from old gasket and headlight, and special order some small double sided tape. Re taping is not easy but doable.
Bill
FL

 

Gracias!

 

Yes, not easy but possible if you count the seconds.
For those who strand with a dead fob: You can still reconnect the wire to the LED.

Another aspect: Alarm siren is not very useful in areas where all people ignore the honk.
On a friends 360 the rotten siren managed to foul the immobilizer box.
Car was no longer starting until both units were replaced.
High risk if you don't check your siren akkus from time to time.

 

Unfortunately, I am not aware of any way to do that without cutting open the siren.

 

Oh you can switch off battery, trigger a alarm event and listen to the siren.