Ferrari 550 Wont Start (alarm problem?)

I think you have a different problem. I have 2 550s and 2000 and a 2001. When I turn the key if the alarm is not turned off I get nothing. Key turns and no sounds at all from the engine. It does not "wants to start."

If for example you got a lame oem cutoff switch that is never used and is all corroded then you use it to cut power it is possible that it is all nasty corroded enough to not allow full power that the battery can supply and then engine needs but yet power your lights and horn just fine. An easy check is to bypass the switch temporarily and run the cable right to the battery.

 

Guys, On my 04 575 if I get in insert the key and try to start it with out locking and unlocking the alarm using the fob the car cranks over but does not start. So the procedure when I get in is to lock the car then unlock the car then insert the key turn it wait for the OK signal then crank it over. It always so far starts instantly. I would have preferred it if the factory had designed the system so that if the system is not disarmed the engine doesn't crank at all.

Hopefully some day someone will figure out how to easily disable the entire system. More trouble than its worth.

 

On a 550, if you try to start the car without disarming the alarm, the starter won't even turn over. The best description of our alams I've seen is the "owner prevention system".

 

Two separate things happening.. What FBB describes is when the alarm is still armed or the system has gone into shutdown because it thinks someone is trying to guess the PIN code (lasts an hour or so). The engine will not crank in those cases. In the case of alarm disarmed, but immobilizer armed (normal if you do not lock your car in your garage), the engine will crank, but not start. Whenever I get out of 135171, even to get gas, I lock her so I do not forget to disarm the immobilizer.

Denis- Read this and see if it helps. Will also teach you how to use the PIN code to start your car.

Change the alarm battery after pinching the contacts together so the battery will fit tightly and checking to make sure there is no corrosion on the contacts. I like Duracells, but other brands will work.
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Terry, As usual thanks for the informative write up regarding our alarm systems. It helps to know how it works no matter how lame the system is.

 

Ok. I’ve read all the threads about the 550 alarm but I am at a loss on this one. I just changed my battery and all of a sudden the car won’t turn over, I can’t get the key fob to make any siren chirps and the red light on dash is out, not solid red, not blinking, just black. Car powers up when I turn key. Just no engine firing. I have a CTEK and the hard wire siren connections tightly on battery(alarm chirped several times with me contacting and pulling away from contact at negative battery terminal as I tightened things up so I am pretty sure there is power to siren. Also CTEK is indicating good connection as it is charging battery. Any ideas why I have lost the red dash light and car won’t turn over?

 

It's hard to say what's going on here. Sounds like a strange combination of problems or you're trying various things with different configurations. When you say you changed the battery, did you mean the car's battery?

Let's go back to basics:

Is your fob battery ok? Are the fob battery contacts loose? Have you tried another fob?
Is your battery cutout switch in its normal position (just wondering if you tried to start the car at one point with just the CTEK powering the car).

I don't know what would cause your LED not to illuminate (other than the battery being in cutout). A faulty siren usually puts on a solid red LED.

Do you have anything with which to test the starter? e.g. a jumper wire for the start relay or perhaps a remote starter switch?

https://www.ebay.com.au/p/4008002773?

 

Key fob light turns red when I press button, battery cut out switch is in “on” position, and yes this all happened because I changed car battery. I will double check that positive terminal is tight. But like I said the CTEK is charging indicating contact at both positive and negative terminals is good. I am confused as all was fine right before battery change

 

Nevermind! Light is back to flashing, key fob works and engine starts. Must have just been some type of lock out anti-theft mechanism as was mentioned by Taz earlier in thread that triggered from the repeated contact and no contact from reattaching alarm negative to battery terminal. Sat overnight and all is well. ‍♂️

 

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to update this thread for anyone that has similar issues as above. The other day I got in my car while on the phone while on hold, not paying attention to what I was doing so I don't remember if I hit the button on the key fob more than once or in an odd succession but the red dash light went from blinking as it normal does to nothing. Car would not turn over and wouldn't respond to key fob. I searched F-Chat and low and behold found that I had had this same issue last year following a battery change that spontaneously resolved (see above). After trying the manual key on and off procedure several times, disconnecting and cleaning the battery terminals and alarm wire connections at battery and letting car sit for a few days...nothing. My mechanic suggested checking fuses. In looking at the fuse box diagram, I didn't see how any of the fuses could be responsible for my cars symptoms but I went in the passenger foot well and began to check fuses. When I opened the fuse box I noticed that a few of the wires to the left side of the board that plug directly in had some corrosion and what appeared to be burn marks on them. I pulled a few fuses, all of which were functional. Then I wiggled a couple of the wires to the left side of board and all of a sudden the alarm light on the dash began blinking again, car responded to the fob and fired right up. Bottom line, I believe there is some pretty questionable electrical connections in the fuse box related to the immobilizer/alarm and I suspect more and more people will experience similar symptoms in the future. The Scuderia Rampante gold fuse box solution may be the answer if this continues to happen to me (no affiliation). I just wish I knew the exact wiring lay out a so that I could closely examine the specific connections in question. I plan to spray with contact spray in the interim to hopefully dissolve some of the corrosion. And just to be clear, if there is no light at all on the dash, the key on and off procedure will not solve anything from my recent experience. No light means the alarm/immobilizer is not responding or getting power, so no point in trying it (I must have done it 12 times thinking I was doing it incorrectly). Hope this helps someone.

 

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What plug number is that?

In the bottom right hand corner of this F550 alarm diagram, there is a graphic of the relay panel with plug numbers.

https://www.dropbox.com/transfer/AAAAABamqLbi2XGNhshMXghFhe14--lIbMEFEhXDxEMlw3omUbkkESA

 

Just realised… the only 6 pin plug on the passenger footwell relay panel is plug “I”, which has wiring for both fuel pumps. Like most older Ferraris, these pump connections are the most susceptible to melting/burning, but I didn’t think it was a problem on 550’s yet.

Perhaps all owners should inspect this plug ASAP?

If no signs of burning, clean the contacts and check the tightness of the sockets

 

Here's a wiring diagram showing the connections on plug "I"

https://www.dropbox.com/t/nGpInNwy1nanirey

The brown (M) and brown/black (MN) wires are the fuel pump wires.

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... or in your case, both wires are brown and black (ened)

 

Only took about 1 hour to cut, pull apart and replace with same connectors on the two brown wires. Maybe not related to my dead immobilizer but they definitely needed to be fixed. I had been chasing CEL for months and couldn’t find anything that made sense. Eventually figured it was injector but I’m thinking this had something to do with it too. Gremlins in the fuse box for sure

 

CEL kept changing cylinders and misfiring on OBD. Could faulty wiring at that circuit for fuel pump do that? Seems possible. It was intermittent snd very frustrating to try and figure out. Car spent a month and a half in shop

 

I'd say so. The high resistance of the wiring would probably make the pumps run slower or run intermittently. Low or no pressure to the fuel rails wouldn't help with combustion.

Would you mind if I reposted your photos should other FChat members have similar issues in the future?

 

Absolutely. Please do

 

Something caused those particular pins to overheat. I’d be concerned that just fixing the wiring hasn’t fixed the problem and you’ve only bought yourself some time. Fuel pumps drawing too much power? If so why? Fuel pumps clogged with rubber bits maybe? Do fuel pumps draw more power as they age? Check the connectors with the wiring for your radiator fans, they tend to do the same thing.

 

From what I've been told, it's not necessarily faulty motors/pumps, just the constant draw of relatively high currents (generating heat) and the breakdown of plastics and metal contact surfaces over time due to heat, vibration, corrosion, etc. If you touch fan or pump relays with metal cases, you know how warm they can get when current flows through them. The more resistance that develops between pins and sockets, the more heat that is generated.

Of course, pumps wear out and get blocked, so you might want to set up a maintenance schedule to inspect the pumps and check current draw. Of course, the latter is difficult without a baseline. Perhaps someone has checked current draw on a newly installed pump?

You may not have the budget to install gold kits. Perhaps you could get by with cleaning and coating the connector pins and sockets with DeOxit.

 

One possible upgrade:

Ferrari 550 Maranello Rebuilt Fuse Box - G.T. CAR PARTS INC (gtcp.com)

SRI has them, too.

SRI Fuse Boxes - Scuderia Rampante