A weird problem with an alarm on my 328:

When I bought my 328 some 21 years ago, it had a car alarm and a radar detector, both of which I had deactivated, or so I thought. Today I learned differently.

About 2 hours after I arrived home from the Ferrari Club annual meet in Charlotte (a very pleasant 4-1/2 hour drive), I suddenly heard a loud, steady, piercing alarm coming from the front of the Ferrari! Apparently the alarm was not completely deactivated and for some reason it decided to go off, after 21 years of silence!

I called my mechanic, Ron Reineke, and he told me how to shut the alarm by disconnecting the battery using the emergency disconnect under the front hood behind the left headlight. That worked, except that now the car has no power, and every time I try reconnecting the battery the alarm goes off again.

I'm at a loss as to what to do next. Ron says he can't help me any more due to health issues. I signed up for Rides to Remember on Saturday but now that looks impossible to make. I called my new service shop, Enzo's Auto Service in Marietta, and they say they can't help me either. Does anyone here have any suggestions?

 

Is the car alarm actually preventing ignition power / start up?
Have you tried using the key in the door to turn off the alarm? Many alarms used to work in that way.
There may also be a small button hidden (usually under the dash) that you can press while turning the key on.

 

clip the wires to the siren?

The issue is that it is probably using power even when the car is off. A full uninstall would be needed, or at least a disconnect. I did that to the 348, mostly because the fobs were missing (fancy pager one).

Does the siren go off once you start the car?