SIREN BATTERY DIY

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My car is a 1997. The light came on about 2 years ago.

The siren contains a rechargeable nicad battery which corrodes and eventually fails, triggering the light. From what i have read, some of the batteries are hardwired to the circuit board. Mine was not. I sourced a battery from a UK company called ESP SPecial batteries, ltd. part number is ESP-7-46-722D, and it should be fitted with a con0004 connector.

Not a hard job. Phillips screwdriver, 22mm socket, floor jack and 11mm wrench and some rtv silicone is all you will need.

First, remove the left front wheel to access the wheel well panels. Screw locations shown. Remove the lower plate before the wheel well piece.

 

Once the panels are off look up and you should see the siren below the headlight fastened to a bracket using two 11mm hex bolts. Remove them and the siren comes free. Then you will need to wrestle with the connector but it will eventually release. It has a difficult latch mechanism
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Once you have the siren out you will need to access the screws set into these channels in the back of the siren. I did this by screwing a drywall screw into the sealant and pulling it out several times until the channels were clear. After removing the screws the housing comes apart easily

Three screws hold the circuit board and the battery cover secure. Once you remove them you should be able to see the battery come free
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Carefully unplug the connector from the circuit board. In my case the black terminal was corroded (see pic) so I ordered the connector with the battery
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Here are the old and new batteries side by side and the new battery sitting in its place, plugged in
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After securing the board and reassembling the housing, i sealed the channels with RTV then reversed the disassebly process to reinstall the siren.

The company I ordered the battery from was very responsive and their product fits the application well. Total cost was around $25 bucks. Ferrari wants you to buy a new siren assembly for $300 I am told. And I have read the corvette siren poses difficulties with wiring, as the connector is different. Hope this helps some of you guys!!

Vic
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Gee I wish these instructions were around when I did mine. Great write up!!. It is a pretty easy job really

 

Haha thanks.

 

Terrific write up and thank you! I have just unplugged my alarm light for the years I’ve owned mine...just bought the battery - here is the link for others interested and look forward to replacing!

http://www.espspecialbatteries.co.uk/battery/search?search=ESP-7-46-722D


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very good post following on from my experience. Didn't know you could order the battery with the proper connector. i had to re-use my old one, the negative side was corroded like yours, but it still worked.

 

I was also planning on reusing the connector but somehow stumbled on the one they sell. As a courtesy they fitted it to the battery at no cost. Saved me the trouble of soldering it and looks more original.

 

Just got mine ...thanks for the tip, GreyBeast!

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Hey man. Glad to help. I’m no mechanic but if there’s anything i can do to help demystify these vehicles it’s only going to help current owners to enjoy their cars more and maybe even improve the pool of potential buyers willing to take the plunge when we’re ready to move on. Win-win the way i see it.

 

Removed my alarm today, 96 355, and it looks identical to yours, except the number on the sticker is slightly different. The screws did not look like they were removable. They werent phillips or allen, very weird looking. Mine is working fine so I decided to leave it alone. Maybe mine has been replaced with a later model alarm that doesnt come apart.

 

Well, I took out my dad’s siren and found it to be what I consider non-salvageable. Anyone seen one THIS bad?

What are our options besides buying a new one for $600?
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No harm in trying to clean it up and see if it will work. Might just be surface corrosion!

 

search corvette siren as replacement. A bunch of people claimed to have used those.

 

The wire traces on the PCB by the resistors are corroded so badly that they have lifted off the board.

There may be no harm in trying, but I fear that the potential of success is in the low-single-digit percentile...

 

Ferrparts has one listed on ebay for 250.00

 

Hows about this one
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Its in th diy sticky but nit sure if the link works

 

It looks fine....a little makeup conceals everything

 

Just put it in the dishwasher. It will clean right up.

Don't forget the 'pot scrubber' function.