Hi all!

I apologize in advance for posting a thread that may already exist but I am completely new to forums of any kind so please bare with me. Also I am NOT a gear head of any sort or I probably could have figured this issue out already...That being said.

I have a 2000 Dakota Sport that has a Viper 550 ESP alarm system installed from the previous owner. I have not been a fan of this from the beginning because it just seems touchy and I didn't get much info from the dealer when I bought the truck.
I was driving back to my house yesterday evening and noticed that my dash was completely dead, no read out on any of the gauges. The truck was still running fine and no alarm sounds (exe. horn, lights flashing). I got back to the house turned off the truck and when I went to start it back up the security light on the dash came on and the truck would run for a second then die as if the anti theft was engaged.

Also, the passenger side door lock continuously tries to "unlock" and makes a terrible noise as if its about to tear itself apart.

Could these things be related?

Anyone have solid instructions on how to just disable or take out the alarm?

Thanks for any helpful responses!

 

Moving to the correct section.

 

The noise you hear is likely due to a bad lock actuator. That it continually makes the noise can indicate a problem with the alarm, yes. The gauges could also be due to the alarm itself or poor wiring.

You can download the guide for the alarm here: http://www.directed.com/guides/manua...iper/N553V.pdf

I'd remove it.

 

Welcome to the forum..

It is possible the alarm is bad but it is best to have a look and see what is going on under the dash first. You need to remove the plastic knee bolster panel under the driver's side of the dash and you will very likely see the alarm under there. It may be zip-tied in place or if it was a hack job installation it may be just tucked in behind the wire harnesses or shoved in behind the under dash panel.

The alarm module will be a small black box about 3"x5". There is a white wire harness connector on one side, that is the main power and input connector. You can disconnect the connector at the module, then check the wire connections to be sure nothing is loose or otherwise not in good shape. 2000 model Dakota's did not have the ignition immobilizer system but if the sticker in your driver's door jamb shows the build date anywhere close to September 2000 you could have it. A dead giveaway is if you have a gray ignition key. The factory immobilizer system requires that you start the truck with the gray key or one that has been programmed to your truck's ignition, there is a chip in the key that has to match the factory immobilizer system or the truck will not start. It is/was a factory anti-theft system. It sounds more to me like there is a problem with the factory security system or possibly the central timer module than the Viper alarm. The CTM is the body control module for your truck, it controls things like door locks, dome lights, factory alarm system and the warning chimes. The factory alarm is an internal component of the CTM.

If you want to remove the Viper alarm you can follow the wires from the Viper module to each point where they are connected, and then disconnect the wires and tape up any exposed wiring. The installer may have used T-Tap connectors, and if so you can just unplug the wires. There may also be one or possibly three relays in there with the alarm too. One would have been for the dome lamp supervision, if you have that option connected on the Viper system, that is where the dome light comes on when you turn off the alarm. The other two relays would be for the door lock wires. You can identify the door lock relays by following the thin gauge green and blue wires from the two pin door lock harness on the Viper module. Green is lock and blue is unlock, they are just low current negative pulses from the alarm to drive door lock relays. Follow the wires to find the relays. You will need to disconnect the relays and the wires that go to terminal 87a and 30 on each relay will need to be spliced back together so your power locks will operate after you remove the Viper alarm.

If you have the factory keyless entry system it is easier to remove the door lock relays, those were just positive pulses. The alarm still needs relays to operate the locks but you can just find the two aftermarket relays and just unplug them, no re-splicing is needed.

You should also find a valet switch for the alarm, it may be a black plastic push-in style switch or it could be a silver metal push button with a 10 millimeter nut on it. There should also be a red or possibly blue LED somewhere in the dash, you can leave it there if you want, so there is no exposed hole in the dash. There may be an antenna for the alarm running up the B-pillar to the windshield. Or it may just be curled up under the dash, it depends on how the system was installed. Then look under the hood and disconnect the siren and any alarm power wires that may have been connected to the battery. Be sure to reconnect any factory wiring securely and insulate any exposed wires.

If you remove the alarm and the factory system is still flipping out and killing the cluster and/or not allowing the truck to start, you may need to get it to the Dodge dealer so they can use the DRB scan tools to find out what is wrong. The passenger door lock buzzing may be the actuator itself going bad but it could also be the Viper system causing the problem too. Sounds more to me like a bad actuator though.

If you don't feel comfortable removing the alarm or trouble shooting the problems, visit www.directed.com and find an authorized Viper dealer close by. They can check it out and remove it for you if you want. Viper has a lifetime warranty but they may still charge a fee for removal. They may also not honor the warranty if you are not the original purchaser of the alarm. I guess that kind of depends on the shop.

Good luck with it, and let us know if you need more help.

Jimmy

 

I strongly suggest going to an authorized Viper dealer and get it removed or fixed.

Hack alarm install jobs are so common they usually mess up your wiring and possibly taped into a wire they were not supposed to.

The shop that installed my alarm messed a ton of stuff up took a dealer to fix most of it and another shop to fix the rest. They somehow taped into the air bag system.

I tried for a week to figure it all out and couldn't it was that bad.