Solid blast from horn when using remote...

[mrsilv04]

OK, this site is home to some of the smartest folks I know. Here's one that has me stumped.

Over the weekend, my folks bought a '99 Park Avenue that was traded in by an elderly couple in their 80's. It doesn't appear that the remotes for the car have ever been used (and the car wasn't used a whole lot either, it was only driven 5,000 miles a year...)

This has happened to me once, and has happened to my Dad once. When walking away from the car, and hitting the LOCK button on the remote, the horn on the car goes off with a solid blast, that continues until the key is placed into the driver's door and the door is unlocked. (These Buicks have horns on them that sound like a small freight train...)

Once the horn starts its solid blast, the car does not respond to the remote at all. The only thing that we've found (so far) to kill the horn is to put the key into the driver's door and unlock the door.

What is happening here? This has only happened twice, and the remotes have been used at least 30 other times, with no problems. It happened to my Dad first, and I laughed at him , and accused him of being dumb enough to hit the panic button on the remote. Now that it has done it to me, I know that's not the case.

Any thoughts? Help, oh ye wisdom of the list...

 

[oilyriser]

your door... is a... Jar?

 

[Squishy]

If you have a perimeter alarm, what does it sound like? Leave your window down and lock it with the remote. Then "break in" to your car and see if it's the same alarm that's being triggered.

 

[Laminar Lou]

My Tundra does the same thing with the key less entry - it will sound the chime constantly if any of the doors are open. The only way to stop it is to turn the ignition to on.

My guess is that the hood, trunk, or one of the rear door sensors is intermittent. Try slamming them all (don't forget the hood) and see if your problem is still reproduce able.

 

[bretfraz]

The horn should just "toot" when you press the lock button on the remote. This is an auditory confirmation that the doors have been locked and the alarm is set (if so equipped).

If the horn stays on constantly and does not stop unless a key is inserted into the door lock, there is a problem with the module or brain that controls the remote locking/alarm function. The key in the door is the alternate method of disarming the alarm and unlocking the car (I know... duh, right?)

It's probably going to take a trip to the dealer to reset the module or whatever. Have you checked for TSB's to see if this is a recurring issue? The fact that this is intermittent means the module is probably scrambled or confused, and just like a PDA or iPod, it needs a reset or reboot. Hopefully it's that simple as it may require replacement if the problem persists.

 

[Squishy]

There's supposed to be a resync procedure for your car where you press and hold both the lock and unlock buttons for 10 seconds and the locks will cycle. See if that helps.

 

[mrsilv04]

The dealership did put a new battery in the car before we took delivery. I wonder if that has contributed to this somehow.

Problem is, it doesn't do it every time. It only does this once in about every 20 times that the remote is used. However, when it does happen, the solid blast from the horn is really annoying.

I'm going to ask the Service Manager at the Buick dealer as well, to see if he can think of anything... and to check for a TSB as previously mentioned.

 

[CBDFrontier06]

The intermittent part does kinda make it sound like a malfunctioning door or hood switch. It may be something you haven't noticed yet. Open each door one at a time and close it...and look inside to make sure the interior lights go off. You may be getting the alarm's reaction to your attempt to set it while it thinks a door is open.

 

[The_Jeff]

Also pry the remotes apart (it's how you change the button battery) and look for lint and all kinds of junk. Who knows, the last owners may have worn nothing but tweed.

Also being oldsters they might have spaced out and washed the key fobs, so look for corrosion etc inside.

 

[dwendt44]

There may be a 'program' procedure in the owners manual for which choice for door locks, alarm, etc..
I have the 'toot' turned off completely, and go be the light blink.
Sounds like the battery change screwed something up.

 

[Matt_S]

There's not an aftermarket alarm on this car, is there? A '99 Park may have had a factory alarm, too (as my '00 Monte does), and if so, that's probably what you're hearing. Unlocking the driver's door with the key is disabling the alarm when it goes off. Having said that, I'd second those who suggest a faulty door closing switch, probably in the driver's door or trunk. To try to reproduce this, lock the door with the key fob, then open the trunk with the key. At least on my Monte, doing this is supposed to set the alarm off. If the same thing happens with the horn, you're definitely dealing with an alarm problem. You might want to check the manual, too, to see what, if anything, it says about a factory alarm.

 

[dwendt44]

An after market remote start could cause those problems too.
Mine sets a security code, but no horn.

 

[kc8adu]

Quote:

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your door... is a... Jar?

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let me guess.dodge 600 convertible?
no idiot my door is a door!i unplugged that stupid thing.
to the op
door switch is prime suspect.give it a shot of deoxit.