canis is in the market for an XC90

[Andymharrison]

Was the Alarm System Service Required message there when you got it?

One of the first symptoms of the siren failing is the alarm going off randomly, in the middle of the night of course, so a previous owner may have removed the fuse? This stops the alarm going off but leaves you with Alarm System Service Required message.

On my 05 model it is fuse 8, 5Amp, on the CEM, the one behind the panel above the pedals.

[foggyjames]

Another option (slightly more pro) for the arch liners is to use nutserts and a bolt/washer combination. All in Stainless would be ideal, IMO, given the location.

cheers

James

[canis]

Thanks for the ideas. I have answers.

Originally Posted by foggyjames

1) The "Alarm System Service Required" suggests to me that there is a still an active fault. It *might* be historic, but I suspect it's still active. Do you have access to VIDA?

Simmy has kindly offered to VIDA it for me. Now that it's mobile I shall make arrangements. I did have beer, but I drank it, so I'll get some more on Friday.

Originally Posted by foggyjames

2) Are you getting hazard light flashes (on lock / unlock / alarm activation)?

The hazard lights flash once for lock, twice for unlock, I have no idea whether it's attempting to arm the alarm or not.

Originally Posted by foggyjames

3) How were you opening the rear door when the car was locked?

I had the driver's door window open, and had expected any movement within to trigger the alarm, but a wave of my arm did not yield a result. For some reason the driver's door wouldn't open from the inside handle, although the lock button did pop up. I didn't bother trying to figure out why at the time, so I reached through to the rear door, whose handle did open the door, but the alarm didn't sound. I later decided the driver's door might have failed to open because the jack handle against it, but maybe not. I didn't feel like anything was going on. When the car is in it's unlocked state, the interior handle works perfectly.

Originally Posted by foggyjames

4) I agree with Andy that it's probably a dead board, but there are a few things to check first.

The indicators do not flash when I attempted to trigger the alarm, which lends me to the believe it's not being armed in the first place.

Originally Posted by Andymharrison

Was the Alarm System Service Required message there when you got it?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Andymharrison

One of the first symptoms of the siren failing is the alarm going off randomly, in the middle of the night of course, so a previous owner may have removed the fuse? This stops the alarm going off but leaves you with Alarm System Service Required message.

The alarm has never sounded. The fuseboard is in a dashboard side panel on mine, accessible when the door is open. The label inside is in tact, fuse 28, 5 amps. I pulled it and it looks very blackened from excessive current, yet the fuse has not blown and is showing no resitence at all. And that's ... worrying. I hope it's not burned a cable somewhere, and taken a few other wires out while it was at it.

[Andymharrison]

Originally Posted by canis

The alarm has never sounded. The fuseboard is in a dashboard side panel on mine, accessible when the door is open. The label inside is in tact, fuse 28, 5 amps. I pulled it and it looks very blackened from excessive current, yet the fuse has not blown and is showing no resitence at all. And that's ... worrying. I hope it's not burned a cable somewhere, and taken a few other wires out while it was at it.

That's odd, hope Simmy can reveal all when he reads the codes.

I thought they only put fuses you never need in the convenient side panel, preferring to make you crawl round the floor trying to contort yourself enough to be able to read the numbers on the cem module.

[canis]

Originally Posted by Andymharrison

That's odd, hope Simmy can reveal all when he reads the codes.

I thought they only put fuses you never need in the convenient side panel, preferring to make you crawl round the floor trying to contort yourself enough to be able to read the numbers on the cem module.

Haha, yeah, with your feet over the head restraint and your head down by the pedals. Yep, been there, done that. The OBDii port isn't positioned in a place which requires my face to go into the driver's arse area too. Which is nice.

[foggyjames]

I think the lack of unlocking will be related to deadlocks...but if anything, I would expect no doors to open. It's a bit odd that only the driver's door is deadlocking.

As far as I'm aware, if you get the single flash of the indicators on locking, the alarm is arming. If it won't arm (for example if the bonnet is popped, or a door is ajar) the doors will lock, but the alarm won't arm.

Having said that, if it's a fault (i.e. everything is OK for arming, but the siren is dead), the behaviour might be different. Some odd things can happen with the interconnection of modules - for example P2s are famous for the sunroof not working if the siren is dead, due to the interaction between the siren and UEM (which also controls the sunroof).

In other words, I suspect your siren is dead, sadly.

cheers

James

[Simmy]

there will be at least 4 fuse locations on your car some obvious some not so under bonnet under dash dash end and rear wing compartment are common fuse locations that volvo use.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by Simmy

cable operated works same as any other cable operated volvo brake its just applied by foot pedal.

Exactly that - the guts in the hub that actually do the braking are the same as on any P80 (850,S70,V70,C70) and P2 Volvo. The only difference is the foot pedal.

The real problem is on auto cars, people don't use it. Once adjusted, it shouldn't go out of adjustment any more than a hand operated one.

[canis]

Originally Posted by foggyjames

As far as I'm aware, if you get the single flash of the indicators on locking, the alarm is arming. If it won't arm (for example if the bonnet is popped, or a door is ajar) the doors will lock, but the alarm won't arm.

Yes, it behaves exactly as you describe. With the bonnet open it will attempt to lock, but suspend indicator flash until the bonnet is closed whereupon the indicators flash immediately,

Okay, so the alarm is dead. I can live with that. I'll need to find a way of locking the fuel cap. I'll put more investigation into the solenoid. I had expected it to use no power in either state, using power to only change from one state to another. However, it's a very basic device and I suspect it requires constant energy to remain locked or unlocked. With it being in an unlocked state, I'm expecting the former to be true, but there's still doubt at this stage because the pins were too tiny to test at the time.

It suprises me since that means it must be drawing current (if it worked) all night long. One night might be okay, but what if it was parked for a month?

I need to investigate the device further. It flapped open today while driving on a severe camber. I had a closer look and it would appear the spring is supposed to clip into two teeth on the plastic hinge, but these have broken off. But I think I can come up with something to solve that without resorting to replacing an obviously weak component.

Yesterday I climbed a recent poured farm track of scree. The track was rather steep, and although I could probably have managed it with two wheel drive, it would have taken some skill. But this thing? It just drove up like it was hard concrete. Not a single whiff of slippage, you just point it the right direction and press the throttle and it just takes care of everything else. No skill required!

Man, I can't get over how wonderful this car really is! It brings such joy to my heart, I love being in it. When I had two teeth extracted last week, the nurse told me I could wait in the waiting room to recover from the trauma (seriously, they had to fetch the super-dentist, this tooth wasn't giving up). I just replied "No thank you, I'm going to sit in the volvo and let that take care of me."