Jaycar Central Locking WTF?

[JustCallMeOrlando]

Hey people,

I'm about at wits end. I ended up getting a new alarm and immobiliser, because I was having a couple of issues with the old one. No biggies, just weird stuff with the siren occasionally not working, and the central locking "locking" but not "unlocking".

Decided to bite the bullet and put another one in, this time one with 3 points of immobilisation. It also gave me a chance to properly redo the wiring and route it better.

Started off well, got everything in basically, testing as I go. Central locking locks and unlocks, beauty.

Start putting more stuff in, the siren, the shock sensor, they work fine. Go to pack up some stuff for the day cos I have to go out, click the button and bam, I got nothing. The immobiliser/alarm/indicators all work no worries. The central locking though, she do nothing.

I check the earths for everything I can get at, AOK. I check the central locking is working by touching each of the trigger wires to earth, she unlocks and locks like a champ. Everything I try tests fine. I'm about at wits end, I've got no f'ing idea why it's not working. I even went to Jaycar and got a new control module in case i'd f'ed something up and it didn't work.

The dude at the store said occasionally they have something wrong with the trigger wires, try connecting it to the trigger wiring from the master solenoid. He said it's a long shot because they should be looped together internally. I tried regardless, no love.

I don't know what the f**k else I can do. The alarm and immobiliser works perfectly still, it's just the central locking, and it's driving me totally insane. I just want it working, I've been wanting it working for ages.

Does anyone have any ideas? I've just about had it.

Cheers,
Nathan

[Mos]

The thing with the central locking modules (well the ones I used many years back - doubt they have changed), is that if the trigger wire is already grounded, then triggering it again will have no effect. I don't know what could be already grounding it but it's a possibility.

You could disconnect the trigger wires off the masters and see if it changes things - obviously if it changes, then there something fishy in the masters.

In the sprinter, I used two slaves rather than masters because I only had two doors and pressing the arm or disarm button on the remote with the engine running opened and closed the central locking, so effectively I had a central locking button.

The previous modules had an additional set of triggers that were not brought out in a plug but they worked just like the first set but were independent - IE if the first set was grounded, the second set still activated the module. These were available as pads next to the (I think 6pin) plug. You could try grounding these with a wire to see what happens.

Are you sure you have the unlock and lock trigger wires off the alarm going to the correct trigger inputs?

Mos.

[JustCallMeOrlando]

w00t! Of all the people to respond, yay for Mos!

Alrighty, I'll disconnect the trigger wires off the masters and see how we go.

[love ke70]

are you trying to control the central locking with the central locking remote or the alarm remote? (im guessing the two came seperately, i dont know but thats how mine was when it came from ebay) anyway, once the alarm is connected to the central the central remotes are useless.
from memory i think i ended up bridging 2 "remote" wires on the alarm/central locking and this got it working, wiring it via the instructions didnt work...

[JustCallMeOrlando]

Well, I've disconnected the trigger wires from the master and no love. I can still hit the other trigger wires on the chassis to lock and unlock the door. I actually tried disconnecting it from the solenoid altogether and I can't even feel the relays click, although they work when fired manually.

As far as I can tell, the trigger wires aren't already grounded.

I've double checked them as per the wiring diagram for the new module I bought today and no go.

[JustCallMeOrlando]

These are two separate modules matey. The central locking doesn't have its own remote.

[oldcorollas]

do the solenoids use their full movement? do they need to?

[JustCallMeOrlando]

I have had to play with the positioning of the solenoid to get it in the right position. it works 100% now...well aside from the triggering

[Mos]

Yeah, they sorta work best when "centered"... sometimes if they're too much to one side they can "bounce" as in they'll self trigger.

If the central locking is triggering off you grounding the trigger wires, then really the only suspect left is the trigger outputs of the alarm...

Mos.

[JustCallMeOrlando]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, but how can two alarms produce such similar symptoms? Surely I must be doing something fundamentally wrong. When I get a chance I'm going to rewire the alarm earths to two totally random spots using decent wiring.

Failing that, I suppose the only thing I can do is take it back to Jaycar and see if they'll exchange it for another one. *sigh* why can nothing with this car be easy?

[JustCallMeOrlando]

Yeah, they sorta work best when "centered"... sometimes if they're too much to one side they can "bounce" as in they'll self trigger.

Forgot this point. You're totally right. Originally I had the solenoid in the same spot as the fa ctory one (although the factory one only did lock or unlock, I can't remember). There was enough slop in the factory rods that achieving that "centered" position was basically impossible.

[wilbo666]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, but how can two alarms produce such similar symptoms? Surely I must be doing something fundamentally wrong. When I get a chance I'm going to rewire the alarm earths to two totally random spots using decent wiring.

It isn't something silly like the new alarm trigger going to 12V as its central locking trigger as opposed to GND?

Cheers
Wilbo

[JustCallMeOrlando]

1) That wouldn't explain why it was working before but isn't now

2) I'd hope Jaycar make their products compatible.

[wilbo666]

1) That wouldn't explain why it was working before but isn't now

2) I'd hope Jaycar make their products compatible.

The old alarm might have had an intermittent issue...?

Anyway should be easy enough to check if the alram relay outputs 12V or GND

You know that the locking relay works when you GND the trigger inputs to it, so it has to be the alarm module one thinks

I want to know the answer already so go and find out

Cheers
Wilbo

[JustCallMeOrlando]

I just spoke to Fred Lever their techie for about half an hour. He seems to think it's managed to fry the transistors it uses for dropping to earth. Perhaps a faulty central locking module?

Regardless, I'm going to need to go into Jaycar and get a replacement module, fun.

A dodgy central locking module could've explained why my old alarm was working for a while initially before crapping itself.