Why not just get rid of the alarm / immobilizer?
Discussion
I am soon to be an owner of my first TVR and been reading avidly on these forums to educate myself in anticipation of the new arrival.
With the alarm system being the main culprit on threads about the constant drain on the battery and thus the need for trickle / solar charging etc, if you lived somewhere where an alarm / immobilizer was not necessary (even your insurance is not affected) then if I were to replace the alarm with a simple central locking system with a fob, would the battery issues still be there?
I mean I understand that the ECU and clock pull some power but is it any more than any other car? What's to say that I put a small battery in behind the clock, and take that off the loop and then it leaves the ECU, will there still be an issue?
Of course, this is in the case where I have isolated only those items and things such as not quote closing doors and ruled out.
With the alarm system being the main culprit on threads about the constant drain on the battery and thus the need for trickle / solar charging etc, if you lived somewhere where an alarm / immobilizer was not necessary (even your insurance is not affected) then if I were to replace the alarm with a simple central locking system with a fob, would the battery issues still be there?
I mean I understand that the ECU and clock pull some power but is it any more than any other car? What's to say that I put a small battery in behind the clock, and take that off the loop and then it leaves the ECU, will there still be an issue?
Of course, this is in the case where I have isolated only those items and things such as not quote closing doors and ruled out.
Isn't that just a band aid, it keeps a system that is drawing all the current out and just turns it off. Once the battery drops to 11.8V is it enough to start the car?
Also wont I have to reset the clock and stereo presets each time I use the car?
When you have more than one car you dont know when the next time you are going to use the car and if it for whatever reason say drains the battery after just a week or so then each time I get in it I will have to reset everything.
Why not just take out the main thing causing the battery to discharge in the first place, ie. the alarm?
Also wont I have to reset the clock and stereo presets each time I use the car?
When you have more than one car you dont know when the next time you are going to use the car and if it for whatever reason say drains the battery after just a week or so then each time I get in it I will have to reset everything.
Why not just take out the main thing causing the battery to discharge in the first place, ie. the alarm?
If your comfortable with running the car without it then it's up to you really, I'm guessing the immobiliser would not deter a car thief anyway.
If your handy with electrics you could rip it out and fit a more modern system for around £100, you would know how to bypass it yourself in the event of any problems.
I don't ever arm mine when it's parked in the garage.
If your handy with electrics you could rip it out and fit a more modern system for around £100, you would know how to bypass it yourself in the event of any problems.
I don't ever arm mine when it's parked in the garage.
It isn't always the alarm that causes the drain, I never set mine in the garage but have had battery drain on occasion. Poor connections, faulty earths, and other drains from instruments radios etc can all cause the issue.
Brain drains as far as I understand them don't disconnect all power but maintain low amp feeds to clocks etc but won't allow sufficient current to start the car.
On a different but equally important note most insurance policies require the presence of a Thatcham 1 Alarm/Immobiliser system and removing the one in your car will therefore invalidate your insurance.
Brain drains as far as I understand them don't disconnect all power but maintain low amp feeds to clocks etc but won't allow sufficient current to start the car.
On a different but equally important note most insurance policies require the presence of a Thatcham 1 Alarm/Immobiliser system and removing the one in your car will therefore invalidate your insurance.
You won't need to install a central locking system, the alarm and immobiliser are separate systems on the Chimaera. If you remove the immobiliser circuit the alarm and central locking will still work, just unplug the ecu and take it inside with you like I do and they've no chance of starting the car unless they have another ecu in their pocket.
Personally OP, I would see how your new car behaves before you venture into modifying alarm/immobilizer stuff. I'm pretty sure most Chims will tolerate a layup of a month or more with alarm activated and no repercussions. For a long layup, say over winter, periodic trickle charging will usually see the battery kept healthy enough. If you use the car at least once a week there should be no worries in general.
The old adage "if it aint broke, don't fix it" holds very well with TVR electrics.
The old adage "if it aint broke, don't fix it" holds very well with TVR electrics.
Edited by fausTVR on Sunday 13th September 09:51
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff