ajoey

I just recently purchased a 74 vette. I am having trouble with the alarm system, as when I turn it on, it starts the alarm! My husband says it is almost as if the wires are switched, haven't checked yet, but before he does, I was wondering if maybe it is possible that the alarm was triggered while locked, and somehow didn't get re-set or whatever correctly. Does anyone have any ideas? There is nothing in the manual that says what to do if the alarm is triggered. Thanks for any advice. :confused:

Anar76

I don't know "alot" about the system as mine just doesn't work.
But I know most of the time the answer is an open switch.
door switch hood switch, something. missing wire on the switch...
But I would definatly start with the switches.

76Pitter

I'll keep this simple. The alarms were garbage and never worked properly. It didn't take long before the only time they worked was when you turned the key, then quickly turned it off again when the horn sounded. Don't fret just don't use it. By today's standards they are useless anyways.

jonny4523

Atleats you can turn yours. I put the key in mine and it'd be more likely to break the key off than to turn. :D

tangee-vette

If your dome light is going out when the doors are shut then you should take a close look at the hood switch. Thats the easiest switch to check anyway. When you turn the key and the alarm horn sounds then a switch is opened somewhere. I repaired the door switch in 1999 (alarm didn't work) when I bought the car and my alarm has worked perfectly ever since. It may not be high-tech, but it does work!!! The only "reset" on the alarm is to turn it off with the key.

KenSny

The 74 alarm system is different than the 77.

The interior lights are on a seperate pin switch. The alarm & door ajar are on another pin switch. The hood pin switch is alarm only.

OldSlowVette

Try a quick check to see where the problem may be.

Open the pasenger side storage compartment and remove everything till you can see the jack.

Next to the jack you will see two relays. One is round (flasher) relay, the other is a rectangular shaped relay (holding relay). Remove or disconnect the holding relay and see what happens now when you activate the alarm with your key.

If the horn doesn't sound you know your holding relay is bad (make sure your doors and hood are closed). If the horn sounds then you know one of your door switches or the hood switch is activated, or a wiring problem somewhere.

The system is pretty neat considering it is over 25 years old. and the wiring can be used to bring it up to a current "state of the art" system easily.

The current NCRS restorer magazine has a good article on the C3 alarms.

KenSny

OldSlowVette gives good advice. One other area to check. There is a switch behind the key switch that is used for anti-tampering. If it has slid back in the holder then it thinks someone has removed the key switch (it completes the circuit and activates the alarm). If the tamper switch is there, try disconnecting the leads, it may be bad.

Andy1983

Did a 1982 vette have an alarm?

Because mine either doesn't work or doesn't have one.

Smokehouse69

Yes your 82 has or had an alarm. It came as standard equipment after 1973, or whatever year they did away with the fiber optics.
Your alarm in your 82 is different than the alarms on the earlier C-3s, the relay is under the console (I think in the emergency brake cover) and it is activated by the driverside door key and not a key on the rear deck or left front fender. It also incorporates a little more sophistication than the earlier models, so it is more complicated. Somebody has the later C-3 alarm system drawings posted somewhere, maybe they'll see this and put the link up.