Alarm Upon Unlocking

[Diesel Gunner]

For years now after the truck has been parked for a day or two the alarm will sound three times when it is unlocked with the remote fob or the key. Never any evidence of being tampered with. Does not happen when it is unlocked after a few or several hours. Do any of you have a similar problem and/or know the fix?

 

[brucejohnson]

My former 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 SLT+ would do a similar thing, usually very intermittently and at the most inconvenient time, like at night when we would tippy-toe to the truck late at night in a campground to retrieve something. Dealer said it was the CTM. They changed it a couple times, which seemed to put the issue at bay for a few months...then it would return. The CTM became obsolete through dealer channels and difficult to requisition, so we learned to live with it. In my troubleshooting I found one schematic in the FSM which indicated the passenger and driver doors have a switch on the lock mechanisms that are part of the alarm circuit...and, no longer serviced through dealer supply channels. Since the issue was intermittent and life events kept us from our long camping vacation journeys, I never did dig into the doors to see if the switches could be cleaned up or "adjusted" before it was traded in after a long and happy relationship.

 

[Diesel Gunner]

Thanks, Bruce. I had not considered the lock mechanisms in the doors. I will take a look at them sometime to see if I can clean them and check connections. Yes, I am becoming more familiar with parts availability issues, but just like this old truck too much to trade or sell.

if anyone else has any experience with the same I look forward to hearing from you.

 

[Ozymandias]

Just as a try...

Push the open button twice in a row before opening a door and see if it still honks three times.

I have a similar problem in my Gen3 that it sometimes doesn't disarm the Alarm at the first push but unlocks the doors already.

So I got used to always push twice.

 

[Diesel Gunner]

Yes, no matter if I push the button once or twice to unlock both doors it will intermittently set of the three honk alarm.

 

[brucejohnson]

On mine the three-alarm honks occurred immediately upon pressing the fob's unlock button, or rotating the key ever so slightly in either direction of the driver's or passenger's doors. I tried multiple fob clicks when the alarm triggered, in part of my troubleshooting, (mostly in frustration and to cover up my colorful verbiage of disdain) and to see it it would reset or stop the remaining beeps, which it did not. It wouldn't set off the alarm most of the time as it was finicky and intermittent with a mind of its own. But when it did trigger, it was usually in quiet time in a campground, or when someone was passing near my truck resulting in some startled or perturbed side looks in my direction. I almost want to say the alarm issue started shortly after the CTM was changed for a different issue.

 

[Shelby Griggs]

Been having the 3 beeps for years. It seems to be more prevalent in environments with high potential RF. Park new a fire station and it is almost guaranteed. I live with it. Sometimes at home it can go days, sometimes overnight, seems no rhyme nor reason. Way back I heard wrapping the CTM in tine foil might be a cure???

 

[brucejohnson]

Been having the 3 beeps for years. It seems to be more prevalent in environments with high potential RF. Park new a fire station and it is almost guaranteed. I live with it. Sometimes at home it can go days, sometimes overnight, seems no rhyme nor reason. Way back I heard wrapping the CTM in tine foil might be a cure???

I never got around to wrapping my CTM in foil, even though I read the same as you have. I figured (and read) the foil may negatively affect the effective range of the key fobs. I kept loose note on unexpected alarm triggers and came to a similar conclusion as you did. I don't recall any triggering way out in the desert, or away from civilization in the Western and Midwest expanses...until getting into the more "civilized" towns with the fancy automated stuff. The campsite triggerings which I mentioned in post #6 above were all within a half mile or less from numerous high RF potential sources. It would go for a while without triggering the alarm out in the farmlands of America. Most alarms occurred, as you surmised, in potential RF zones, even the possibility of the automatic door openers of a grocery store way out in the mountains away from most everything else RF.