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Pug 405 Alarm - Near Fire!

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2.2K views 9 replies 2 participants last post by  mr_wigster  
#1 ·
Hi Guys,

I'm hoping one of the electrical gurus may be able to help on this one, as it's pretty odd!

I've agreed to help a friend - he had a Pug 405 Diesel sat for 6 months outside his house. As it still has an MOT, I said I could get it fired up and running, so we can sell it for him. Sounded like a plan. Put jump leads on and it started after a bit of coaxing and ran properly. However, it sat for another 4 weeks over Xmas outside my house. When I went to jump it again on Sunday to get it ready to sell, smoke started to pour from the passenger side front wheel arch area! [:O] Together with acrid electrical burning smell. I took the leads off the battery straight away and it all calmed down.

There is some sort of metal box that is part of the standard factory alarm system bolted inside the passenger front wing. Does anyone know what this is? Can it be bypassed? Will bypassing it make it safe to start the car? The last thing I want is a car on fire right outside my house! Also don't fancy trying to explain to my friend that I torched his car either!

Any help would be gratefully received - I just want to get this car moved now...

Wigster.
 
#4 ·
It's probably the alarm siren,never heard of one spontaneously combusting before though
Image
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Chris.
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That would make sense, cheers. If I were simply to unplug the offending article, do you think this would make it safe to try to jump start the car again? The problem I have is that the car is worth so little that my friend won't spend any money on it at all, but yet I need to try and fix this myself so we can get it moved - I don't want it going up in flames if I miss something...

T hanx again,

Steve.
 
#5 ·
It won't do any harm if you disconnect it but I'm still puzzled why it's done it in this way,something has to have caused it.Have a good look around for any chafed wiring or any other obvious random damage.

Chris.
 
#6 ·
I will do. I've felt up inside the wing and searched far and wide online. The sounder is located inside that wing and there is also a connecting block/module there a well. The unit feels VERY rusty and crumbles when touched, so my guess is that it may have filled with water while standing and corroded the terminals.

My only worry is that I will still have a fire risk present when I try and start/run the car, which is never a comfortable feeling - think I'll try to borrow a fire extinguisher from somewhere to take with me, just in case.

Vision of the affected component is seriously limited as it's buried well into the wing aperture and there are other components sitting on top of it under the bonnet - will try to trace the wiring at the weekend though, before I attempt to start it.

Cheers Chris.

Steve.
 
#7 ·
The unit feels VERY rusty and crumbles when touched, .
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As do all the remaining Peugeot 405s when you touch them[:DD].If it's a battery backup siren then it will have a permanent live feed into it to keep the battery charged up,it's so long since I've worked on one that can't remember where anything is in those cars,but I'm sure there's somthing to do with it above the glovebox,so could be worth starting your search there.

Chris.
 
#8 ·
Will do - t hanx Mate. I've also read that the control module is hidden in the driver's footwell with more gubbins hidden behind the gear lever in the lower dash - what a mess!

If I disconnect the permanent live feed (from both ends, so as not to leave a live wire in situ), will this cause the immobiliser to come in all the time?

Steve.
 
#9 ·
If I disconnect the permanent live feed (from both ends, so as not to leave a live wire in situ), will this cause the immobiliser to come in all the time?
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No it won't affect the immobilser as it's only a siren,I think 405s had had the keypad like early 306s had? It will probably only have three wires......ground,perm. live and a trigger wire.

Chris.
 
#10 ·
Cool - cheers again. It doesn't have the keypad in this one, but I think (from what I've managed to see online) that the alarm is fairly similar to the 306, yep.

Will have a crack at bringing it back to life at the weekend.

Steve.
 
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