How do I disable alarm w/o key? 87 Carrera

[911vet]

I drove my new 87 Carrera home yesterday.

This morning at 4am I awoke to it sitting in my driveway blowing the horn. Make that FREAKING LOUD horn!

I assume it's the factory installed alarm system (has the key tumbler in the door for it).

I was not given a key by the dealer I bought from. Don't know if it exists.

I have the battery disconnected now.

The local dealer said they won't work on Porsche's more than 7 yrs old. They told me to call a local "specialist" who then told me to call the dealer for a replacement key.

• Can I still get a replacement key after 20 yrs?
• If I disconnect the system does it throw a kill switch?
• Does disconnecting the horn prevent the alarm from sounding?

I'd love to drive my new car this weekend. Any suggestions?

Shannon
P.S. wow - it's really hot driving from Atlanta to Ohio with the heat on --- I have to find out how to "unstick" the heater valve!

[911vet]

From other posts I've found, it sounds like this thing is liable to strand me unable to start the car.

Sounds like the best thing to do is completely remove/disable it? That looks to be a project.

[Goth]

I have not tried this, but perhaps you can just bypass the alarm switch.

[Jk369]

Had my '80 re-keyed $30.00. Remove the whole lock tumbler from the door. It is one nut on the outside and two wires on the inside. Find a good lock smith, not the guys with a truck but a shop. They will cut it open. Or mesure the restance across the leads of the key switch it is either 5 or 10 omhs. I do not know the watage but 50 should do the trick and put in place of the key switch.

[Jeff]

1. Remove the negative battery cable.
2. Remove the fresh air handler in the front trunk.
3. Looking into the trunk, the alarm module will be on the left side of the car. Mine had 10 wires coming from it.
4. Find the blue and blue/red wires leaving the unit. They are located in the #61 terminals. Cut these wires and connect the ends that lead away from the alarm (make a good permenant connection, you don't want to have to take the air handler out again). Cap off the ends at the alarm module.
5. Cut the black wire leaving the alarm module. It is in terminal 87A. Cap off the end at the alarm module. Connect the end leading away from the module to another piece of wire and connect that to the bottom of the #8 fuse (which is actually the 11th one back, counting from rear of car to front).
6. Reconnect negative cable on battery and start the car.
7. If you want to put a manual "kill switch" in, install an in-line toggle switch on the black wire before the fuse box.

As far as your heat, Make sure your levers next to the e-brake are all the way down. If they are, look under the car just in front of your rear tires, there will be a valve that looks like a vent on a BBQ grill. There should be a cable connected to it to open and close it, if not or if it is broken just open it manually until you get a new cable.

[911vet]

Originally Posted by C U L8R

3. Looking into the trunk, the alarm module will be on the left side of the car. Mine had 10 wires coming from it.

As far as your heat, Make sure your levers next to the e-brake are all the way down.

Thank you for the specific instructions. I found your previous post on this when I did a search on the topic. Did you perform this on your 87? Just wondering if my 87 is going to look the same and have the same color wires?

As for the heater, the levers between the seats are down and I tried opening/closing a few times to no avail. I'll look for the valve you described and close it manually.

Now... if I can just get the alarm disconnected before the kill switch strands me somewhere. And before my neighbors shoot the car at 4am when it's blowing so loud it can be heard in the next county.

Shannon

[tonythetarga]

Originally Posted by 911vet

I'll look for the valve you described and close it manually.

Actually you want the valve open, so air blows out under the car and not into the car. If you have "autoheat" this is another problem that you will need to research. Search autoheat and member "mysterytrain" for the best instructions. If you center console dial has numbers higher than 3 and you have a sensor between your visors, you have autoheat. (sensor could also be in the dash to the right of the wheel)

[Jeff]

Shannon, Yes, I bypassed the alarm on my 87. Yours should be exactly the same. It will leave you stranded, mine did. Luckily for me it was in my garage.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Where in Ohio are you I grew up in a suburb of Cincinnati?

[911vet]

Originally Posted by C U L8R

Shannon, Yes, I bypassed the alarm on my 87. Yours should be exactly the same. It will leave you stranded

My friend who is a much better electrician than I is gonna help me with the alarm bypass. I'm wondering if the "alarm" I heard was really a faulty horn relay? I disconnected the horn for now.

Originally Posted by C U L8R

Where in Ohio are you I grew up in a suburb of Cincinnati?

Cincy is cool. I was a member of the BMW Z3 club and the MINI club there - lots of good places to drive.

I grew up near Columbus. I now live in Hocking Hills (southeastern Ohio near Lancaster). It's the edge of the Appalachians, so it's all ridges and valleys. I've got GREAT curvy mountain roads to play on down here.

Hey, when I "learn" this car, I'll put together a drive. I led a MINI Cooper run here... that was before I learned the hard way just how much understeer a Cooper has. Uh... in otherwords, it was before I put the MINI in the ditch.

Sold it and bought the 911. Rear wheel drive again! WOO HOO!!

[burgermeister]

If it's electrical, Early S Man has probably answered it....

disarm factory alarm?

No wire cutting necessary.

[Jeff]

Burgermeister, You still have to cut a couple wires to jumper the correct junctions. The link is the same procedure I outlined above. The hardest (most time consuming) part is removing the air handler. A bentley publishing 911 manual helps a great deal here.

Shannon, I almost went to O.U. but went to Miami U in Oxford instead. One of my best friends went to Hocking Tech so I know Hocking Hills well. My friend's brother is one of the higher up Rangers in the Forest that Hocking hills is located in (can't think of the name at the moment). Beautiful country, hope to live back there someday.

[burgermeister]

So they don't just unplug? I've not done this, as removing the air handler looked like more work than I cared to do at the time...but I may have to someday as my alarm is still functioning. I would think the 2 #61 wires would just be attached with 1/4" spade connectors that can be removed.

What is the purpose of tying the black wire to what I presume is power?

When it's done, I will print this and the 67501 threads out and stash them someplace where I still won't find them when I need them...

[Jeff]

Bugermeister, It has been a while since I did mine but for some reason I don't think they unplug (or I was just too dense to try). The black wire is power for the fuel pump, therefore going into "shut down" mode when armed.

I have printed so many tech articles also. I just wish I could remember where I put them. Probably made sense at the time. ;-)

[burgermeister]

I only had 1 key for the alarm, and I'd like a backup... I could not find one locally, but Thompson's Hardware, our friendly neighbourhood store, looked up the key type for me. Ilco X9 or 73VB.

I ordered a 10-pack off some internet site - 45 cents per blank - cheap. As I don't need 10 keys, if anyone needs an extra blank, lemme know and I'll plop one in an envelope and mail it.

[pmillikin]

Jeff -

Your 2 yr old post saved my butt. Stripping out the doors on my 86 Carrera a race car and forgot about the alarm. Tried unplugging the unit and no joy. Scratched my head for a few minutes and then the aha moment. Five minute search and found your post. Another 5 minutes and I'm back in business. Thanks

[Jeff]

pmillikin, Glad it helped.

[Venetian]

Mine has never given me any problem in the 9 years I have owned it. I do have a key but have never tried arming it for fear that I would create an issue.

Would it be safe to just leave it or could it potentially go off on its own or worse leave me stranded somehow. Thanks.

[Jeff]

Venetian, Hard telling if it will malfunction and arm itself, it is a possibility.
In my situation the protective metal plate on the bottom of my seat pinched/ cut the fuel pump wire and shorted the alarm box making it arm itself. It did leave my car stranded (luckily in my garage) and lead to a lot of head scratching and a coil purchase that was not necessary.
IMHO, I think risk of a being stranded far out way the usefulness of this alarm.

[Venetian]

I have no intention of ever using it(let sleeping dogs lie!) but doing electrical work concerns me for fear of creating another problem.

[Cory M]

Bumping old thread. I removed the doors of a 1988 911 for a racecar build and now the car won't start. Acts like there is no spark, fuel pump is working (can hear it). The alarm box is clicking after trying to start. Checked all fuses, etc.

I tried the procedure below and no luck: still no fire and stilll clicking

1. Remove the negative battery cable.
2. Remove the fresh air handler in the front trunk.
3. Looking into the trunk, the alarm module will be on the left side of the car. Mine had 10 wires coming from it.
4. Find the blue and blue/red wires leaving the unit. They are located in the #61 terminals. Cut these wires and connect the ends that lead away from the alarm (make a good permenant connection, you don't want to have to take the air handler out again). Cap off the ends at the alarm module.
5. Cut the black wire leaving the alarm module. It is in terminal 87A. Cap off the end at the alarm module. Connect the end leading away from the module to another piece of wire and connect that to the bottom of the #8 fuse (which is actually the 11th one back, counting from rear of car to front).
6. Reconnect negative cable on battery and start the car.

I also tried something from a different thread: unplugging the alarm plug and jumping the blue/red and blue - no dice. Another thread showed the same jumper plus a jumper from the black (87a) to black red, no fire but the clicking stopped.

Any other ideas?? Pretty certain this is due to alarm because it is clicking and the car worked fine before the doors were removed. I have looked at diagrams and read everything I can find on Pelican about disarming factory alarms but nothing seems to be working.

THANKS.