Toyota Alarm Question

I recently acquired a '96 Celica in the UK fitted with a factory standard
Toyota alarm and immobolizer.

I love everything about the car but I'm having some trouble living with the
alarm system and can't quite figure out a couple of things. I was hoping
someone here might have some answers as the instruction manual doesn't seem
to help much.

First of all is there a way of turning the thing off completely? I can't
seem to find one. Locking the car with the keys rather then the fob doesn't
arm the alarm but after 30 seconds it arms itself so that's not a way around
it. (turning the alarm off by unlocking works the same way - if you don't do
anything it locks and arms itself in 30 seconds).

Secondly most annoying of all - what are you supposed to do when you have a
passenger and want to leave them in the car while you go to pay for petrol
or into a shop? In the petrol scenario, I fill the car up go to pay and the
alarm arms itself and goes off when the passenger moves! Surely there is no
logic to that?

Can anyone with a standard Toyota alarm of that vintage shine any light on
how it's supposed to work? Or is it just stupid and I need a new one? If so
any recommendations? I have heard having the alarm removed is expensive due
to the way it's wired in (or is that just garage "ooooo, it'll cost you"
posturing?).

Thanks!

"Joe" <nobody@nowhere.nowhere> wrote in message
news:43fde087$0$27101$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...[color=blue]
> Secondly most annoying of all - what are you supposed to do when you have
> a
> passenger and want to leave them in the car while you go to pay for petrol
> or into a shop? In the petrol scenario, I fill the car up go to pay and
> the
> alarm arms itself and goes off when the passenger moves! Surely there is
> no
> logic to that?
>[/color]
It shouldn't arm itself after you've stopped the engine and shut the doors.
The only time it arms itself is if it was alarmed, and then you disarm it
and don't start the car up.
[color=blue]
> Can anyone with a standard Toyota alarm of that vintage shine any light on
> how it's supposed to work? Or is it just stupid and I need a new one? If
> so
> any recommendations? I have heard having the alarm removed is expensive
> due
> to the way it's wired in (or is that just garage "ooooo, it'll cost you"
> posturing?).
>[/color]
Pressing the 'lock' button on your keyfob alarms the car for doors AND
interior movement.
Pressing the 'lock' button a 2nd time (gives a longer flash of the
indicators) will alarm only the doors - this is what you should do if you
want it locked with a passenger inside.

"Johnny" <n@spam.com> wrote in message
news:43fe4708_3@mk-nntp-2.news.uk.tiscali.com...[color=blue]
> "Joe" <nobody@nowhere.nowhere> wrote in message
> news:43fde087$0$27101$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...[color=green]
>> Secondly most annoying of all - what are you supposed to do when you have
>> a
>> passenger and want to leave them in the car while you go to pay for
>> petrol
>> or into a shop? In the petrol scenario, I fill the car up go to pay and
>> the
>> alarm arms itself and goes off when the passenger moves! Surely there is
>> no
>> logic to that?
>>[/color]
> It shouldn't arm itself after you've stopped the engine and shut the
> doors.
> The only time it arms itself is if it was alarmed, and then you disarm it
> and don't start the car up.[/color]

I believe that the security system can be programmed several ways. By
default, it should arm itself if you shut off the engine and lock the doors.

--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote in message
news:e669a$43fe49d5$44a4a10d$32410@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
>
> "Johnny" <n@spam.com> wrote in message
> news:43fe4708_3@mk-nntp-2.news.uk.tiscali.com...[color=green]
>> "Joe" <nobody@nowhere.nowhere> wrote in message
>> news:43fde087$0$27101$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...[color=darkred]
>>> Secondly most annoying of all - what are you supposed to do when you
>>> have a
>>> passenger and want to leave them in the car while you go to pay for
>>> petrol
>>> or into a shop? In the petrol scenario, I fill the car up go to pay and
>>> the
>>> alarm arms itself and goes off when the passenger moves! Surely there is
>>> no
>>> logic to that?
>>>[/color]
>> It shouldn't arm itself after you've stopped the engine and shut the
>> doors.
>> The only time it arms itself is if it was alarmed, and then you disarm it
>> and don't start the car up.[/color]
>
> I believe that the security system can be programmed several ways. By
> default, it should arm itself if you shut off the engine and lock the
> doors.
>[/color]
I've the same system on my mk2 MR2 (and I had the previous shape Celica
too).
I need the disable the alarm when washing it - I either arm just the doors,
or I unarm it and open then close a door to prevent it from arming itself.

Thanks for the comments.

Mine doesn't seem to work this way. If I disarm the alarm and then open and
shut a door - it will STILL arm itself if I do nothing after 30 seconds. Is
the opinion here that this is a fault then?

I could of course arm it with no interior sensors on with the passenger
inside... but they may object to being trapped in the car :)

"Joe" <nobody@nowhere.nowhere> wrote in message
news:43fe6a34$0$14839$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...[color=blue]
> Thanks for the comments.
>
> Mine doesn't seem to work this way. If I disarm the alarm and then open
> and
> shut a door - it will STILL arm itself if I do nothing after 30 seconds.
> Is
> the opinion here that this is a fault then?
>
> I could of course arm it with no interior sensors on with the passenger
> inside... but they may object to being trapped in the car :)[/color]

One of the settings for the security system is automatic arming, but AFAIK,
it should only happen if the doors are locked. If the doors are unlocked, I
don't think it should arm itself.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

On 24-Feb-2006, "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
[color=blue]
> One of the settings for the security system is automatic arming, but
> AFAIK, it should only happen if the doors are locked. If the doors are
> unlocked,
> I don't think it should arm itself.[/color]

Well that would make sense. In my case it seems to work whether the doors
are locked or not.

Any idea where I can find info on what settings are possible with the alarm
and how to alter them? Or do I have to take it to a Toyota dealer to get it
changed?

"Joe" <nobody@nowhere.nowhere> wrote in message
news:43fef443$0$27070$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...[color=blue]
>
> On 24-Feb-2006, "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
>[color=green]
>> One of the settings for the security system is automatic arming, but
>> AFAIK, it should only happen if the doors are locked. If the doors are
>> unlocked,
>> I don't think it should arm itself.[/color]
>
> Well that would make sense. In my case it seems to work whether the doors
> are locked or not.
>
> Any idea where I can find info on what settings are possible with the
> alarm
> and how to alter them? Or do I have to take it to a Toyota dealer to get
> it
> changed?[/color]

Your best bet is to find someone with an owner's manual or factory repair
manual. If you're electrically inclined, you can bypass the trunk/hatch
switch and install a manual switch so that the system thinks that the
trunk/hatch is open and so won't arm the system.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

On 24-Feb-2006, "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Your best bet is to find someone with an owner's manual or factory repair
> manual. If you're electrically inclined, you can bypass the trunk/hatch
> switch and install a manual switch so that the system thinks that the
> trunk/hatch is open and so won't arm the system.[/color]

Reasonable idea and I'm not too bad with electrics - but I suspect the
wiring is not obvious for these sensors (as it may leave it open to attack).
It also doesn't sound too neat a solution. So the best bet is probably the
manuals. I have the owners manual and that's probably of most use when you
run out of toilet paper to be honest. It tells you next to nothing apart
from how to switch the thing on and off. So I guess I'll be hunting for a
factory repair manual... either that or take it to a dealer. Thanks for the
comments.

On Thu, 23 Feb 2006 23:36:37 -0000, "Johnny" <n@spam.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>[color=green]
>> Can anyone with a standard Toyota alarm of that vintage shine any light on
>> how it's supposed to work? Or is it just stupid and I need a new one? If
>> so
>> any recommendations? I have heard having the alarm removed is expensive
>> due
>> to the way it's wired in (or is that just garage "ooooo, it'll cost you"
>> posturing?).
>>[/color]
>Pressing the 'lock' button on your keyfob alarms the car for doors AND
>interior movement.
>Pressing the 'lock' button a 2nd time (gives a longer flash of the
>indicators) will alarm only the doors - this is what you should do if you
>want it locked with a passenger inside.
>[/color]

That's really good to know....

I've been wondering how to use my keyfob to lock my 97 Celica with my
dog inside & window cracked open.

After a few alarm disasters, I have been locking the doors manually.

"Joe" <nobody@nowhere.nowhere> wrote in message
news:43ff3c91$0$5354$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...[color=blue]
> On 24-Feb-2006, "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
>[color=green]
>> Your best bet is to find someone with an owner's manual or factory repair
>> manual. If you're electrically inclined, you can bypass the trunk/hatch
>> switch and install a manual switch so that the system thinks that the
>> trunk/hatch is open and so won't arm the system.[/color]
>
> Reasonable idea and I'm not too bad with electrics - but I suspect the
> wiring is not obvious for these sensors (as it may leave it open to
> attack).
> It also doesn't sound too neat a solution. So the best bet is probably the
> manuals. I have the owners manual and that's probably of most use when you
> run out of toilet paper to be honest. It tells you next to nothing apart
> from how to switch the thing on and off. So I guess I'll be hunting for a
> factory repair manual... either that or take it to a dealer. Thanks for
> the
> comments.[/color]

The security system does not have separate sensors for each door and
trunk/hatch lid. It uses the same switch as the courtesy/dome lights.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

On 24-Feb-2006, "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
[color=blue]
> The security system does not have separate sensors for each door and
> trunk/hatch lid. It uses the same switch as the courtesy/dome lights.[/color]

Well that does make it easier - but I've hunted around and found a more
detailed manual. Unfortunately it still doesn't tell you how to do it
yourself - it just says take it to a dealer. But it does confirm that
passive arming of the alarm is a feature that can be toggeled to on or off.
It seems I've been unlucky as the factory default is OFF. So I assume the
person who had the car before me thought it was a good thing and had it set
to ON. It probably is a good thing if you are a loner and rarely travel with
anyone.

Anyhow as this is definitely the case I think I'll probably take it in
somewhere and have them reprogram it to turn the passive feature off. It's
annoying you can't do it yourself. This is the type of thing that ought to
be on small dip switches or something so you don't have to pay some guy to
do 2 minutes work. While I could still do the electrical solution to keep
it DIY - it seems untidy compared to reprogramming.

Thanks anyway - that knowledge (about the thing relying on the courtesy
light) may come in handy yet!

"Joe" <nobody@nowhere.nowhere> wrote in message
news:43ffb101$0$1666$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...[color=blue]
>
> On 24-Feb-2006, "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
>[color=green]
>> The security system does not have separate sensors for each door and
>> trunk/hatch lid. It uses the same switch as the courtesy/dome lights.[/color]
>
> Well that does make it easier - but I've hunted around and found a more
> detailed manual. Unfortunately it still doesn't tell you how to do it
> yourself - it just says take it to a dealer. But it does confirm that
> passive arming of the alarm is a feature that can be toggeled to on or
> off.
> It seems I've been unlucky as the factory default is OFF. So I assume the
> person who had the car before me thought it was a good thing and had it
> set
> to ON. It probably is a good thing if you are a loner and rarely travel
> with
> anyone.
>
> Anyhow as this is definitely the case I think I'll probably take it in
> somewhere and have them reprogram it to turn the passive feature off. It's
> annoying you can't do it yourself. This is the type of thing that ought to
> be on small dip switches or something so you don't have to pay some guy to
> do 2 minutes work. While I could still do the electrical solution to keep
> it DIY - it seems untidy compared to reprogramming.
>
> Thanks anyway - that knowledge (about the thing relying on the courtesy
> light) may come in handy yet![/color]

Reprogramming the security system involves a "chicken dance" pushing
buttons, turning the ignition key, opening and closing doors, etc. I'm a
lousy dancer so I always leave the factory default.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)