Having an issue with the stock alarm system with on my FD. I always arm the alarm, but sometimes it doesn't lock the door... For example, I'll be able to open the door fine but the alarm goes off. Other times it stays locked. It always is locked immediately after arming. What's going on? It's annoying, especially since I had my brand new $300 radar detector stolen because of it.

 

are you saying to turn the key to lock the driver side door and both doors won't lock?

 

Yeah...like ttb says...
You are describing an impossible thing with the stock alarm. You HAVE to lock the driver's door to arm the alarm. Locking/unlocking the driver's door actuates the passenger door lock.

 

It's not impossible, because it happens. I'll be more specific. I lock the doors and arm the alarm by pressing down the power lock switch on the inside armrest of my drivers side. I hear the lock mechanism engage, I hear the beep from the alarm. I shut the door. 10 seconds later I hear another beep from the alarm. So, ok, I'm locking it properly. Now what happens is sometimes my doors remain locked, (I test it occasionally), other times I forget that I set the alarm and pull the handle and the door opens normally but the alarm goes off.

Like I mentioned before, the problem with this is that the alarm works fine, which is good, but if someone can still open the door sometimes for some reason they can reach in and grab stuff like my radar detector and split regardless of the alarm honking at them or not. Anyone heard of anything like this before?

 

When you close the door, are you holding the latch open while you close it? If not, the latch springs the lock back open when the door closes; and perhaps your alarm somehow arms even with the lock open.

I always take my Valentine One off the windshield when I park. Too tempting for a thief to just break a window to score a $500 detector...

 

Hmm, weird. Thanks Kento, I'll try holding the handle up, I wasn't aware that I was supposed to... heh. *shrugs* When I get another detector I probably will hide it too, but I'm also looking at getting about $1500 in stereo equipment too that I'll have to worry about. Maybe it's time to upgrade my alarm too. :P

 

Yeh, do what Kento says. The locks on the FD are actuated just like most Honda's. Lock them when you open your door, and when you go to close the drivers door, hold the outside hand 'open' until you shut the door. Then the alarm should be set and doors should be locked.

 

I don't need to do that w/ my FD, but my friend did on his FC.

 

I wonder why some FD's are different than others? I would have to do that with mine or it wouldn't lock.

 

I have a similar problem, my alarm dosen't always beeps so I have to close the door, re-open it and re-close it to hear the beep.

 

Very strange thing with these FD's. I have a 94 and sometimes the door will lock with out holding the door handle and sometimes I have to hold the door handle up to get it to lock....damndist thig I've ever seen. Haven't found a pattern yet as to which way matters but as Murphy's law goes the one time it locks without lifting the handle is when I had to get out and cool down the water temp (poured water over radiator) and when I went to get back in it was locked. Not a good situation car running warm and now the hood is closed and I can't shut it off. Turned into one of those moments. !! !! !!

 

It should only lock when holding the handle up and closing the door. It's the "foreign car law" for some reason....

 

Why would mine be different? It locks, closes, and arms the alarm without me doing anything weird.
~Tom

 

So, if you are inside the car you can lock the car from the inside, get out, close the door without holding up the handle and the door stays locked?

Most (if not all) foreign cars work this way (at least stock from the factory). It a way of making sure you either use your key to lock the car from the outside or by holding up the door handle you "really mean to lock the car". Just an added measure from locking the keys in the car.

 

Hmmm. This is interesting. My driver's side door does not require me to hold the handle when closing and locking the door. However, the passenger side DOES require me to hold the handle. Yet another weird thing about the 93's? One thing I always do when locking the car is look to make sure the alarm light is illuminated after the door is closed (that is, when not using the turbo timer).

Mahjik, that's not necessarily true for most foreign cars. I've owned 2 Nissans ('92 240SX, '00 Pathfinder), of which neither required the door handle to be held when closing the doors (either side). Neither does my father's Porsche or my friend's Toyota Tacoma.

 

Well, all my (foreign) cars have worked that way before aftermarket alarms or crap was added:

'87 Subaru XT Turbo
'89 RX-7
'92 240sx Fastback
'93 RX-7
'94 300zx

Even my wife's '01 Audi A4 does it.

 

I had a '92 240SX SE ... maybe that's why. LOL.

 

My 87 TII was like that as was my friends 81 Civic, 87 Civic, and 86 Accord. But his 96 Maxima did not require it and neither does my 93 FD.

 

One thing you might look at is to see if the inside level moves up at all when you close the door. For a while, my door locks weren't greased up and it would stay locked (it would release the inside handle, just a little, but not enough to unlock the door) without holding the handle. Of course soon after that, my lock froze and the outside handle broke.

 

Right. Here is what I do:
1) Take key out of ignition
2) Open door
3) Press lock down (hear beep!)
4) Get out
5) Close door, not touching the handle.
Works great. If I open the door before turning off the engine, the alarm won't engage. If other doors (hood, trunk, passenger door) are open, as soon as the last one is locked or closed, the alarm will beep and arm. Nothing is ever forcibly unlocked by the car.
~Tom

 

I would say that either your door locking mechanism isn't working 100% (as it should) or they have been tampered with (possible from a previous owner with an aftermarket alarm install and then removal, or just a door lock replacement for broken parts, etc... unless you are the original owner)...

I can't imagine some FD's coming from the factory requiring the handle to held up and some not...

 

I'm not the original owner, but I know who was. He said there was never an aftermarket alarm, and the locking mechanism was always as it is now. I can't imagine them coming from the factory different either, the only thing I can think of is that mine is a VERY early model. It was manufactured in Feb.'92.
~Tom

 

my 93 is the same as hypertite. just get out hit the button here it beep and push it closed. it always works. doors are always locked

 

you wanna hear weird My wife's z3 cannot be locked from the inside when the doors are open and the engine is off. it must be locked with the key from the out side. but if the doors are closed you can lock it from the inside. there is no way to lock the keys in it unless you use another key.

 

I always use the KEY in the DOOR lock to activate the alarm on my fd -