Car Alarms: Mitsubishi Montero alarm problem, mitsubishi montero, negative cable

Question
QUESTION: I saw a similar question on here from "Ryan" - but the answer was less than helpful. I have a 1999 Montero with an alarm that just goes off by itself. The alarm will go off randomly, whether the car is locked or not. At that point, if I listen carefully, I can hear a solenoid somewhere in the engine area clicking repeatedly, as if it is receiving intermittent signals. It often happens either when I'm in a store - and I come out to find the alarm howling, or a dead battery - or when I'm turning the car on. The only way to reset it is to turn the ignition to "on", remove the negative cable from the battery and wait until the clicking stops. Sometimes it takes two or three trys for this to work. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to the malfunction, but when the battery is low, the problem is worse - however the alarm drains the battery so it's a Catch-22. I've replaced the battery twice with no change. I have had issues with the alarm since buying the car (though not this extreme); however I was told I was "imagining things" by the dealer. Now that it's an extreme problem, however, there is no writing it off. Other mechanics have been unable to trace down the problem. They can only guess there is a short in the system somewhere. The previous answer told the man to get a keyfob (which he didn't have), however I DO have the keyfob. This does no good whatsoever. As an added bonus, the door locks are also malfunctioning, in that neither the keyfob nor the interior unlock buttons will unlock the doors. The locks will release, then return to locked state. I've stopped using the keyfob entirely, and half the time don't even lock my doors - but the problem is still there. I'm  At this point I think my only option is taking the car to my dealer and demanding they remove the alarm completely. Any other options you can suggest?

ANSWER: Narrow this down. Is it
Headlights and car horn?
Or, siren and parking lights?

A.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It is a siren and I believe the parking lights (although with the high pitch siren I'm usually not paying attention to which lights are flashing). The siren will continue until the battery is completely dead if I don't remove the cable and reset it.  I've now replaced another battery.

Answer
Not sure what aftermarket system you have
there, but this is what I think is going
on....

The alarm seems to be in long tamper mode.
You will need to reset, and possibly
re program the remotes. That part you will need
your manual for, but the aftermarket alarm
seems to be doing it's job.
At least we know it's installed correctly
which is actually a good thing here.

Ok, try this.
Put the key in the ignition, and turn forward
all the way just before cranking. Then within
5 seconds, locate, press and hold in the
valet/overide button, found under the
dash area, (push button, spring loaded)
until the installed LED (the blinking light)
in your dash area goes on solid,
and the siren chirps once.

(Your valet switch might be the toggle
(on/off) type. in this case, key on,
flip switch in opposite direction,
then turn the key off.)

This should reset the alarm, and reset
the grounded relay on the starter wire,
allowing you to start the engine.

At this point, the only thing working would
be the keyless entry from the alarm,
if it came equipped that way.

At this point, remove the alarm.
My guess is there is an open circuit,
porobably the starter kill relay is
frozen open, draining the battery.

Take it out of line on the starter wire,
repair, and see if it still drails.
Let me know what happens.

ALARMTEK
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