Car Alarms: Could it be the kill switch?, valet mode, heather heather

Question
Hi,
I have a 1999 Jeep Cherokee. After having it stolen I searched around and had a Commando fm 2 way alarm with kill switch etc installed. This was a little over 2 years ago. About October last year little things stopped working-like the lights don't turn on with remote start etc. I wasn't very concerned. Just before Christmas though the alarm started occasionally re-arming itself after I'd put it on valet mode. Then about 2 weeks ago, as I was driving 60mph on a highway, the car no longer responded when I pressed the gas pedal and then died. After pulling over, I tried to restart. It would not turn over-not even a click. After a little thinking I decided to try the alarm and arm and disarm it. After I disarmed I tried to start again and sure enough she turned over and I was able to get off the highway. I tried driving around a lot and once again off she went. So I put it in valet mode and sttarted the car and got home as fast as I could.

I drove around to test things out and the directionals started going crazy then the alarm would arm itself while I was driving. I parked it and went to start it yesterday and when I turned the key to start the alarm made many weird squelching sounds and the car will not turn over. I tried to put in in valet mode and it keeps rearming.

I have no idea where to begin or even if the car not starting is related to the alarm (although it seems like it is). I spoke to a repair shop and the guy told me that it would take them forever to diagnose the problem(?). So I'm on my own at the moment.

Any ideas? The street cleaner is going to give me a nice ticket this week too :)

Could this possibly be an alarm/kill switch problem? How can I yank the thing out and start my car?

Thanks!
Heather

Answer
Heather,
   From this acounting, it's not the alarm.
All things being equal, if installed right,
and it was working flawlessly for 2 years,
then I would start by looking at
the alternator, or the computer in the
car.

Try first going into valet mode.
Using the push button valet button,
turn on the ignition switch all the way just
before cranking, then press and hold
the valet button until the LED in the
dash comes on solid. This is Overide.
Nothing will work accept the keyless entry
if installed. and you should be able to
start the car. If this does not work,
then you have other issues and a mechanic
is your next stop.

If you want to remove it, to discount
the alarm as the culprit, that's fine too.

Get up under the dash area, find the black
box and then unplug all the harnesses going
to it. Then locate the starter wire coming
off of the ignition switch. The starter wire
in this vehicle is YELLOW and will have a relay
that swas installed inline on it. The relay
needs to be cut out, then the 2 ends of the
YELLOW wire need to be reconnected.

This takes the alarm out of the equation.
But I am guessing it's something else. The
tell here was that as you were driving, the car
died. Just stopped dead. Alarms do not do that,
ever. It's unsafe, and manufacturers would get
sued alot.

Try Valet, then call the mechanic back
to look it over. Best place to start I think.

let me know what happens.

ALARMTEK
(call 1 800 780-1409 for direct
support at Commando if need be,
or to tell them how I did!)