sensitivity on alarm system

[conmadre]

i have been told different things about the security system on a 99 outback
wagon: in the owners manual it says that there are two modes: warning and
alarm. if your car recieves a bump or light jolt, it emits two warning
beeps, and if hit hard or opened it goes into full alarm. mine does not
seem to be set to this two beep warning phase. I have been told that there
is a sensitivity control or knob in the car: WHERE IS IT ? DOES IT EXIST?
one person told me it might be in the steering column, another that it is
under the emergency brake, maybe. i would like to know where before i take
anyhting apart, and there is nothing in the manual about location, so if
anyone can help, i would appreciate it. Thanks a lot

 

[darealclemshady]

I have a 98 outback and have adjusted the sensitivity on mine.

It was under the dash on the driver's side. It was a rectangular box
about 2 inches by 3 inches that was attached (zip-tied) to the steering
column. You don't have to take anything apart to see it. You can just
lay on your back in the driver's floorboard and look up @ the steering
column. You will probably need a flash light. Once you find the box,
there is a little knob sticking out one of the sides of it. There
should be an arrow on it that indicates which way sensitizes and
desensitizes it, etc...

Don't set it to be too sensitive, or a vehicle that has had one of
those overdone exhaust systems can set it off ina parking lot
somewhere just by driving by. I had to de-sensitize mine a little bit
because I had a neighbor w/ a dodge ram w/ exhaust that would make it
give warning chirps by just driving past. If he wanted to mess w/ me,
he'd just stop next to the car to set it off.

 

[conmadre]

thanks a lot for the help, i tried looking but can not as of yet find this
box, there is a lot of stuff under there! it is not ziptied to the
steering column, but is probobly under there somewhere( if yours was there
it must be in the same general area)thanks again
david

 

[CompUser]

@localhost.talkaboutautos.com>, (e-mail address removed)
says...

thanks a lot for the help, i tried looking but can not as of yet find this
box, there is a lot of stuff under there! it is not ziptied to the
steering column, but is probobly under there somewhere( if yours was there
it must be in the same general area)thanks again

This may not apply for you, but I'm pretty sure
(!) that the sensitivity adjustment for the WRX
alarm is on a cigarette-sized box in the center
console...bolted in near the parking brake.

 

[MikeL]

On the WRX there is a weird looking black box with some coils and stuff in
the trunk, mounted in the top-right corner... could that be something?

 

[CompUser]

On the WRX there is a weird looking black box with some coils and stuff in
the trunk, mounted in the top-right corner... could that be something?

I've found that same module and wondered myself,
about it's function. It's not for the OEM alarm,
because I installed one myself, and that wasn't a
part of it.