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I took apart my alarm module today (06 V8V) and found this:
A 4S 4.8V NiMH battery that had leaked its contents out and destroyed the rest of the circuitry Just to see if it worked, I tried soldering batteries to it, and the alarm wasn't working when attached to the car. Really hoping the Volvo dealer has one in stock.
Tip: If you're opening the plastic case, no need to saw all the way around. Take a thin saw (like a hacksaw) and cut one corner, then stick a flat head screwdriver in and pry the two halves apart. That way you get a nice clean break that you can glue back together, and the corner you saw can be sealed with contact cement.
Last edited by convexproblem; Apr 29, 2021 at 01:41 AM.
The guts look identical to my alarm, so I'm going to take a gamble with a used Volvo 8666502 unit (low spec, no tilt sensor) and swap the battery out with a bigger one to extend lifespan.
The guts look identical to my alarm, so I'm going to take a gamble with a used Volvo 8666502 unit (low spec, no tilt sensor) and swap the battery out with a bigger one to extend lifespan.
This past W/E I swapped out the battery in mine metal unit (with part number 6G9N-19G229-CE had ford markings as well). I found the Varta NI-MH type 6V battery on ebay ($10).
Once the unit is loose from car: There is a security tab on the wire/plug that's a bear to get release. You'll need a very small screwdriver to get it to release. It's tight quarters. This is one of the hardest parts. I cut off the small plastic hoop protecting the release tab so the next time wouldn't be so hard.
Then:
1 Grind off the six metal exterior tabs. They look like welds. (Don't grind deep)
2. Remove black plastic unit
3 Open the black plastic case with sharp edge screwdriver. once you get a small area open continue to work around the edge. ( be patient)
4 Unplug the sounder from battery/circuit board.
5. Remove, desoulder, old battery from original circuit board post ( make sure original board is not damaged) mine had a little battery residue but was ok. Mine had 5 posts that were attached to the battery, I used a utility knife to "gently" break away the battery from the pins attached to the circuit board. Don't rush this. If you break one or two see #6 highlighted.
6. My new 6V battery had two pins (one + & one - ) TEST you new battery prior to moving forward.
I soldered each pin to the appropriate side of the circuit board post. I used a small jumper wire to make sure all post were connected on the appropriate side of the battery. Base on the testing of the circuit board I think I could have shouldered the batterypin directly to the circuit board as shown in an earlier post in this thread. The battery was very stable in position even thought it wasn't exactly the same physical size like the one removed. TEST the connections.
7. Reattach, plug in the speaker sounder wire to the circuit board.
8. Attach/glue the 2 plastics halves together.
9. Place in the metal case. Silicone the two metal halves of the case together. Don't over do the silicone sealant.
10. Replace in car. Plug in the harness plug that was a bear to disconnect.
Give your self a pat on the back!
my alarm had a Volvo part number on it. I plugged that into aliexpress and it came up. I will take another look.
Ah, mine is marked "YWK500040 B6" (I think YWK500040 is all you need, the B6 refers to batch or something), I see a few on Aliexpress but they're also used. You can buy used ones picked from Land Rover Discoveries from Europe on Ebay.
If my Volvo 8666502 experiment works, then we'll have all the old Volvos to scavenge from. The updated part 30659892 can also be found new at Volvo dealers (my local dealer quoted 267 bucks, but it looks like you can get them online for less). The low spec alarm has enough space in it to fit a lot more battery, so I plan to use 4 AAA sized NiMH cells (I found some already assembled into a single pack for 10 bucks on Amazon). With 3x the capacity, they won't be cycled as deep or charged as quickly and should hopefully last longer.
Last edited by convexproblem; Apr 29, 2021 at 12:30 PM.
Great info guys. In the interest of the community, I've been thinking about how to avoid going through these modules every 5 years since chances are the updated metal case one will also be discontinued by Volvo/Ford at some point and the Volvo forums seem to have lots of people complaining about batteries leaking and destroying the circuit. I have a Volvo unit on the way and will find out if it works in probably two weeks when I get around to installing it, and I will be gluing in a larger 700mAh NiMH pack in the hopes that it lasts longer, but TBH that isn't the best solution since NiMH cells will calendar age and self discharge somewhat quickly.
For the low-spec alarm without tilt sensor, they use a 4S NiMH pack, which would give a voltage range of 4.0-5.6V. This perfectly matches the voltage of 2 lithium titanate cells in series (lithium titanate essentially lasts forever even if you discharge it to 0V), and two of these would fit in the case as far as I can tell: https://www.batteryspace.com/LTO-186...-2.64Wh-2.aspx
For the high spec alarm with tilt sensor, assuming they're all the same as Wildcat1212's unit, 5 NiMH in series has a operating voltage range of 5-7V. This is pretty closely matched by two lithium iron phosphate cells in series, and the Varta pack has identical dimensions to two CR2/15270 cells placed next to each other. Lithium iron phosphate is not as durable as lithium titanate and isn't as tolerant of dropping to 0V as NiMH, but its cycle life is considerably longer than NiMH and its self-discharge is lower, so assuming you don't leave you car battery sitting dead for months, these should go longer than the NiMH. I bought a pack of these off Amazon and soldered them together to test with my low spec alarm (didn't work, I think some copper traces on my PCB completely corroded away):
Got around to opening up my Volvo 8666502 (low spec) alarm today, good news: Top: Volvo 8666502 Bottom: Aston Martin Original
The IC numbers all match and the circuits are identical. However, the battery on this replacement was dead and the speaker is loose, so I'm soldering in my larger battery pack and gluing it up. Fingers crossed, hopefully it works.
So I think it's safe to say that all the Ford/Volvo/Land Rover/Aston Martin/Jaguar parts are probably identical, the only difference being tilt sensor or not. Since it does take some time to unbolt the unit from the car, I would strongly suggest anyone buying a used part to swap the battery, as it's rather easy.
If you want a new part, you can order Volvo 30659892 for the low spec.
Last edited by convexproblem; May 15, 2021 at 01:10 AM.
removed battery and soldered leads drilled hole in case. silicone adhesive to seal it back together. slot in metal case rugged nylon zipper case with velcro on the back. easy to replace batteries when needed and hopefully never have to replace PCB
the tabs appear to be peened to lock the halves together. a dremel grind wheel to remove the peen, then a screwdriver and hammer on those tabs to push the inner case out
Is there a list somewhere of cross reference part #s for Volvo / Jag / Ford for low-spec / high-spec modules? My car has a high spec module (inclination), and i figure it'll have a battery issue sooner or later. I might want to get a used module in hand ahead of time!
no list that i could find, but read through 5 threads on this forum regarding this subject and you can make a list as they are all mentioned. i bought a used one from Ebay to practice disassembly and was delighted that my actual sounder board was fine. The Ebay unit listed as "tested and working" had acid all over the board
Just to see if it worked, I tried soldering batteries to it, and the alarm wasn't working when attached to the car. Really hoping the Volvo dealer has one in stock.
