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No beep - on door lock

40414 Views 39 Replies 22 Participants Last post by  midnightMDX
Has anyone else had this issue?

Using the remote to lock the doors, locks all doors on the first try. But when you press the lock door button again on the remote (within 5 seconds) you are supposed to get a beep from the horn to signify that the factory alarm is set.

My 'X does not beep. I visited the dealer earlier this week to pick up my plates and mentioned this to him. He tried it on another MDX and it didn't beep either. He thought that on the TL's there was a way to disable the beep, but that required the 3rd button (for the trunk) that is not present on the MDX remote. He tried all different key combos to get it to work and he couldn't. He talked to the service guys and they didn't have a clue. The manual specifically mentions that the BEEP is supposed to occur.

Is anyone else out there BEEPLESS?
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I have no beep either. I did not realize that is should. On our RL it does.
Cyking..

My dealer (JG from Acura of Palatine) thought restoring the beep might be a simple fix. Like some switch the service guys are forgetting to set. He said he would look into it and let me know.
According to the Manual "When you push the LOCK button a second time within 5 seconds after you locked the doors, you will hear beep to verify that the security system has set." I hear an electronic beep from under the hood when I do this, not the horn beep. The manual does not state that the horn will beep, only that you will hear a beep. It is not very loud and seems to come from under the hood. Listen closely next time and see if you hear it.


Greg in Hotlanta
I also get the electronic beep. I actually prefer this to the horn honking. You have to listen for it, but it's there.
I always press twice to get the electronic beep. On our Outback the horn used to blows when locking the doors. That one I disabled.
I looked through the service manual and it doesn't have any reference to this.. but on mine it functions correctly - the second time you press the LOCK button, either the alarm horns chirp, or the *Keyless Buzzer makes the beep (this isn't detailed in the manual).

I'd check a couple of things...

1) When you LOCK & UNLOCK the car with the transmitter, do the parking lights on the MDX flash?

2) When you press the PANIC button, does the alarm signal with both the High and Low horns?

The horns are controlled by the passenger's Multiplex Control Unit (MCU) ... and there is a relay which supplies power to the horns - it is under the hood and has a 20 amp fuse (No 47). If either of the horns function in the panic mode, then the fuse and relay are okay - if the high horn doesn't work, then it is either a bad horn or the connection to ground on the horn is bad. If the low horn doesn't work - it has an additional 7.5 amp fuse (No 64 in the auxiliary fuse holder).

If the parking lights don't flash in test #1, then your security system isn't being armed. The security indicator on the driver's door panel should also flash when the system's been armed. The Keyless Buzzer and the horn relay are both controlled by the passenger MCU... the receiver unit feeds its info (Lock, unlock, panic) to the driver's MCU.

For the system to arm, the ignition switch must be off and the key removed - the doors, hood & tailgate must also be closed and locked.

* The Keyless Buzzer is located behind the right inner fender - which I believe should be responsible for the chirp when the LOCK button is pressed twice.

Let us know what you find.

Rail
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I sometimes have to press mine a third time to get the beep.
Oh Yeah, you also need to make sure all doors and the rear tailgate are all closed. I couldn't get mine to arm one time becaue the tailgate wasn't closed all the way.

Now I always press my button twice, so I get the electronic beep. If no beep, I know the tailgate probably didn't get closed all the way.

FYI,
You should hear electronic beep on the second press of the lock button, not a horn beep, this is the "Honda Way" unlike some manufactures which use a horn beep. Mine works that way and I do not recall any mention of a way to change or disarm this function in the manual.
You should have a beep on the second push. Rail has provided a very comprehensive troubleshooting guide and what to look and listen for.

Both my TL and MDX operate the same way and both provide me with the beep on the second push.
Hey, I was the one that agreed with vip9's 'real men dont read manuals', but having all this discussion over a BEEP? C'mon guys!!!!! RTFM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
I get the beep, but I never really thought about why I was getting it. It's just that when you lock the vehicle when it's really bright outside, it isn't easy to see the lights flash. Thus, to make sure that I've properly locked it, I'd hit the button a second time. I thought the beep was the MDX's way of telling me, "It's locked, stupid. Quit pressing this button!"

Dean
THANX!

Thanks for everyone's help.. But I still don't get a beep.

I get the lights and the horns on alarm. But no beep.

So thanks for the help, I will be shuttling the 'X off to a dealer for a fix.
Try this Fix

For other models but the remotes are the same...good luck...

[the typos are the author's, not mine. courtesy of http://www.acuradriver.com/service/news/1996k1.asp

Remote Chirp Mode can be Turned On & Off
On CLs, RLs, and '37 Integras, keyless remote transmitters can be programmed so the alarm chirps or doesn't chirp when you lock and unlock the doors. Here's what happens in the "chirp" and "silent" modes, and how to switch from one mode to the other.

In the chirp mode, locking the doors with the transmitter causes the alarm to chirp once and the parking lights to flash once. Unlocking the doors causes two chirps and two flashes. If you press the Lock button when one of the doors isn't closed, you'll get three chirps and three.flashes. In the silent mode, the parking lights flash the same way they do in the chirp mode, but the alarm doesn't chirp.

To switch a CL or Integra transmitter from chirp to silent, press and hold the Trunk Release button (OPTION button on Integral, then, within one second, press and hold the Lock button until the transmitter's LED blinks twice. To switch from silent to chirp, press and hold the same buttons until the LED blinks once.

Switching from "Chirp" to "Silent" on a CL.
To switch an RL transmitter from chirp to silent, press and hold the Trunk Release button, then, within one second, press and hold the Lock button until the transmitter's LED blinks once. To switch from silent to chirp, press and hold the same buttons until the LED blinks twice.
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Great research Worm. Probably would work the same on the MDX but we don't have a trunk release button. Must be some other sequence.
mr1margarita said:
Great research Worm. Probably would work the same on the MDX but we don't have a trunk release button. Must be some other sequence.
doh! :)
Re: Try this Fix

TheWorm said:
On CLs, RLs, and '37 Integras, keyless remote transmitters can be programmed...
Those '37 Integras are real classics and very rare. Anyone know where I might be able to get my hands on one? ;)
worm
Don't worry, you are usually right on with your advise. We'll just chauk it up to a bad day. That's yours for the year!
Hey Worm...the dealer actually had knew about that proceedure and tried it with the other available key combos but still no beep. Thanks though for the research.

I will probably take it for service this weekend.
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