I just got a 1988 maxima and I'm having an issue- the alarm does not work. The immobilizer works- if I arm it and unlock the door by hand, the car will not crank until I disarm it. However, during this time, the alarm does not go off. When I go to arm it, the security light turns solid, then turns off- no blinks. Any ideas?

 

There's a trouble shooter flow chart in the FSM...picking one of those up may be a good start. It could be anything from a bad door switch, hood or trunk switch, to the module itself going bad. I've lost my alarm module and the keyless entry module over the last two years. My clue the alarm module was going was the car's alarm starting to randomly go off. The keyless module showed it was going by sometimes working, sometimes not and then only the lock button working. I've since unplugged both.

 

FSM...? What is that?
The security system light only blinks when a door is open. When the doors are closed and the car is locked, it turns solid for about 5 seconds, then goes blank. I've looked for answers all over google, facebook pages, etc, and nobody seems to know what is wrong with it.

 

FSM = Factory Service Manual. There are several on eBay in the $20 neighborhood. The section for the theft deterrent system is 34 pages for my '87 and most of that is trouble shooting flow charts.

As far as your car, the light sounds like it's working as it should, including staying on solid after the doors are shut and locked. After remaining on solid, with doors locked and system armed, it should periodically blink. The fault could lie in any of the sensors and switches, or even possibly the keyless entry system. You could also potentially have 2 separate issues within the system...alarm not going off, light not blinking when "armed"...and the FSM will point you in the direction of which parts to test/check.

 

When I first registered here, I was told to look at the FSM, and took it as "F**ing service manual".