Remote Start 4 ETH-DEE?

[Newf Limo]

I understand some of you have a remote start on rigs equipped with manual transmissions? Is it just a safety by-passed unit for auto's? Or does it have a safety feature. I would hate to forget to leave mine in neutral then watch it drive thru my dining room as I sip my morning coffee Since we are moving to Maine at the end of next month, I figured one for me and one for my wife's Dakota would be great. Especially if My dealer will do the High Idle re-flash. ( they are checking right now) Where do you get the kit? Thanks.

 

[JHansen]

I've got a buddy with one on his truck... . I know it's made in Canada but other than that I don't know a bunch about it. He was having trouble getting it to work-don't know if he did or not.



Seems to me that DFormstone on here has or was getting one on his truck too...



If you want I'll ask my buddy for more info on his.



Jason

 

[Cooker]

I was just sitting here thinking how to make this work (easily)?



Here is an idea:

All remote starters that I have installed have a hood pin switch (or mercury switch) to determine if the hood is open or closed. The idea is you don't want to remote start the car with the hood open for fear of harming someone.



You could wire the hood trigger to the parking brake, or rather the brake light on the dash (I am using this because I know it is "on" with the brake depressed, you might be able to find this wire/switch right at the brake pedal. I have no idea as I have never dealt with the wiring of the parking brake). You may not be able to wire it direct becasue I don't know if both are the same polarity (this is not a big deal, I just didn't want to imply you could wire it direct).



With this wired properly, the truck would only start if the parking brake was depressed, and if you left it in gear, it would just kill the engine (this assumes the E-Brake is strong enough to hold the mighty Cummins at idle? I have no idea I have never used mine)



As I am thinking more, this may not work. As you remote start the vehicle, the ignition turns on (before the start), starts the vehicle, and then runs. The problem may be that, if, in the start position, the brake light is not energized (while the brake is depressed), the truck will not start.



Another, perhaps simpler but possibly not as convient, method would be to use the hood tirgger to function with a switch. The switch could be energized to work in conjunction with the brake (not parking brake) pedal. The reason for this is becasue if it were a simple on/off switch, there is no reason for the switch. You could easliy leave it in one position. I'm suggesting that the switch needs to be turned "on" upon every exit of the vehicle for the remote start feature to be active. Otherwise if not turned "on" the remote start will not work. The need to tie it in with the brake pedal is so the switch will reset itself, or turn "off", when the pedal is depressed.



So every time you'd exit the vehicle you'd have to set the E-Brake for saftey reasons, and turn the switch on. This is not as safe as incorporating the E-Brake into the trigger somehow.



I'm sure there are other ways, but I think you understand the logic here.



Good luck,

Ryan

 

[Brandon]

dont do it It would only take once to have a safety feature fail... ... ... . then there aint nothing stoppin that cummins

 

[illflem]

I'm with Brandon don't do it unless it's absolutely foolproof, that means the trans must be in N and the parking brake set to start. I've known more than one person who has returned to their remote start rig to find it running, triggered by a signal other than their own. Many remote starters will keep on tiring to start the rig if it doesn't start the first time. If the parking brake is set but the rig is in gear preventing it from starting even though it won't drive away on it's own you will come back to a dead battery.

 

[Cooker]

It could be very dangerous.



Here is a story for you:

A friend has a S10, 5 speed that he inistalled a remote start on. Being the only driver and feeling confidnet enough in his ability to always set the parking brake and leave the truck in neutral, he did nothing to ensure the truck never "ran away".



Well he had new tires put on the truck and the service tech. pulled the truck out onto the lot and left it in gear. My friend goes to pick up his truck and is inside paying. He comes out to find his truck missing? It started, hopped the curb, through the grass, and into the next parking lot where it came to rest up againt a Sunfire.



He didn't start the truck because he was smart enough to know he wasn't the one who drove it last, but he did lean on the counter just right to tap the button on the remote long enough to start the truck.

 

[JHansen]

Somehow this kit requires the park brake to be set-and it seems to me you have to initially engage it with the engine running so it knows it's in neutral-and it allows you to close the door after that-if it opens again the start is disabled (to prevent someone from sliding it into gear). He explained how it all worked-but I tuned it out-I've got an Espar



I'll find out some more info from him.



Jason

 

[Cooker]

Jason,

I remember reading a post about that kit as well. It seems like it would function very well and safely.

 

[JHansen]

Sent him an email

Hopefully by this time tomorrow or sooner I'll have some more details to post about it!



Jason

 

[CTRam]

I would think that it would be a pia, it would need a delay for the grid heater, and also bypass the nuetral safety switch(to get it to start without the clutch being depressed) Just to many things to go wrong IMO.

 

[Newf Limo]

Thanks Jason, I hope you can find out. I appreciate everyones input. I am sure if one is designed to be used with a manual, they have taken into consideration the what-ifs. Believe me, I don't want a home made bypass-the -safety- features type. One specifically designed for this purpose. Thanks for looking out for me though You guys crack me up

 

[JHansen]

Some info!

I'm just cutting and pasting this from the e-mail that Rod sent me about it. At the end I'll add my comments to it!





"www.autostart. ca is the web site to hit. Autostart is the name of the

remote starter, and its a pain in the *** to hook up to a Dodge diesel. But

it does work well, once the install is complete.



Installation wise, you'll need three relays (not included with the kit) as

the Wait To Start light is positive ground, but the remote starter is

looking for a positive signal. If they have power locks, they'll need two

more relays as the locks are negative fired, and the remote starter sends

out a positive signal to the locking mechanism. Its also wired into the

tach sensor signal from the wiring block/computer thats tucked in behind the

air box. You can wire the wait to start lead off of this block as well. We

went with the actual dash light wire, because we didn't know about the

block. Doesn't seem to make any difference in the operation of the starter.

Otherwise, the install is pretty straight forward. Its wired into the park

brake, dome light, dash lights, and the signal lamps/clearance lamps (if you

have them). Autostart only includes a wiring diagram for what the remote

starter needs, they don't include any specific instructions for the vehicle

its being installed on. You can call them though, if you are a reseller,

and request the wiring diagram for a specific vehicle.



Operation is kind of a pain, but I think once I get used to it, it'll be ok.

To arm the starter:



1) With the truck running, turn off the head lights, and put the parking

brake on.

2) Hit any button on the remote starter. The signal lights/clearance/dash

lights will flash.

3) Turn the key off. The truck will stay running.

4) Get out of the truck. This triggers the dome light, and sets the remote

starter up.

5) Close the doors, and poke any button on the remote starter. The truck

will shut off and the starter is armed.

6) You can then lock the truck with the remote starter, if you haven't

already.

7) To engage the automatic starting feature (it'll run the truck every 2

hours for 5 minutes), hold the start button down until the park lights go

out (approx 5 seconds). Then release the start button. The lights will

flash three times, and you're all set. This feature will start the truck 12

times, then disarm. If you want to turn this feature off, you need to start

the truck and shut it down from the remote (or get into the truck).



If the door to the truck is opened (ie: dome light comes on), the remote

starer disarms itself, so if you forget something in the truck, you'll have

to got through the arming sequence again. When the truck is started, if you

push the brake or release the parking brake before turning the key on, the

truck will shut off.



To start the truck, just poke the start button. It'll power everything up,

same as a regular start, wait for the Wait to Start light to go out, and

then crank the engine over (6, 8, or 12 seconds, your choice at setup), or

until it starts, whichever is first. It'll try to start the truck either 1,

2, or 3 times, which is programmed at install time. And the truck will run

for either 10, 15, or 25 minutes, also programmed at install time, and then

shut itself down. If you want heat, you have to remember to turn on the

heater yourself, and if you have a high idler, you'll need to crank it on as

well.



You can get a module to bypass the factory security. What else can I say

about it? The buttons on the remote have a bit of a delay to prevent the

buttons from being accidentally pressed. I think thats about it. Let me

know if you have any more questions...



Rod"



The quotes enclose his whole message... . seems that I remembered more about what he said than I thought I did When he's saying positive ground in the above message I'm pretty sure he means that it's switched ground as opposed to switched power...



Rod's out of Saskatchewan so he should know something about the cold - I dunno if he's a reseller for Autostart or not-he is a distributor for Edge stuff up there as well as some other stuff-maybe Isspro? Good guy-my BOMBs have come through him... .



Any other questions lemme know and I'll drop him a line-or put you in touch with him.



Jason

 

[Newf Limo]

Thanks Jason!