No one in town will install a remote start on a manual trans.... I have seen a couple posts here in there about some that have done this and wanted to know a little more about it. Like how hard is it to wire up the remote start and do you always have to leave the car in neutral? Any help I can get on this would be great!
Remote Start....on a 5 speed
- Thread starter SilverBullet00
- Start date
-
Sponsors (?)
As far as I know, it's technically illegal to do.
A guy I know installed one on his 5-speed truck. You have to remember to leave it in neutral. His truck hit 2 buildings before he removed the kit for fear of hurting someone. One of the times, the thing picked up an errant code or something.
A guy I know installed one on his 5-speed truck. You have to remember to leave it in neutral. His truck hit 2 buildings before he removed the kit for fear of hurting someone. One of the times, the thing picked up an errant code or something.
yeah its illegal thats why they won't do it...My buddy put one on his 91gt and left it in 1st and tried to start it...it jumped over the concrete parking stop and hit a wall...when the remote start shuts off it automatically restarts itself (thinks it stalled) so his car jumper 2 more times...it was funny!
geoffsgt
Member
I got mine about 2 years ago. Ordered my kit for the 5-speed, it gets in a few days later, the shop calls Clifford, Clifford says "We don't support this kit on a manual transmission anymore." So to my knowledge, mine was one of the last legally installed by a shop, in New Orleans at least.
I don't understand it though. If it's installed correctly, as the kit is designed, it's practically foolproof. Installed properly, to remote start it, before you turn off your car, you pull up the e-brake, put it in neutral, and press a button. The headlights flash twice, you turn the key off, and the car stays running. You get out, close the door, and arm the alarm. The doors lock and the car shuts down. This way it is impossible to attempt to start the car without it being in neutral. Press a button to start it, unlock it, and get it. If you hit the brake pedal, or take off the e-brake, without putting in the key, the car shuts down.
The only way you could possibly start it in gear is by climbing in through a window or your trunk or something, without setting off the impact sensors on the alarm, putting it in gear, and climbing back out. Not exactly something you can do on accident.
Talking with the shop owner, he says the reason Clifford gave him for discontinuing the product was that people were asking their installers to bypass this safety. They were too lazy to go through the simple steps to "arm" it. Accidents happened, and they tried to sue Clifford. So if you have a friend who doesn't have to do all that for his remote start to work, you can probably thank him and his local shop for ruining it for everyone else.
Example of an accident Clifford got sued on:
Guy got pulled over by the police on the highway, and arrested. He put the tranny in gear, because he wouldn't be remote starting it any time soon, and it's safer that way... well the police officer gets the keys to make sure the car is locked. He hits the wrong button, the car jumps out into traffic, and there's a wreck.
I don't understand it though. If it's installed correctly, as the kit is designed, it's practically foolproof. Installed properly, to remote start it, before you turn off your car, you pull up the e-brake, put it in neutral, and press a button. The headlights flash twice, you turn the key off, and the car stays running. You get out, close the door, and arm the alarm. The doors lock and the car shuts down. This way it is impossible to attempt to start the car without it being in neutral. Press a button to start it, unlock it, and get it. If you hit the brake pedal, or take off the e-brake, without putting in the key, the car shuts down.
The only way you could possibly start it in gear is by climbing in through a window or your trunk or something, without setting off the impact sensors on the alarm, putting it in gear, and climbing back out. Not exactly something you can do on accident.
Talking with the shop owner, he says the reason Clifford gave him for discontinuing the product was that people were asking their installers to bypass this safety. They were too lazy to go through the simple steps to "arm" it. Accidents happened, and they tried to sue Clifford. So if you have a friend who doesn't have to do all that for his remote start to work, you can probably thank him and his local shop for ruining it for everyone else.
Example of an accident Clifford got sued on:
Guy got pulled over by the police on the highway, and arrested. He put the tranny in gear, because he wouldn't be remote starting it any time soon, and it's safer that way... well the police officer gets the keys to make sure the car is locked. He hits the wrong button, the car jumps out into traffic, and there's a wreck.
02FastblackGT
New Member
blackfang
Founding Member
I would never use a remote start. One thing many people never realize is that it can actually start at anytime without you activating it. I have seen atleast 4 cars in my service bays either up in the air with no oil in them or with a Technicians hands in the motor making repairs and the vehicles have started. Sorry not for me.
If you've got a T-5 with this pigtail on the front of it:
You can use that pigtail to operate a safety relay to keep the car from starting in gear. On Fox Mustangs, this pigtail serves no purpose other than to enable KOER testing. I've got no idea if it serves a function on you guy's cars.
It's a trasmission neutral safety switch. I do not remember off the top of my head whether it was normally open or normally closed. At any rate... with this switch wired up correctly, the car starter will not function with the car in any gear.
You can use that pigtail to operate a safety relay to keep the car from starting in gear. On Fox Mustangs, this pigtail serves no purpose other than to enable KOER testing. I've got no idea if it serves a function on you guy's cars.
It's a trasmission neutral safety switch. I do not remember off the top of my head whether it was normally open or normally closed. At any rate... with this switch wired up correctly, the car starter will not function with the car in any gear.
Attachments
Mach1Run
New Member
Don't most people leave their car in neutral with the e-brake pulled anyways??
No way, if the ebrake fails then the car is free to move. I always leave it in first on flat surfaces or nose uphill and put it in reverse if nose downhill. Then set the brake.
i always leave mine in neutral and e brake on. however, it does seem safer to leave it in gear. i just could never get into the habit of doing it. when i did, id forget.
then i got scared of the car jumping if i forgot, so i stoped. i think i should just force myself into the habit of leaving it on again.
then i got scared of the car jumping if i forgot, so i stoped. i think i should just force myself into the habit of leaving it on again.
forum155pl
New Member
ive had my compustar for over 3 years now and it hasnt caused me any problems, when its in gear it just beeps on my keys and i have to manualy start it. i love it
Don't most people leave their car in neutral with the e-brake pulled anyways??
Leave it parked in Nuetral??? Not where i live. There are hills everywhere!! I'd be crazy to do that! I don't understand how guys say they forget its in gear when they start the car. Your hand is on the shifter isn't it? You can't wiggle in nuetral before letting the clutch up?? I've never jumped the car ever. When you get into a habit of parking in gear, you remember to take it out of gear
There are remote starts designed specificaly for a 5-spd. They have safteys built in. The typical 5-spd remote start works like this.
You get where you want to go for the end of the night and park with your car in nuetral and your e-brake yanked up with the engine running. The system is tied to the e-brake so if it's not engaged you can't complete the next step. Next, you hit a switch to activate the remote start setup. Then you remove your key from the ignition and the car will continue to run. This is to prevent someone from putting it in gear because if the clutch or brake pedal is hit it will deactivate the system. You exit the car and close the door. Once the door is shut, the engine will shut off and the system is armed. If the door is opened at all, the system disarms.
The only way to really defeat this setup is to leave a window down and put it into gear when it's off. Other than that you should be fine. I personally would chock the wheels though if i were to leave my car in nuetral overnight. Only takes a second to pull them out and put them in a bush and no need to worry about the car rolling
I have had the compustar for manual transmission for over a year and have had no problems either. In order for it to "set", you have to go through kind of a procedure, in order. Pull into wherever you are parking, the car must be in gear (in other words you can't just roll into the spot in neutral). Apply the clutch and foot brake and take it out of gear. While you still have the foot brake on, apply the emergency brake and remove your feet from the clutch and foot brake. Remove the key (the car will stay running) and you have about 1 minute to exit the car and close the door. The car will turn off and lock itself. If you take too long getting out of the car, it will turn off and not set the remote starter. If you open the doors at any time between exiting it and remote starting it, it will unset the remote starter. if you take off the emergency brake or put it in gear any time between it will unset. These are all safety features built into the compustar unit to prevent accidental starts. It sounds like a pita setting it, but after the first few times you go through it, it just becomes habit...
This is not a part I would have ever chosen to put on the car, it was an unexpected gift, but I have to tell you, it's great on cold mornings, and it's a nice way to warm up the car without worrying about it being stolen - it stays locked when you start it until you hit the unlock button on the remote.
Plus with a loud exhaust, it's kinda funny if you are at a store or somewhere and someone is near your unnoccupied car and it suddenly starts - I ran into a fast food place one day, and the circus was in town, and they were doing some sort of promotion there, and there were some older teenagers dressed as clowns getting ready to go inside, right next to my car... and the one kid about had a heart attack... It was funnier than it sounds... I didn't do i on purpose... but it was pretty funny...
sorry so long.
sicK96GT
New Member
i have had remote start on my mustang for a little under a year. If I leave my car in gear when stepping out (on a slope etc) my keys beep and will not let me start the car until its out of gear.
clifford alarm, I say do some looking around and find an alarm system like this if your worried about it.
clifford alarm, I say do some looking around and find an alarm system like this if your worried about it.
SaleenGT2001
Well-Known Member
i always leave mine in neutral, but then again my car isnt driven but about once a month so its not really a big deal.
you can wire up ANY remote start to a manual trans. most just wont have a neutral saftey feature but they will still start the car. you just have to be careful
you can wire up ANY remote start to a manual trans. most just wont have a neutral saftey feature but they will still start the car. you just have to be careful
topless98gt
Adhesive Feces
Yes, there is. When I get some time, I'll sketch up something to describe how it works.
well I talked to a reputable shop here in town and they said they would install a viper 5900 alarm w/ remote start but he would install the remote start...HOWEVER he would order me the manual module and the bypass sensor so I could install it myself. Is remote start really worth the extra 200 bucks???
topless98gt
Adhesive Feces
If you have the $200, then yes, especially with the Viper 5900...I think you'll enjoy the 1 mile range on that puppy!
stangman16
Active Member
True that! I leave mine in 2nd everytime, and that's where my hand goes when I go to fire it up after putting it in neutral.Similar threads
