© 2005 Directed Electronics, Inc.
4
Trouble Shooting v4-1
Vehicle only remote
starts if I flip the toggle
switch off and back on
This condition is perfectly normal. This is a safety feature designed to prevent unauthorized starting. If
you have forgotten to flip the switch off and back on, you can still remote start the vehicle. Just hold the
start button down for 6 to 10 seconds instead of the usual 1 second. If you do not like this safety feature, it
can be permanently bypassed by programming option 7, explained under "Setting Programming Features"
or a similar section within the installation instructions.
The car turns off when
the brake is pressed- but
as soon as I release the
brake the vehicle starts
again
The remote input wire available on some units (usually a red/white) may be connected to ground. The
remote input wire should be taped up if not being used so that it does not touch ground.
The lights flash (and
maybe even the horn)
when I step on the brake.
The alarm has been armed and triggered – even if you did not hook it up. If the alarm features are not
being used, you must ground the ‘alarm trigger’ wire permanently, or set option 24 if available.
The unit tries 2 or 3
times before getting the
vehicle up and running
Program extended crank, or use tach mode.
Some General Comments:
•
For Your Safety, never install an automatic unit into a manual transmission (stick-shift) vehicle! Serious
property damage or personal injury including death may occur! Instead, use one of our special manual
transmission units, which will operate safely in a manual transmission vehicle.
•
When testing wires use only a digital multimeter, unless otherwise instructed. A test light (especially the
kind with a real light bulb) can severely damage electrical components in modern vehicles if used
improperly. Also, “computer safe” LED type test lights - with a red and/or green LED- are NOT airbag
safe! NEVER test ANY wire within an airbag system harness.
•
Always roll down at least one window in the vehicle before beginning work. This will prevent you from being
accidentally locked out of the vehicle.
•
It’s okay to have a battery charger on the battery while you are working on the vehicle, but the car starter will
not function correctly with the charger attached.
•
Specific vehicle information is available directly from www.designtech-intl.com. If you have trouble with the
colors in the wiring guide "matching up" then you may be in the wrong harness. You can make sure you are in
the correct harness by unplugging the wires. For example: With the ignition switch, if you unplug it and then
the vehicle no longer cranks, the blower and radio do not work, and the vehicle is for all purposes "dead" with
the key- then you have found the “ignition switch harness.” (Otherwise, you will need to continue searching...)
The same technique can be used for the brake, lights, horn, etc. Once you are sure you are in the correct
harness, if the wire colors still fail to match up then you will have to test the wires using a digital multimeter. It
is always best to verify any wire before connecting to it.
•
Most of the common questions that people ask are actually answered within the installation manual. Make sure
you have thoroughly reviewed it before calling for technical support. We recommend going through the
installation manual with two different colored markers. Read through each step and check it off after you have
read it. Use the second marker to make a check when you have completed the step in the vehicle. This will help
to make sure you have completed all steps, and that you have not missed any features the unit offers.
