Remote Start?
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 345
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
There are urban legends floating around about remote starters in manual transmission cars doing terrible things. If you have a properly adjusted parking brake and use it all the time then a remote starter won't cause the car to run into walls, chase people across parking lots, cause birth defects, or vote republican.
Modern remote starters have circuitry to make them give up attempting to start the engine if it doesn't reach normal idle speed within a couple of seconds. This is to prevent burning out the starter motor but it also prevents a car from continually running the starter while the car is in gear. If the parking brake is on, the car will rock a little but not go anywhere before the remote starter gives up.
If you don't belive that, try this experiment... put the car in 1st with the engine running and the parking brake fully engaged, then let up the clutch without giving it any gas. The engine will stall. If the V8 engine can't move the car against the parking brake, the puny starter motor doesn't stand a chance.
I have had remote starters in many manual cars and I have forgotten to leave them in neutral several times but I use the parking brake every time I park. Not one of them has ever moved an inch when I mistakenly tried the remote starter.
Modern remote starters have circuitry to make them give up attempting to start the engine if it doesn't reach normal idle speed within a couple of seconds. This is to prevent burning out the starter motor but it also prevents a car from continually running the starter while the car is in gear. If the parking brake is on, the car will rock a little but not go anywhere before the remote starter gives up.
If you don't belive that, try this experiment... put the car in 1st with the engine running and the parking brake fully engaged, then let up the clutch without giving it any gas. The engine will stall. If the V8 engine can't move the car against the parking brake, the puny starter motor doesn't stand a chance.
I have had remote starters in many manual cars and I have forgotten to leave them in neutral several times but I use the parking brake every time I park. Not one of them has ever moved an inch when I mistakenly tried the remote starter.
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Clifford makes all of their remote starts these days "manual transmission safe". I install these and they work just fine, and there's no way (unless you're sitting in the car) to start it with the car in gear. I've got one on my CTS-V right now.
1. Pull to a parking spot, foot on brake
2. Press or pull e-brake
3. Release footbrake
4. Press 1 button on remote. At this time, the alarm takes control of the ignition, and parking lights come on
5. Turn key off, remove key, get out of car. Here, the car is still running, and you're standing next to it.
6. Press 1 button on the remote. Alarm is armed, doors are locked, and remote start is "primed" to be used for the next time you come back to it.
If the door is opened or the alarm is triggered, the car will not remote start.
If you disarm it, then re-arm it, the car will not remote start.
That sounds like a lot, but it's safe and allows you to have a remote start on a manual transmission'd car, and know that you won't see it drive across the parking lot without you.
Most of the Clifford alarms come standard with keyless, parking light flash, hood/trunk/door trigger, 3 aux functions including trunk release, starter kill (which qualifies for an insurance discount), and a few other features. Most remotes work from 2000' and up. The 50.7X, which is what I have, comes with an LCD 2-way remote that works from 1 mile away.
1. Pull to a parking spot, foot on brake
2. Press or pull e-brake
3. Release footbrake
4. Press 1 button on remote. At this time, the alarm takes control of the ignition, and parking lights come on
5. Turn key off, remove key, get out of car. Here, the car is still running, and you're standing next to it.
6. Press 1 button on the remote. Alarm is armed, doors are locked, and remote start is "primed" to be used for the next time you come back to it.
If the door is opened or the alarm is triggered, the car will not remote start.
If you disarm it, then re-arm it, the car will not remote start.
That sounds like a lot, but it's safe and allows you to have a remote start on a manual transmission'd car, and know that you won't see it drive across the parking lot without you.
Most of the Clifford alarms come standard with keyless, parking light flash, hood/trunk/door trigger, 3 aux functions including trunk release, starter kill (which qualifies for an insurance discount), and a few other features. Most remotes work from 2000' and up. The 50.7X, which is what I have, comes with an LCD 2-way remote that works from 1 mile away.
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