does any body have remote start on thier truck? i am thinking of getting one. Any reccomendations as far as model or company?

 

Ah the smart truck that starts up on its own by remote control....simple concept, but its a bad idea concept dued to several factors that you can't get aroundon, but in time, the problem would become apparent. Lets dream up a situation that could happen. Lets say you brought your Alarm system from a known company that specialies include the remote starting option. You have it installed, and the next day is really cold, snow and ice covers everything...ok lets start it up, from the previous night, after you got in from work, you left the heater switch on and its also on the defrost setting. Its so cold outside that even the rubber on the seals are keeping the doors close (frozen locks can be remotely unlock with this system. You waiting for the ice to melt off the windshield and around the side glass area. The engine from yesterday while you were driving ran good, so it should start up fine....but you didn't know about that cat that got under the hood through the bottom and up it went into the rad engine cowl. Now the can is sitting halfway in the belt area and through where the fan is. Engine is warn enough to keep any animal happy for a little while. So you go an start it up through the window and go have another fresh cup of coffee. Meanwhile, the cat is going round an round clawing everything that it can get its four paws on to save itself (its already used up 8 of its lives...last one coming in for a smack in the face..) and the cat lodges in between the alt belt and crankshaft pully. Stops the engine and you go out side to try to restart it again...hummm its not fun pulling a dead cat out of the engine with snow and ice already on the hood (you have to clean it off to see why it won't run..pop the hood, and is suprose of all that blood an hair everywhere..what a mess....guess you get the picture and just to let you know...its not even my cat.

 

does it get that cold over there that you have to remote start your car from inside the house, is it that cold you will freeze inside the cab while waiting for the heater to warm you up. Mate, that is some serious weather. God bless Australia. Lol.

Chris

BTW it's a lazy 42 celsius today, what's that in farenheit.

 

what's that in fahrenheit? About 107... I understand it in celsius... and I'd rather deal with the negative version of that number.

Heh, no need to worry about random small animals crawling under the hood here... If they're outside when it's cold enough that I use my remote starter, they're already frozen solid... LOL

 

I can't see California being cold enough to warrant a remote starter for anything, even in the northern half. I live in Winnipeg(aka Winterpeg) It hit -65 celsius here several days in a row last winter.(with the windchill it felt like...coldest without was -42C, add the wind) It was cold enough to have my block heater cord snap when I picked it up, hadn't even tried unplugging it yet. As for animals in the fan belt, they don't lodge...they don't claw, they just scatter....yup it's a mess, but it won't really hurt anything but the cat(or whatever other animal might crawl in there), and likely they won't be there by the time you start it again anyways, unless the engine is still warm. Cold steel is tough to stay warm on once the engine heat is gone.

As for remote starters(back to the thread) I have a remote starter... I'm the poor ******* who has to go start the truck in the remote area of the parking lot! Personally, I think they're a great idea, but I've seen them flood a truck/car because the person simplye pointed and pushed the button, and assumed the vehical had started. If it doesn't start the first time, it will try again in a few seconds, dumping more fuel into the cylinders. With fuel injected vehicals, this is a huge problem, as the only way to get them started easily is to change the plugs, and try again, and then change the oil as soon as possible afterwards. Most vehicals offer a way to cut the fuel flow off by starting them manually, if they flood, but if you're just trying from your front window, you'll only make things worse.

 

Had the EFI flooding thing happen to my grandpa's windstar. He shut it off, and i went to move it, i dunno if he was sitting there hitting the gas or somthing before/during shutting it off, so i went to start it, it chugged, and died, tried to crank it agian, just sputtered and died, then i could smell the smell of fresh gas. Our neighbor came over (who's owned a few ford's in his life) and said, somtimes it happens, and he knows how to fix it, so i let him in and he starts it right up. He said he just floored it, Full throttle, then cranked it. and it started right up. Dont ask me how, dont ask me why, but it worked.

But on the remote start subject, i'm gonig to buy one for my F150, allready have one on the ranger and i like it alot this is where i got the one for the ranger www.commandoalarms.com

 

Thanks for the good stories, I know it doesn't get vary cold in northern California but it would be nice to have early mornings when i have to go to school and are short on time or just to impress my friends. i was complaining when it got into the 30's on night. ha ha. I looked at www.commandoalarms.com and was wondering, since i dont have power door locks and dont really want all the other fancy stuff can i bypass all that and just hook up the remote start? I'm still a little un sure how a F.I. motor floods?

 

Yes, you can get a remote starter and just not use the key lock function. All it is is less wires to hook up. I went and bought the power locks for my ranger, and just put them in, and wired them up to the remote start. So i have no visible power locks from the interior, no buttons or anything, but they are really nice, because, 1) you can unlock your car from the outside with your remote, 2)you can set them so your car automatically locks when you start it, and unlocks when you shut it off 3) mine are hooked up so when you lock/unlock one door, it automatically does it to the other door. So when you first get to the car, and are not using your remote, and your passenger is waiting for you to unlock them, when you unlock your door, theirs will automatically unlock. Its kind of a cool feature. I like it, i wish other cars had it. So you dont have to reach across to the other side of your truck and open it every single time you drive somewhere. and likewise, if you want to lock up your truck, you dont have to walk around to the other side to lock it.