so last year I had a remote started installe don my F350. its a DEI unit that has worked great. after I got it installed there were a few things I didnt like and was going to ask about the Ford setup but just said forget it. thinking about it again...

With the DEI setup

Uses a new remote
does NOT engage the factory alarm/horn noise
my interior lights stay on when I lock the truck till they go off on their own
my interior lights do NOT come on when unlocking the truck

I would rather have my stock remote plain and simple. my questions are

what are all the specs on the Ford unit? does it use my stock remote? do the parking lights come on when you start the truck?

 

I have the Ford remote start in my '05 and first I'll answer your questions.

Uses a new Ford factory remote that replaces your original one - has the extra button to start it and all the other normal keys to lock/unlock your doors, etc.

Interior lights stay on when you lock the truck and they turn on when you unlock the truck with it - same as original remote.

Parking lights come on when you start the truck.

Locks all the doors when you engage it. It acts like the key is in the engine if you engage it while truck running and pull out the key when you stop somewhere so you have to either a) push the lock down manually - power door locks won't stay locked, or b) lock it from the keypad on the outside of the door - this is what I do.

Here's the problem with the Ford remote starter. Because of the interface with the GEM module, the radio will stay on when the command start times out (after running fifteen minutes). This is more getting into the habit of always turning off the radio when you stop somewhere. I caught this the first day I had the new Ford remote and I called them about it - no solution to it and doesn't sound like they have any correction planned for it. Now I always turn my radio off when I get out - summer or winter. I use it to cool down the truck in the summer and heat it up in the winter. Sometimes I start it if am somewhere I can't plug it in during the day and just let it run for fifteen minutes mid-day so it will start.

Right now, we are at -34 C and -45 C with the wind chill. (In Farenheit, that is -29F and -49F with the wind chill). Remote start comes in handy, but I still need to plug it in if it sits for more than six hours in this weather.

The range on the Ford unit is limited if you are not in line of sight, but for the most part that is not a problem for me. It produces a short beep when you press and hold start button to let you know that it has received the signal - also lights come on if you can see your truck. If it can't start it and times out (doesn't turn it over very many times) then it will give you three short beeps to let you know. I find in weather like this if it isn't plugged in and sits it will time out upon trying to start it and I will just go out and put the key in to start it to save the battery. Always fires with about one or two extra cranks that the remote doesn't produce.

Not much else I can give you without having the manual in front of me - pretty basic unit with not a lot of extra options like the aftermarket models but it works fine for my purposes.

 

What model DEI do you have? Most are alarms and should have an alarm feature.

 

my radio also stays on after the truck shuts itself off...

I thought my interior lights went OFF when i locked it..maybe Im wrong..been a while?

 

its a Viper remote start...just the remote start so to get an alarm again I would have to upgrade and spend more $$. just thought if I could take it out and sell it then get the Ford one and have my horn back to say its locked and to have a little more security. cause right now if it was broken into nothing would happen and could be driven away as there is no PATS in SD's?

 

I have a 2005 F250 XL 5.7. No power door locks, alarm system, you know everything is manual. Will the Ford remote start work on my truck? I don't care if the doors are locked or not. All I want is remote start. Any thoughts? John

 

Firstly Ford doesn't make alarms/remote starts. I believe they are still using Codesystems/code alarm. Basically they sell you an aftermarket system with their label on it for a little extra charge.

John, yes you can have just a RS on your truck. If you don't have an automatic trans, the selection is more limited.

OP, at least on alarm systems (I am not sure about RS only), there are outputs to give you courtesy lights, Supervisory lights, factory alarm enable/disable. The installer probably wired the dome light for a slight delay after locking. As far as the remotes go, there are a lot of nice 2way fobs out now. If you must have a plain jane, then you can use any aftermarket, but take a look at the fancy ones, they don't add all that much to the cost.

 

I just want it to keep my factory alarm and lock notice (horn) intact.

the only thing my remote start is tied into is the ignition and the parking lights. the dome lights go off as they would when yo ujust close your door and dont lock the truck...like 30 or 45 sec or whatever.

not worried about cost...but why buy a whole alarm when I have one in the truck for free?

 

Because it is difficult to tie into the "alarm" system after the factory.

And you don't have an alarm system

You have lock confirmation. This is often confused with a factory alarm system.

Not sure how to interface with the GEM to turn off the light when you arm the truck.

 

Because the stock alarm is too simple of an intrusion system. All it works off of is the door switches. Aftermarket alarms add in at least an impact sensor, plus a siren. Ever watch how many people pay attention to a vehicle going off in a parking lot? Ever notice how no one bothers to look at just a horn alarm where one or two people look for the ever so annoying siren? Plus with the 2 way alarms, your fob will vibrate or beep or both, so if you are inside a building, you will still know if someone is tampering with your vehicle.

It is up to you how much protection you want. However, no one pays attention to alarms, let alone just a horn honking. A siren with an odd output that you are familiar with will help you discern if it's your alarm or another. The intrusion on the stock only gives you your doors, with a little sensitivity adjustment, the impact sensor can tell if your tailgate is dropped or slammed. Another plus is the extra visual deterrent, a single led flashing should suffice, but the more light the less your vehicle will appear as an easy target.

Does your RS do door locks? The door lock should be a neg pulse. You should be able to tap that pulse into the arm/disarm wires in the kick panel. You can easly wire it to work with the stock if it locks the doors.

 

Any one here have a wiring diagram for a viper 160 xv? I have one in my 2003 f350 6.0 and it does not power up, all fuses are good

 

umm...well when my doors are locked and the horn "beeped". if you open a door the horn and lights go off....thats no an "alarm"??

 

every alarm is simple...a horn..a siren..like you said..no one cares. I know I can spend $500 and have a piece of mind but I dont really care about that. I want reassurance my doors are locked and they are all closed. the interior lights are NOT tied into the RS so even when all the doors are closed and I lock it they stay on for the factory delay time which is 30-45 seocnds or whatever. I BELIEVE, correct me if Im wrong its been a while, with the factory setup the lights shut off when yo ulock it and the horn beeps. then yo uunlock it and the lights come on.

and negative on the vibration sensors. Im at the racetrack all year and have to listen to all of the *********s that have that. that thing would have to be turned so far up it would be useless.

the RS is now also my door lock function too. but thats all it does is door locks.

 

On the shock sensor, my compustar system lets me disable the shock sensor by remote. There is a combo of buttons on the two way that can deactivate it.

I didn't see the info I wanted, but since your RS does lock, if it's wired in the VSM. When you lock it, the VSM sees the command as coming from a door lock. Perhaps someone with a better diagram could see a way to wire it to the VSM so it believes the factory remote sent the ground pulse.

 

Got me there. Sure sounds like an alarm. I guess the started putting in a perimiter alarm at some point. I hadn't seen that. When I was selling them , very few cars had them and a lot of people thought because the horn honked the alarm was "armed".