Remote Starter kit for 02 Forester?

[Mike]

Anyone added a remote starter to a Forester? I have seen some kits
advertised on jcwhitney.com but I have no idea if any of these would
work on my forester.

 

[TG]

I used the Bulldog unit available at Walmart for $42.88----if you have a
transponder key you will also have to order the kit for that at about $19. I
also suggest Bulldogs "T" harness. TG

 

[Mike]

I forgot to mention that I have a manual transmission - I have seen
some mention that its illegal to install a remote starter on a manual
trans in some states. (I am in WA state)

 

[WRXtreme]

I would have to recommend Compustar, Avital or Crimestopper in regards to
good remote starters. Bulldog is JUNK, Autocommand is Ok, Viper/DEI stuff
is good, Astrostart is very good but harder to install. I have been
installing remote starters for over 10 years and this is just my opinion of
what I like, others may disagree with me, that's fine. Just make sure you
get a unit that is designed for manual transmission, otherwise there will be
liability issues should it accidentally start in gear.

Here is a list of which wires may need to be tapped for the starter to work,
as always test all wires before making final connections, having said that,
I remove myself from all liability for improper installation of this device.



Function
Vehicle Color Location
============================================================================
===============
Start Wire: (Power while cranking ONLY)
White/Black Ignition Switch Harness
Ignition #1: (Power while cranking & when in ON position)
Yellow Ignition Switch Harness
Ignition #2: (Same as Ignition #1)
Green/Orange Igntion Switch Harness
Accessory: (Power when in on position, NOT while cranking) Green
Ignition Switch Harness
Brake Wire+12 Volts when brake pedal depressed)
White/Black Switch Above Brake Pedal
Tach Signal: (AC Pulsed output when motor is running)
Blue 3 Pin Plug at Ignition Coil
Parking Lights: (+12 Volts when parking lights are on)
Purple 10 Pin White Conn in Drivers
Kick Panel
Constant +12 Volts:
White Ignition Switch Harness
OEM Horn (-12 Volts when horn depressed)
Yellow Blue 28 Pin Conn. Abover
Steering Column
Power Lock (-12 Volt Signal when Lock button depressed)
Red/White In 10 pin Connector in drivers
kick panel
Power Unlock (-12 Volt Signal when Unlock button depressed)
Yellow/Red In 10 pin Connector in drivers
kick panel

I am not sure what color the clutch bypass wires are, but they will be on a
switch above the clutch pedal. You will probably also have to have the
parking brake wire hooked up as a bypass, again I am not sure of the color,
but there should be a single wire coming from the parking brake handle that
while go from an "open" condition to a -12 Volt (grounded) condition when
the parking brake has been applied. Another thing to consider is if the
vehicle has a factory alarm system, in which case the -12volt "OEM Alarm
Disarm" output from the remote starter can be used to trigger the UNLOCK
wire thereby temporarily bypassing the alarm and allowing the vehicle to
remote start, the remote starter will then automatically relock the doors
(assuming you have that function programmed to do so, read your instruction
manual for further information).

Feel free to contact me in this NG if you have any questions regarding the
installation or any other remote start applications, I will be happy to try
and assist

 

[TG]

I live in Montana and have no idea what is legal in your state. However if a
remote starter was illegal here I would have one anyway. TG

 

[TG]

OK, my $42.88 Bulldog is "junk" I don't want to argue but why is it junk?
Works great and was easy to install plus had the features I wanted (it
remotely starts the car) for a great price. Been working for 2 years...WHY
is it junk? TG

 

[WRXtreme]

I have attempted to install several of these (admittedly over 3 years ago so
things may have changed) and had major problems with range of operation, and
overall quality (I had to return it 3 times before I finally got one that
worked, all the others were dead on arrival.) The one I did put in that
worked has worked for three years (with about 150 foot range of operation),
so maybe I just had bad luck, but I know of several other shops in ND that
won't touch them with a ten foot pole due to the headaches that they have
had with these. Like I said before, just my opinion based on my
experiences. Others out there hate Crimestopper, some dislike Avital,
Me...well I don't like Bulldog or Astrostart (astro is just a pain to
install IMHO)

For a novice to install a remote starter Autocommand (Designtech) and
Compustar may be the route to go (for manual transmissions, I would
recommend Crimestopper for ease of installation in an auto transmission.)

Autocommand is the only one I know of that has online tech support for free
(ok, you have to "register as a dealer" at www.designtech-intl.com, but you
don't have to order anything from them to get access to the wiring guides)

I wasn't trying to pick a fight with you TG (actually if I had read your
post before I submitted my reply to the original, I wouldn't have called it
junk, just would have put it on my not preferred list or something.) The
electronics industry is just like the car industry, you will find people
that like all sorts of different makes and models, me I don't like Chevy,
had bad luck with every Chevy vehicle I have ever owned (3 new ones, 2 used
ones), however Chevy must have some fans out there, they are still in
business. And don't get me started on the Dodge Neon....LOL (2 motors, 1
transmission, 2 ECU's, 13 O2 sensors, 1 crank position sensor 2 nights
stranded along the side of the Highway (2000 miles and 19000 miles on
odometer) in the middle of North Dakota in the winter and 1000 CEL's in less
than 36,000 miles)

CAS

 

[Mark]

Anyone added a remote starter to a Forester? I have seen some kits
advertised on jcwhitney.com but I have no idea if any of these would
work on my forester.

I have another suggestion. The purpose of a car starter is to warm the
car up so when you get in it in the winter, it's nice and warm and
ready to drive. The problem I have is idling a car for long periods is
not good for it.

I used to own two Dodge trucks and the last house I owned only had a 1
car garage that was to small for the trucks. So I installed a engine
heater. It's a little device that installs into the engine block and
warms the radiator fluid (and also the oil in the pan) around the
block. At night I would plug it into the electrical outlet in the
garage. In the morning I would get into the truck and within 2
minutes it was toasty warm. They are easy to install (I did it
myself) and the cost was about ~$50 - $75ish for the device.

I believe this device is better cause it keeps the engine oil warm so
on startup it does not starve the upper valves for oil. A remote
engine starter does not do anything to fight the cold effects of the
engine starting on a cold winter day. Plus, you can add a battery
blanket (wraps around the battery) to keep it nice and warm.

I'm sure someone will say "A remote starter also helps defrost the
windows". Well, What I did was buy a bottle of spray defrost
antifreeze and sprayed it on the windows (when I got home as well as
the morning) and that took care of that problem. The engine heater
allowed the engine to remain warm all night and took no time for the
defroster to do it's magic in the morning.

Hope this helps!

 

[WRXtreme]

A remote engine starter does not do anything to fight the cold effects of
the

engine starting on a cold winter day

Not necessarily true, they can be set to start when engine temperatures drop
below a certain point, some can also be programmed to start your vehicle
every 1, 2, 3, or 4 hours and run the motor for 5 minutes (depends on model
of starter) to help keep the motor warm and battery charged. I agree that
idling for long periods of time can be hard on your motor, but 3-5 minutes
isn't that bad on them. I run my company van (Gasoline Chevy Astro Van) for
8 hours straight during the coldest days of winter and we get over 120,000
miles on them with no problems...and this is Chevy (see previous post about
my hatred/bad luck with Chevy)

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
You can even program how long the idle is going to be if you remote
start and don't drive it away. Also it is quite standard, it'll try
total 3 times to start the engine if it does not start on first try.
Quite handy option to have in cold weather. I live in Alberta where
winter can be VEeeee...ry cold indeed.
Anyhow I park inside garage at home and at work. But when out shopping
or car is left outside long hours during the day or night, what a
convenience. Useful in summer too to cool inside the car before you
drive away.
Tony

 

[Mark]

Hello.... 90% of engine wear occures during startup and the first
minute. So, everytime you start your car during winter places a lot
of friction on the engine. I would NEVER recommend starting a car
every few hours in winter time to keep it warm. Anyway, what's wrong
with getting into a hot car in summer or a cold car in winter? I've
done it thousands of times. I think using a remote starter to *only*
warm up the car in the winter or cool it down in the summer is the
sign of a lazy driver (sorry, don't mean to be that harsh. But you
get the gist of what I'm saying).

So, if your reason for a remote starter is to make the car comfortable
for you so you never sweat in summer or get a chill in winter, then I
guess a remote starter is the way to go. This is why they make them,
to pamper the driver by place more stress on the car.

However, if you want your car to last a long time and don't want to
abuse the engine, then a block heater/battery blanket is the way to
go. The only draw back to this method is if you park in an area that
does not have an electrical outlet (mall parking lot, work, apartment
complex).

I have flown a lot of airplanes in winter and can tell you that the
stress of starting a cold engine in winter is bad. In fact, if the
temp is below 20degrees, we always pre-heat the engine with a kerosene
heater and duct work into the engine compartment. Why? Because oil
starvation on a cold day will take many hours (miles in car terms) off
the life span on an engine.

I would like to hear the opinion from our friends in Canada or Alaska.
Which would you use?

 

[Bobby]

Hello.... 90% of engine wear occures during startup and the first
minute. So, everytime you start your car during winter places a lot
of friction on the engine. I would NEVER recommend starting a car
every few hours in winter time to keep it warm. Anyway, what's wrong
with getting into a hot car in summer or a cold car in winter? I've
done it thousands of times. I think using a remote starter to *only*
warm up the car in the winter or cool it down in the summer is the
sign of a lazy driver (sorry, don't mean to be that harsh. But you
get the gist of what I'm saying).

So, if your reason for a remote starter is to make the car comfortable
for you so you never sweat in summer or get a chill in winter, then I
guess a remote starter is the way to go. This is why they make them,
to pamper the driver by place more stress on the car.

However, if you want your car to last a long time and don't want to
abuse the engine, then a block heater/battery blanket is the way to
go. The only draw back to this method is if you park in an area that
does not have an electrical outlet (mall parking lot, work, apartment
complex).

I have flown a lot of airplanes in winter and can tell you that the
stress of starting a cold engine in winter is bad. In fact, if the
temp is below 20degrees, we always pre-heat the engine with a kerosene
heater and duct work into the engine compartment. Why? Because oil
starvation on a cold day will take many hours (miles in car terms) off
the life span on an engine.

I would like to hear the opinion from our friends in Canada or Alaska.
Which would you use?

Get a block heater and battery warmer if your going to be able to use it (if
there are places to plug in where your car will be parked most of the time).
Remote starters are completely up to the driver, but I'd never use it to cut
on/off to keep my car from freezing.

I recently moved up to Anchorage and while I know plenty of people who have
a remote starter, almost all of them have block heaters too. I've decided
to go with neither. I rarely see a working electrical outlet at work and I
have a heated garage.

 

[Fuzzy Logic]

(e-mail address removed) (Mark) wrote in @posting.google.com:

Hello.... 90% of engine wear occures during startup and the first
minute. So, everytime you start your car during winter places a lot
of friction on the engine. I would NEVER recommend starting a car
every few hours in winter time to keep it warm. Anyway, what's wrong
with getting into a hot car in summer or a cold car in winter? I've
done it thousands of times. I think using a remote starter to *only*
warm up the car in the winter or cool it down in the summer is the
sign of a lazy driver (sorry, don't mean to be that harsh. But you
get the gist of what I'm saying).

So, if your reason for a remote starter is to make the car comfortable
for you so you never sweat in summer or get a chill in winter, then I
guess a remote starter is the way to go. This is why they make them,
to pamper the driver by place more stress on the car.

However, if you want your car to last a long time and don't want to
abuse the engine, then a block heater/battery blanket is the way to
go. The only draw back to this method is if you park in an area that
does not have an electrical outlet (mall parking lot, work, apartment
complex).

I have flown a lot of airplanes in winter and can tell you that the
stress of starting a cold engine in winter is bad. In fact, if the
temp is below 20degrees, we always pre-heat the engine with a kerosene
heater and duct work into the engine compartment. Why? Because oil
starvation on a cold day will take many hours (miles in car terms) off
the life span on an engine.

I would like to hear the opinion from our friends in Canada or Alaska.
Which would you use?

Block heaters are pretty standard in most of Canada. I typically plug in
the car if the temperature is going to drop below -20C.

A side note on remote starters. I was asking a lady at the gas station how
she liked her '02 Outback Sport. She said she loved it, 'when it starts'.
She has nothing but problems since installing a remote starter. I think
there can be serious issues on standard transmission vehicles.

 

[TG]

Remote starting a car and letting it run 2-4 minutes before you get in on a
cold MT winter morning places NO extra stress on the car.

"This is why they make them,
to pamper the driver by place more stress on the car."

 

[Todd H.]

Remote starting a car and letting it run 2-4 minutes before you get in on a
cold MT winter morning places NO extra stress on the car.

"This is why they make them,
to pamper the driver by place more stress on the car."

TG, I see you have a pattern of unsubstantiated negative responses to
things some people say on this group.

Would you care to enlighten us with the wisdom and reasoning behind
these ejaculations, or should we just write you off as a jaggoff?

Best Regards,

 

[WRXtreme]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark" <(e-mail address removed)>
Newsgroups: alt.autos.subaru
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 8:53 AM
Subject: Re: Remote Starter kit for 02 Forester?

Hello.... 90% of engine wear occures during startup and the first
minute. So, everytime you start your car during winter places a lot
of friction on the engine. I would NEVER recommend starting a car
every few hours in winter time to keep it warm. Anyway, what's wrong
with getting into a hot car in summer or a cold car in winter?

Nothing, unless you have bad arthritis/joint pain/back pain, a small child
that will be riding with you, or a cold or other illness.

I've

done it thousands of times. I think using a remote starter to *only*
warm up the car in the winter or cool it down in the summer is the
sign of a lazy driver (sorry, don't mean to be that harsh. But you
get the gist of what I'm saying).

So, if your reason for a remote starter is to make the car comfortable
for you so you never sweat in summer or get a chill in winter, then I
guess a remote starter is the way to go. This is why they make them,
to pamper the driver by place more stress on the car.

However, if you want your car to last a long time and don't want to
abuse the engine, then a block heater/battery blanket is the way to
go. The only draw back to this method is if you park in an area that
does not have an electrical outlet (mall parking lot, work, apartment
complex).

I have flown a lot of airplanes in winter and can tell you that the
stress of starting a cold engine in winter is bad. In fact, if the
temp is below 20degrees, we always pre-heat the engine with a kerosene
heater and duct work into the engine compartment. Why? Because oil
starvation on a cold day will take many hours (miles in car terms) off
the life span on an engine.

I would like to hear the opinion from our friends in Canada or Alaska.
Which would you use?

How about an opinion from North Dakota? I have a block heater as well as a
remote starter. I personally do not use the preprogrammed start (every hour
or 2 or 3...etc..) unless it is VERY cold (-50 degrees Farrenheit or colder)
and I will be away from my car for a day or so. I do however use it to
warm/defrost my cars for about 3-4 minutes as I am getting ready to leave
the house. I have had 7 cars in the past 10 years that have this feature on
them and have had ZERO problems getting them to 100,000 miles+ with no major
problems (My neon that I listed in an earlier post never had a remote start
on it just for the record.) I wouldn't use a starter to run the vehicle
more than 10 minutes or so, but I will use it to start the motor and get
things going for a couple of minutes before I drive off. I also use the
"idle-down" feature on mine to act as a turbo timer.

As I stated before, I have installed them for over 10 years and have
installed well over 2000 units on various different vehicles and haven't
seen any bad effects on the motors of these vehicles yet, and trust me my
customers would let me hear about it if there was even a hint of a problem
(I've had people accuse me of affecting the ride characteristics of a
vehicle due to the installation, been accused of signal lights not working,
and decrease in gas mileage.....the gas mileage one is the only one I
consider real, the more you idle, the less mpg you get) Of course this is
all just my opinion based on my experiences, I would never "force" someone
to get one, but I sure wouldn't advise against it either.

 

[WRXtreme]

TG, I see you have a pattern of unsubstantiated negative responses to
things some people say on this group.

Would you care to enlighten us with the wisdom and reasoning behind
these ejaculations, or should we just write you off as a jaggoff?

Best Regards,

I think he was right on line with what he said, I don't think 2-4 minutes is
any extra stress on the motor. I would think that living in MT he probably
does have a block heater as well as a remote starter. MOST people in the
upper midwest that I have personally talked to/know (and I think over 2000
installations of remote starters somewhat qualifies me as know what a lot of
people in this area of the world think) let their vehicles run for 5 minutes
or so before driving them anyway so a remote starter just prevents their
asses from freezing to the seats while the car warms up. If you are going
to let it run anyway, there is no difference between remote starting it and
key starting it except that if eliminates the cold walk to the car in the
morning, then the cold walk back inside, followed once again by the cold
walk back out to the car five minutes later.

 

[Tony Hwang]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark" <(e-mail address removed)>
Newsgroups: alt.autos.subaru
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 8:53 AM
Subject: Re: Remote Starter kit for 02 Forester?





Nothing, unless you have bad arthritis/joint pain/back pain, a small child
that will be riding with you, or a cold or other illness.

I've



How about an opinion from North Dakota? I have a block heater as well as a
remote starter. I personally do not use the preprogrammed start (every hour
or 2 or 3...etc..) unless it is VERY cold (-50 degrees Farrenheit or colder)
and I will be away from my car for a day or so. I do however use it to
warm/defrost my cars for about 3-4 minutes as I am getting ready to leave
the house. I have had 7 cars in the past 10 years that have this feature on
them and have had ZERO problems getting them to 100,000 miles+ with no major
problems (My neon that I listed in an earlier post never had a remote start
on it just for the record.) I wouldn't use a starter to run the vehicle
more than 10 minutes or so, but I will use it to start the motor and get
things going for a couple of minutes before I drive off. I also use the
"idle-down" feature on mine to act as a turbo timer.

As I stated before, I have installed them for over 10 years and have
installed well over 2000 units on various different vehicles and haven't
seen any bad effects on the motors of these vehicles yet, and trust me my
customers would let me hear about it if there was even a hint of a problem
(I've had people accuse me of affecting the ride characteristics of a
vehicle due to the installation, been accused of signal lights not working,
and decrease in gas mileage.....the gas mileage one is the only one I
consider real, the more you idle, the less mpg you get) Of course this is
all just my opinion based on my experiences, I would never "force" someone
to get one, but I sure wouldn't advise against it either.

Hi,
Voice from Alberta. I have remote starter on all 4 vehicles in my family
which I installed myself. Hmmm, getting into cold car in cold winter?
Like from N. Dakota, this guy may never have lived in real cold winter!
We need all the help we can get. Battery blanket, block heater(two if it
is V8), remote starter.... We park the cars in the garage at home but
many places don't have parkade parking. Just open parking lot.
Who cares about little tear and wear on engine. Car is consumable.
When it gets used up, buy another new one. Let the ecconomy circulate.
Tony
P.S. In 1970, I started my car, Plymouth Fury Sports with 383 V8 in cold
winter night after X-mas party to come home. Car started alright,
timing chain got partially damaged making hell of clanking noise.
needed new chain the next day.

 

[al gu]

people in alaska sometimes let gas engine cars idle all night during minus
45 temps
some diesels run for 3 weeks at a time

 

[Mark]

I do agree that in this part of the country, the coldest we usually
see is around zero degrees F. So i'm sure people that see real cold
weather knows how to deal with it.

I've always have done what's best for the car engine. I always try to
pamper my car to get the most out of it. This is why I don't like
remote starters. However, I can see in some circumstances it might be
the best choice.

Usually the coldest time comes at night. And at night I'm usually home
and have access to an electrial outlet. During the day we usually ONLY
see temp in the low teens. So when I'm at work and leave for the day
and it's this cold. I start the car and let it idle for a few minutes
to get the oil circulating, then drive using low RPM's as possible
until the car starts to warm up.

I can't image really cold temp like people see in Canada. My goal in
life is to live somewhere where the only ice I see is on the mug of my
beer. ;-)