starter grinding with remote start, 03 xterra

I've always been a big fan of the Valet 562T.  However, if you're happy with the Boa stick with it.

I just put a 562T on my wife's CR-V and I really like it.

The results are in:

Despite the fact its 20 degrees outside and dark I went out and cut the tach wire to the DEI Valet 562T in my wife's 2008 CR-V.

I remote started the vehicle and the starter cranked for no more then 3 seconds then shut down.  A few seconds later it cranked again for no more then 3 seconds then shut down.  It tried a third time with the same result.

This is by no means a full test but does at least show that the newer DEI systems, upon seeing no tach siganal WILL time out and shut down.

My Dad has 550ESPs installed in two of his vehicles - if I can get my hands on one I'll snip the tach wire to see what it does.  They are both fairly older units and I'm now curious to see what happens.

The starter giving a quick grind when you turn the key on is a common problem found only on the Xterra. There used to be a Directed document showing how to wire a relay to solve this problem but i can't find it. Basically what you do is wire the relay to kill the starter wire(on the switch side of the RS connections) that is controlled by statis output wire. You may find a thread here that explains it better. If needed, i can make up a diagram....

As for the removed tach wire, i haven't installed Directed in years. I think the last ones we installed were the Automate 556A and that would hold the starter on. We now install Pursuit(Avox) and even the new stuff does this as i had one a few months ago that Carmax disconnected the tach wire on an 05 Explorer with the same result. It is possible the newer DEI units don't, dunno.

I used one of the "universal" modules from bypass kits for the CR-V.  It was simple to install and program.  The only thing I didn't like about it was the fact that it is only "universal" if you have a programmer.  Mine came loaded with Toyota firmware and I didn't have a programmer.  I ended up finding a local shop that flashed it for free for me so it wasn't a huge deal, just a bit inconvenient. 

They do sell kits that are already programmed to work with Hondas so make sure you verify what you are buying doesn't need to be flashed!

I had the same problem with a 2003 Nissan Xterra. I've also seen it in a Nissan Maxima-can't remember the year.

The diagram you provided should properly isolate the 2 starters, if wired properly. Check your wiring carefully.

What I did is connect the remote start starter output to the 1st (main) starter wire. I also used this 1st starter wire to power a relay on pin 86 & pin 87. Pin 86 goes to (-) status output wire. Pin 30 goes to 2nd starter wire. This worked perfectly.

There's several other ways of doing this & achieving the same results.

https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=87398&KW=eliminate+starter+grind+altima