Greetings once again, friends! I'm back, this time with a problem! Sorry this post is so long, but I want everyone to fully understand what I'm dealing with here.
I just bought a 2001 Honda Civic LX and was handed a remote with the keys! Yep, it has an alarm in it. But it didn't work. I went to replace the remote battery, only to find out someone had double-stacked TWO 3 volt batteries in it instead of the ONE 3 volt battery is was supposed to have. This resulted in the remote being fried. I confirmed this through DEI, who manufactured it. The alarm (although many people claim it's NOT an alarm but simply a keyless entry system, which is incorrect) is an Automate 410. I found out that all Automate alarms are strictly sold and installed ONLY by car dealers, not sold in stores. Well, after installing car audio and security for 40+ years, I just figured I would replace the existing Automate module with my brand new ScyTek alarm I bought to put in my previous car but never did. This would make it easy. All I would have to do is connect the new wires to the existing ones. HOWEVER, upon further inspection, I discovered that the original installer left more than half the wires disconnected! Plus, they had the siren wire hooked to the car's horn wire, so when the alarm activated, the horn would honk steady for like 60 seconds instead of short bursts. It was sending constant voltage to the horn. Idiots!
So, back to my problem...
I was able to easily replace the alarm module with mine. I just had to cut the existing wires and connect the new ones. Sounds easy enough. Because the original installer left most wires disconnected, I only had to connect 4 wires from the main harness, plus the door lock and unlock wires, the valet button, and the LED wires. No problem. But the original Automate wires that were supposed to be connected to other stuff were still not connected. I wanted to make sure the new alarm worked first. No luck! I would NOT arm, nor would it lock the doors! I tested the module's lock and unlock plug and discovered it was grounding when you pressed the unlock, but not grounding when you press the lock button on the remote. Just like the old alarm! Yes, the lock wire is connected to the car's correct wire. It locks the doors when I run a ground wire to it, but not froe the alarm!
So now what? Well, I decided to go BACK to the original Automate alarm! I found a brand new remote on ebay for $7 and bought it. Last night, I disconnected the ScyTek alarm and reconnected the Automate, but remembered I would have to program the remote. It didn't work! The dealer installation guide says to program a remote (they call it "learn"), you follow these steps:
1. Turn key to RUN position.
2. Press the valet button the number of times that correspond to the channel number you wish to program. They then give 9 options, where you press the valet button up to 9 times depending one which function/button you want to learn. "Do NOT release valet button."
3. Press the button on the remote that you wish to use for the function you selected from the list of 9. The horn will honk once to confirm the code was learned.
4. Once the code is learned, you can release the valet button.
Well, guess what? This did NOT work! It didn't program or "learn" the new remote! I even replaced the battery, thinking the new one sat too long and was low. No luck.
SO... any suggestions? Tips? Anyone else have problems with an Automate alarm or keyless entry? I'm ready to buy another alarm and start from scratch so I know it WILL work right! Oh, by the way, my ScyTek Astra A20 alarm, even though brand new, was purchased over a year ago, and ScyTek does NOT give any warranty unless an authorized dealer installs it, so I'm screwed there.
Sorry for the long novel. Thanks for reading it if you did.