1999 Silverado Remote Start Issues

Hey everyone, new guy to the forum in desperate need of help. Vehicle:1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LS 6.3L V8 Remote Start: Autopage C3-RS915 2-way LCD Remote Universal Immobilizor bypass DEI 556U My apologies for it being a long post but I wanted to get as much detail as I could. Here is what I'm dealing with. I've had this product laying around for a few years for a different vehicle. I decided on a whim to install on the ol beauty. I've never done a remote srart but know my way around my truck and can follow colors and numbers. The R/S ignitiom harness is not color coded so I had to do some cross reference for a few wires. I only used the wires needed for lock/unlock and start. I got the module to the point of working door locks then installed the universal immobilizer bypass (key in box style) this system was minimal wure connecting. RF loop on ignition cylinder, Fused 12v, Ground, and Ground output connected to ground output of R/S. From this point I programed/learned RPM. Success. I went to do a full test. Doors locked, parking lights and ignition on. Truck starts but then shuts down after 2 seconds. I did an error check and it indicated Transmitter error but offered no solution. I rechecked all connections and fuses all was good. During that process I cleaned up and organized wire. Retest then resulted in my FOB saying out of range. I have tried resetting and re programing witg no luck. All connections are the same as starr up test, no pinched or kinked wires. Then out of nowhere not everytime if you step on brake the ignition will go into "on" position. Lights on dash lit up vehicle not running and will do it with or without key in ignition, step on brake shuts off. No wiring has been changed since inital test so im wondering why im getting a out of range at the FOB and the odd ignition on with brake pedal. Thank you!

Finally, an easy one to answer.    Your truck has the Passlock2 immobilizer system. It is not a transponder chip based system that the Directed 556U can bypass. The Passlock2 system is resistor based and inside your ignition switch. You will need a bypass module that is designed to bypass Passlock2, like the Directed 556LW. Here is a link to the 556LW install guide :    https://directechs.blob.core.windows.net/documents/735_556lw_h01_s01_d01_i_en.pdf My personal choice for that truck would be the iDatalink ADS TBSL PL. It does not connect to the Paslock2 resistance wires but uses a data style bypass and connects to the OBD2 J1850 wire. Easy to connect, program and very reliable.Soldering is fun!

Im glad I could provide the easy question. Haha Thanks for the help I will look into ordering that bypass unit. Would that bypass have anything to do with the remote being out of range and not working anymore to even just to lock and unlock even though it had just worked to attempt a start? Ive tried resetting the R/S and also reprogramming the FOBs with no luck at all. Thanks again!

Usually range problems are related to the remotes or antenna. It's very possible that if the R/S unit was sitting around for a while the batteries might be weak. Replacing the remotes' batteries would be my first step. Next would be checking the antenna position and harness connections and routing. Cold weather and other RF interference can also play a factor with range issues. If you have two remotes, you could compare them with respect to range and response. The bypass issue would only affect vehicle remote starting. Passlock2 cuts off the fuel supply, so it is normal for the engine to briefly start before running out of fuel left in the rails. Be careful you don't get into "short tamper" or "long tamper" modes trying to remote start the truck before you install a Passlock2 bypass module. You can do a Passlock2 bypass with the correct resistor value and a relay ( or two ). Here is a link to the DEI TechTip 1048 : https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/file.asp?ID=1206 If you are not concerned with vehicle theft you could even do a permanent Passlock2 bypass for the low cost of a high tolerance resistor. You might even have one laying around somewhere. We can provide a link to a previous post that explains that process if you chose to go that route. Soldering is fun!

I think I will probably buy that module, seems like the safest and most reliable (going for reliabilty bs safest). Yea the out of range signal has me just baffled. The LCD remote is chargable and the secondary reg 5 button got a new battery. I will have to play around with location on antenna even though it hasnt moved locations since I put it in and was working fine. I will have to try testing each wire and connecting points of the harness itself. If it happens to be the wire harness or antenna itself, are those items R/S specific or will any 4 pin antenna/harness work? Thanks

Not a Autopage user, so I'm not sure on the antenna harness. The antenna might have some type of model marking on it. I see one on eBay for the right now for the Autopage C3-RS915 for $33. Model TRX-98. Not sure if it supports the 2-way remotes.Soldering is fun!

I'm also not familiar with Autopage, but if the issue didn't start until you cleaned up the wiring, I'd test the antenna lead for continuity. Those are some small wires (24 gauge or smaller) and are not as forgiving as others. Unplug the antenna at both ends, and set your multimeter to resistance. Check each conductor and make sure you get a low reading. If you find one that doesn't give you a reading, or reads significantly higher than the others, make your repair, or replace the cable. If they all test okay, try again while wiggling the cable, especially near the connectors while watching the meter. This may be easier with some needles and jumpers with alligator clips so that your hands will be free. Sometimes you can have a break without physically seeing anything wrong with it. Just this morning, I went out to see if my battery was holding proper voltage, and I read 0 volts. Obviously my battery wasn't dead, since the key fob worked, so I tried some new meter leads, and got a good reading. Then I tested my old leads and found the red lead had an open.My ex once told me I have a perfect face for radio.

Lol, I use ebay all the time and thought never crossed my mind to look for that part. I will have to do some digging and see whay I find out. Thanks for all the help with my questions. I will post my findings and wether succesful or no, probably next week sometime as its Rifle opener in MN this weekend. Anyone else who wants ti chime in with thoughts or advice please do. Thanks again!

Alright I'm back. I haven't had a chance to order a bypass unit yet but I did some resistance tests on the antenna wires etc. I tested each wire end to end, wiggled wires etc and everything read the same. I also took the 2 halves of the antnna and also the R/S unit. I did the same tests from connecting pins to the corresponding soldering point on oppsite side of comp chip. All readings came out the same and same as what I got with the wires. So I am stumped as to why I'm not getting communication from either of the 2 FOBs to the R/S unit. Is it possible the unit went bad and I should maybe look to a new R/S system? I've tried to reset everything and waiting for rechargable FOB to die in hops maybe that will reset something. Just lost! Thanks

Yeah, it's possible the unit and/or the antenna is toast. If you haven't verified proper power/ground at the unit, I'd do that as well. I have one more thing you can try that's often worked for me in the past. Unplug the unit, and short the power and ground pins together (using a jumper wire, or maybe a paperclip). Now plug it back in and try again. See if you can reprogram the remotes. Failing that, I'd probably start looking for another system with the features I want. Since I have the same system on multiple vehicles, I can swap parts around to aid in troubleshooting. That may be something you want to consider as well.My ex once told me I have a perfect face for radio.