dei 5101 hybrid

Hi, I'm new to this board, but not new to 12v, I used to install lots of DEI, xtant, MB Quart, Alpine, etc in the mid/late 90's (shop has since closed), been out of it for a while, so just playing catch up, and its not so easy without directechs access anymore.  This is a great website, wish I had it when I was working in the industry, everyone here seems really helpful.

I am installing a DEI 5101 in an 2006 Ford escape hybrid.  A few questions, I got the tech sheet and it does show a tach wire, but this thing basically has a autostart controller built into the vehicle computer that starts and stops gas engine as needed.  To power up the vehicle, it is done the same as a conventional unit, the only difference is when you turn key to "start" position, it does not matter if you hold it there for 50ms or 5 seconds, it will automatically crank the engine for required amount of time to reach proper rpm, so it is not necessary to do a tach sense.  Simply provide a fixed pulse on the ignition wire.  You cannot use voltage sense, since there is no alternator, the 12vDC is provided by a dc-dc converter from the high voltage battery, as soon as the accessory/ignition line is energized, it will turn the dc-dc converter on and step the 380VDC down to 13.8v, whether you start the engine or not.  So, whats the best way to adapt a DEI 5101 to this setup?  Doorlocks seem relatively straightforward, 1k resistor in series to lock, ground to unlock. 

As far as bypass modules go, I've heard some horror stories about the canmax400, so I guess idatalink/flashlogic is good???

Finally after I get this done, I also picked up a VSM100 (smartstart) module to install with it, can anyone here activate it?  Or is there any way to do it myself (no directechs access).  Does anyone know if smartstart is a one way or two way system.  I understand it gives notifications if alarm is triggered, but does it acknowledge commands/status?

Thanks for any help.

Brian

Ok I figured it out (I think).  I did not connect tach wire, I set engine checking to OFF, and set a fixed crank time of 500ms.  Doorlocks were kind of weird.  Here's how it works, there are two relevant lines, one is the factory alarm arm/disarm (-) inputs, the other is the multiplex doorlock line, straight to ground to unlock, 1k to ground to lock.  If the factory alarm arm line receives a single - pulse, it locks the doors and arms factory alarm.  If the factory alarm  disarm receives a single - pulse, the alarm disarms, and a double pulse disarms and unlocks.  I started by sending double pulses and ignoring the multiplex lock line, and the doorlocks behaved properly, but the problem was when I remote started, it sent the factory disarm and unlocks the doors before remote starting, so I went back to single pulse, and installed a relay on the multiplex line to handle the unlocking.  So the facory alarm arm outputs handle the lock/arm function, and the disarm only (no unlock).  So all I had to add was 1 relay for unlock.  Seems to be working.

My main problem with this vehicle now is I am trying to pick up the factory hood pin.  The DEI techsheet shows all of these signals are available at the smart junction box (body computer/fuse panel in center console) or kick panels.  For neatness I would like to keep all the wiring in the center console.  The techsheet shows the connectors have letters (A,B,C,D,E), but there are only 4 connectors that I could see, the pin numbers on the techsheet are right, but the labels are wrong, the connectors are marked J2,J1,etc.  and J2 is not B, they seem to be random.  I found and ID'd all of the connectors by testing signals at certain wire colors, but cannot find the connector with the hood switch on it (B), I could only see 4 connectors total, the techsheet shows at least 5.  What am I missing?