Printer Friendly Forum Posts - 2008 legacy remote start

Has anybody install a R/S on a 2008 Legacy - if so, what bypass did you use, just a universal such as 556U or a specific one (I do not have access to the "Dealer Tool" to program a firmware one) - I have an auto so it would be an easy install if anybody knows what bypass has been used in one before - I am guessing they haven't changed much from 2005-2008 - thanks guys!

if 08, try the data module from fortin. PATS-SUBARU.

https://ifar.ca/en/products/all_products/pats-subaru/?year=2008&make=202&model=2596

fortin makes them easy to install about 15 min. super easy programming. thing is with DEI 555u, it sucks that you have to waste a key,w but if u dont mind then by all means. you can save if u decide to leave a key inside. no need for the 555u, a relay and some wire will do the same.

actually, sorrry bout that, that kit does require a scan tool. i guess you best bet is 555u or a relay and somee wire.

85 - constant 12
86 - ground when running
87 - 22gauge wire wrap around key cylinder 4 -6 times. route it back to relay, wrap that wire around the key 4-8 times
30 - connect the 22gauge unconnected end.

Subaru keys are really sensitive to cold weather. Making a bypass as described above will work fine when hot, but will often fail once it is extremely cold. I suggest using the 556U with the valet key.

Thank you, I can use a 556U, that's great, do I have to deal with the coil or is there a way to hard wire it in - reason I ask, is I just put a R/S in my wife's Civic and there really was NO room to stuff the coil so I opted to buy the PKH34 and wire it in. Any idea if there's room in there or how I can hard wire it before I tear my column apart? Thanks a bunch again guys - JWorm, you are in NH, where abouts? I'm in Manchester.

Also - I am considering the CompuStar 2W900FMR, I can get it for a good price ($160) for just the start function which is all I want - if I do not hook up all the other features (trunk, door, hood status, etc) does anybody know if they will always show on the remote LCD as open or will it disable them? All I really want is a 2-way R/S so I know if the car has started from my desk at work.

Does anybody have confirmation that 2008 Legacy has the same wiring as 2005 Legacy?

Thank you!

Wiring is the same. My mother has a 2008 automatic. I just put a remote start in it 2 months ago. Same as the 2005. I am in Nashua. There is plenty of room for the coil of the 556U. The remote for the 2W900FM will not show the doors, hood or trunk open on just the remote start. Hooking up the hood or door inputs would do nothing.

Hey JWorm, thanks a ton - I appreciate your info and experience - I think I may try to tackle this one, I'm sure I'll have more questions, so don't forget about me haha, I'll have to buy you a beer sometime if I can get this working

Okay - need to poll the audience, got the R/S all wired up and need to find a good tach signal, wire diagram says pink to RED / white at the ECM behind the glove box - having a hard time finding this wire and hard time actually finding the ECM because its crammed up so high - any suggestions? 2008 Legacy SE 4cyl auto - compustar 2w900FMR - 556U - I have everything else done anybody have a picture or better description?

Replied to your PM, then noticed your post here. I'll copy my PM.

I used a fuel injector wire.

The ECM is under the carpet below the passenger's feet. Unfortunately, the description is not too clear on tech sheets.

Check here: https://www.northursalia.com/modifications/misc/wiring/wiring.html

You will find wiring diagrams for recent Subarus there near the bottom of the page. The Legacy will have the same ECU as either the Imprezza or Forester. Check to see how many plugs the ECU has (4 or 5) and then find a diagram with the same amount of plugs. Look for one of the 4 fuel injector wires listed, and then get out the meter to confirm. I've done tons of Subarus, unfortunately I don't remember what wire I used on my mother's car.

Getting to the fuel injector wires under the hood is not easy because they are on the side of the engine.

Thank you JWorm, I sent you another PM, I'll try to locate the ECU below the carpet but if I can get to the engine I may do that to use an injector wire in the engine bay. Being a boxter engine, yes the injectors are hard to find/reach

Okay - just posting incase anybody needs this info - on the 08 Legacy, when you get to the ECU (under the passenger carpet at their feet - thank you JWorm for helping me get to it) and remove the metal plate that covers it, the injector wires are on the 2nd plug down (assuming it is a 4 plug ECU) and the only plug that has 6 pins in the top row, all the others should have 7 pins. the RED / WHITE wire is the easiest to access because it has an empty spot on 1 side, it reads 10-13 volts when the key is ON and 14 when car is running. Careful because there isn't much slack to work with, don't accidently CUT the wire like I did.

Alright, so the R/S took approx 10 times to fire up and run this morning - anybody had this issue before? I re-learned the tach and it works fine all day, but once it sits overnight it runs into issues with starting...

So I've done a lot of reading on here about vehicles not starting in the cold, and my car doesn't follow the same behaviors. I have an 08 Legacy and using a 556U and 2W900FMR Compustar... Unfortunately my vehicle doesn't have a Second Starter which I've read can be wired up in most vehicles to help with cold starts. I am going to change the crank settings to make it crank a little longer (using the setting that judges by the car's resting voltage) but I'm not 100% confident that will fix it. What my car does (during it's 3 attempts when R/Sing the car) first attempt, cranks and doesn't start - second attempt, cranks, runs, dies in about 3 seconds - third attempt, cranks, runs, dies in about 3 seconds - now I know it sounds like a bypass issue - so at the advice of JWorm I have stuck the key in the ignition in the "OFF" position but the car still acts this way, so that should eliminate the bypass as the main issue (could still be an issue, but the car should R/S with the key in the ignition) - the catch is, if I drive the car and it warms up - the car R/S's PERFECTLY first time, every time. Only when it gets cold (anything over an hour or so of it sitting there) will it act like this...

This probably is a dumb question, but has anybody used the 2nd Starter wire and tied it into the Starter wire to act as if the vehicle has a 2nd starter? Or any other solution?

Ok... i can clearly see that you've done your homework, here's a few questions, hopefully a solution:

1) when you attempted to isolate the bypass as the culprit, you placed the key in the ignition barrel and remote started the vehicle -- did you disconnect the bypass at that time? B/c if you don't it's still reading the code from the bypass (which may be too cold to function properly) rather than the room temp factory key signal....

2) have you re-adjusted the cylinder ring from the 556U?

3) What are you currently using: voltage sensing or tach sensing?

Does the car ever seem to overcrank even by a split second even during warm starts? The second starter wire is not going to solve your problem because you do not have an OEM second starter wire ... this is a bypass issue and/or a tach-sensing issue.

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The search function is your friend.

Sounds like you should connect the tach wire and program it for tach instead of tachless, its the best way to remote start a vehicle..besides the only reason why most installers go tachless is because they want to get the job done faster, seeing that its your own car, speed of installation should not be an issue.

I think the key to your problem is the "run for 3 seconds element" this sounds like the R/S does not recognize the car is started and is turning the ignition off so it can try again, and again the third time.. which would clearly be a voltage sense issue (if you are running tachless). Some vehicles keep the alternator "offline" in really cold weather until the engine settles down- then bring it "online" slowly-- yours may be one of these-- and the R/S sees this lack of voltage rise as a "no-start" condition.....

been there- done that on Trailblazers and Envoys..... Try a tach wire if you haven't already......

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Brcidd - Engineer That Does Remote Starter Installs on the side.

Hey thanks Peter - in response: 1) No, I did not disconnect the bypass, but could do this if necessary, if I understand you right - you think it may be reading a junky signal rather than a good one from the key, makes sense... 2)The ring of the 556U is literally in a perfect spot, I dont see it fitting anywhere else but could try messing with it if necessary... 3) I am using voltage sensing with Tach (which I got from the ECU, metered it, etc), if I HAD to, I could go to the engine bay and grab the alternator, I had to do this on my wife's 06 Civic when I did an R/S in her car last week... Car doesn't over crank (not long enough to notice anyway, I'm sure its just about right) ---- And yes, I figured the 2nd started wouldn't work but didn't know if anybody had done it before as an "unrecommended" fix...

UPDATE: what I did just a few minutes ago was change some of the option menu settings - I changed it so it adds additional milliseconds if the voltage reading is low - the car was sitting in the cold for about 5 hours and I R/S'd the car and it WORKED. So - this "fix" is still subject to testing. We will see tonight when I go out to my car leaving work and then again tomorrow morning but I'll post back with results/questions... THANKS PETERUBERS

And I must not have mentioned it, but, yes I did wire up the tach wire and it learned it without issue...

You can try revving the engine a little bit while you program the tach, bump it up a couple hundred rpm's.

usabuilt wrote:

You can try revving the engine a little bit while you program the tach, bump it up a couple hundred rpm's.

Wouldn't I want to learn the tach at the lowest sustainable number? To make sure the rpms achieve that number or HIGHER to tell the R/S the vehicle is running?

something doesn't sound right... you're using voltage sensing WITH tach? Your best bet would be to go to the injector wire or alternator in the engine bay and acquire a good, reliable tach signal... i'm my experience those tach signals accessed from ECU's in the car's cabin are not as reliable .. as mentioned, in extreme cold, they do not come on right away and the car may overcrank, etc...

Hopefully your fix works.. but if it fails again, i think a good tach signal would do the trick.

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The search function is your friend.

And yes, you want the engine to start at the lowest possible rpm so as to not overcrank the engine and ruin the OEM starter... sometimes I'll even put the e-brake on, put the car into reverse or drive (with foot on brake as well) and learn the tach with the rpms dropped even lower now that it's in gear...

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The search function is your friend.

Maybe I was confused in my reply earlier - yes I am using a tach signal, from the ECU for ease of access, if I have to go to the engine bay, I will, its just not prefferable to get an injector off the side of the engine (boxter style = pain in the ___) - the option menu has a setting that allows the unit to change the crank time based on the resting vehicle voltage (from what I understand of reading it and I could be wrong- it being the CM4200 "brain" option table .PDF on Compustar's website) if you pull it up, its option 2-6 "Voltage Sensing Mode", which by default is off, I simply turned it on.

When a car starts cold it usually revs faster than it does when its warm, so if you program it at a lower rpm it may be telling the remote starter that it does not see what you originally programmed the tach reading and shuts it down, I know on audiovox and code alarm I had to do this many times.

peterubers wrote:

And yes, you want the engine to start at the lowest possible rpm so as to not overcrank the engine and ruin the OEM starter... sometimes I'll even put the e-brake on, put the car into reverse or drive (with foot on brake as well) and learn the tach with the rpms dropped even lower now that it's in gear...

I used this trick, and learned the tach at about 400 RPMs