2001 town and country, remote start
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Security and Convenience
Forum Discription: Car Alarms, Keyless Entries, Remote Starters, Immobilizer Bypasses, Sensors, Door Locks, Window Modules, Heated Mirrors, Heated Seats, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=101434
Printed Date: May 02, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Topic: 2001 town and country, remote start
Posted By: audiomaninc
Subject: 2001 town and country, remote start
Date Posted: January 21, 2008 at 5:33 PM
Alright, this one's got me ready to jump off the roof of the garage. Two weeks ago, Friday, I installed an Omega MARS 11+ Starter with an IM531 and CHDL6 firmware into a 2001 Town & Country LXi. This is the one with ALL the bells and whistles, power doors, liftgate etc. I got everything installed and programmed the bypass, and everything works absolutely wonderful, except it wont start with the key all the time. It would crank really long, so I'd stop and wait a second and try it again, and voila, it starts. I looked over and over and over for any accidentally cut wires, or unplugged plugs, and nothing. I swapped the bypass thinking it may have been faulty, but that's not the case. Hell, I even completely unwired the starter and the van still did it! Needless to say, I put the starter back in because magically, it's the only way the van will start every time. Fast forward to today...This poor woman can't start her van at all with the key! It's gotten worse and worse, and now it only starts with the remote starter. At first I'm thinking that the SKIM could be completely bad, but wouldn't the car at least run for a couple seconds and shut off? Also, if the SKIM was bad, I think the remote starter would work either! I hope I'm not the only one who's ever had this problem, it's driving me crazy. To top it all off, the van is my fiance's boss'! Please help, please. Jason
Replies:
Posted By: audiomaninc
Date Posted: January 21, 2008 at 5:47 PM
Also, I forgot to mention, there is NO security light on the dasboard! It doesn't flash, or even light up at all, no matter if I'm using a key, or the remote starter. Jason
Posted By: StealthEs
Date Posted: January 21, 2008 at 6:18 PM
Sound like the Skim code got erased from the key. Does it do it with her other key?
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Cris
Posted By: offroadzj
Date Posted: January 21, 2008 at 7:41 PM
i am not familiar with that particular bypass, but is there a keysense wire on it? If not, is there a way to disconnect power to the bypass using the keysense. I have seen quite a few chrysler vehicles where if the vehicle sees both keys (the bypass being the second key), it will not allow it to start. Again, I am not familiar with that particular bypass, so this may not be of any help at all, but just giving it a shot. If not, then you may have erased the key.
If that is the case, does the customer has another key? You may be able to reprogram the unprogrammed key using the good key and the bypass as follows:
1) ground the wait-to-start wire on the r/s
2) turn vehicle to on position using the good key for approx. 10seconds, then turn off and remove key
3) press the remote start button (will not start because of wait-to-start being grounded) and let it leave the ignition on for approx. 10 seconds until the red program light illuminates and beeps.
4) press the brake to deactivate r/s
5) put unprogrammed key in and turn to on for approx. 10 seconds. This should allow the key to relearn the code and allow it to work.
I am not 100% sure if this will work or not, so if someone out there sees a flaw in it, please let me know.
HTH
Kenny
2) turn vehicle off, a
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Kenny
Owner / Technician
KKD Garage LLC
Albany, NY 12205
Posted By: robertsc
Date Posted: January 21, 2008 at 9:59 PM
you did the 180 ohm on the mux wire i presume?
Posted By: Velocity Motors
Date Posted: January 21, 2008 at 10:14 PM
Where did you grab your tach wire at ? If you grabbed it at the coil pack at the back of the engine did you by chance unplug the plug wires to gain access to the coil plug ? ( That's a rhetorical question  )
Anyway, make sure that all the plugs are actually plugged in ALL THE WAY and also, make sure that they were plugged back into the proper order ( shortest plug on the left [ when facing the coil ] and longest plug on the right ).
The vehicle will still run just not very well or start very good if the plugs are not in the proper order. ------------- Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA
Posted By: audiomaninc
Date Posted: January 22, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Alright, the remote starter works flawlessly every time. Neither factory key will start the car anymore. The car wont just start and run for a second, it will actually crank as long as you'll hold the key for without even turning over. Yes, there is a 180 ohm resistor on the MUX wire, and I'm using the "Smart Start" voltage sense feature instead of a tach wire. Neither key starts the vehicle at all, even with the remote starter completely removed from the vehicle, wires and all. The odd thing to me is that the security light that's supposed to be lit on the dashboard isn't there. It doesn't light up at all, regardless if I'm trying to use the key or the remote. If the SKIM erased the keys, both keys, I believe the van would just start and run for a couple seconds and then shut off. Jeez louise, this is really crawling under my skin!
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2003 Dodge Neon R/T
Alpine CDA9813, RF T2000.1bd, RF T162S, RFT142C, RF T600.4, RF T215D4
140.7 @ 28Hz
Posted By: Chris Luongo
Date Posted: January 22, 2008 at 10:12 AM
When you say "remote start completely disconnected," is that the bypass too?
If Chryslers see two keys at once, they won't start.
If the bypass has a problem where it stays on all the time, when a key is inserted the car will see two keys, and therefore won't start.
I'm not too familiar with the IM531, but that's a rebadged Trilogix piece, right? It has a ring that you put around the car's ignition switch, right?
If you unplug that ring from the module, what happens?
Posted By: audiomaninc
Date Posted: January 22, 2008 at 10:53 AM
You are correct about the IM531, Chris. When I say that the remote starter was removed, I do mean completely. Every wire, every plug, the bypass, and the brain completely outside the vehicle. I even went so far as to put one of the keys in the ignition to see if maybe the SKIM was detecting 2 keys and wouldn't let the van start, but it remote started just fine. I'm really at a loss on this one!
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2003 Dodge Neon R/T
Alpine CDA9813, RF T2000.1bd, RF T162S, RFT142C, RF T600.4, RF T215D4
140.7 @ 28Hz
Posted By: Chris Luongo
Date Posted: January 22, 2008 at 2:12 PM
Hmm. This does seem like a tough one.
Just one more idea I can think of.
With all the aftermarket stuff removed, like you have it now, test all of the wires coming from the key cylinder for proper operation.
Specifically:
Does the PURPLE / orange have ground at all times? Does the PURPLE / brown test as ground when cranking with the key?
Does the car's keysense circuit function properly.....that is, with a key in the ignition and the door open, do you get the warning chime?
Posted By: Chris Luongo
Date Posted: January 22, 2008 at 2:16 PM
Just thought of another way of checking it out.
If the above tests are inconclusive, try this:
Build a temporary jumper, with a 180-ohm resistor and a length or two of scrap wire.
Connect one side of the resistor to chassis ground. While cranking the car with the key, touch the other side of the resistor to the car's PURPLE / brown.
Basically, what I'm getting at is if the PURPLE / brown doesn't see the signal, the engine won't start. So that's what you want to be checking out.
Posted By: offroadzj
Date Posted: January 22, 2008 at 9:03 PM
did you double check to make sure that somehow the violet/brown wire didnt get pulled out of the factory plug, or that the factory plug somehow loosened up and isnt completely connected tightly?
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Kenny
Owner / Technician
KKD Garage LLC
Albany, NY 12205
Posted By: audiomaninc
Date Posted: January 23, 2008 at 10:41 AM
I took it one step further guys. I actually, one by one, cut every wire coming from the ignition switch plug. I then turned the key in the ignition to see if I could make the problem appear manually, so to speak. When the violet/brown MUX wire is interrupted, and the key is turned, nothing happens, at all. The starter 1 wire (yellow) energizes, but the starter doesn't actually crank. Like I said, I cut the wires one at a time, to try and figure out if it was a wiring issue, and I couldn't get the van to just crank and not turn over. This leads me to believe that it's actually an equipment problem, and not a wiring issue. I did the same cut one wire at a time test on the SKIM module, with the same result. I even went so far as to unplug connecter C3 from the BCM which the doorlock/security wire is connected to see if that would do anything. No luck there either. I'm out of ideas. I'm leading toward a bad SKIM or Ign. switch or a combination of both, mainly because of a) the security light doesn't illuminate on the message center, ever, and b) there are only 2 things between where I insert the key at the key cylinder and where the remote starter is connected, the ign switch, and the SKIM. The remote starter works EVERY time, and they key doesn't work, at all now. My common sense and instinct tells me that it's gotta be something between where the key goes and where the RS is. She's thinking about taking the van into the local Chrysler dealer and having it looked at, and we all know how that goes. I once had the dealer blame a taillight being out on a new G6 on me installing a RS into it  Jason ------------- 2003 Dodge Neon R/T
Alpine CDA9813, RF T2000.1bd, RF T162S, RFT142C, RF T600.4, RF T215D4
140.7 @ 28Hz
Posted By: Mike M2
Date Posted: January 23, 2008 at 11:21 AM
One quick thing to try, completely unplug the BCM. I do know that some functions in the Caravans(like door locks) have no fuse but instead some type of electronic breaker in the BCM. I once shorted out the locks in a 2002 and they wouldn't work until i uplugged the BCM for a few minutes. When i plugged it back up all worked fine. The top plug is the main power. It's worth a shot...
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Mike M2
Tech Manager
CS Dealer Services
Posted By: audiomaninc
Date Posted: January 24, 2008 at 2:15 PM
I unplugged the BCM and disconnected the battery for over an hour. Problem's still there, I give up on this one. I'll just wait and see what the dreaded Chrysler dealer has to say. I can't wait to get blamed for a problem with a 95,000 mile 7 year old van Jason ------------- 2003 Dodge Neon R/T
Alpine CDA9813, RF T2000.1bd, RF T162S, RFT142C, RF T600.4, RF T215D4
140.7 @ 28Hz
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