Printer Friendly Forum Posts - viper 790xv woes

Car: 1998 Civic EX
Alarm: Viper 790xv

I drive a 1998 Civic EX, and my problem started about a week ago when my Viper 690XV stopped working with my remote. I tried everything I could and eventually believed it crapped out on me and I bought a 790XV off eBay to replace it with. I installed it today, but the remote I got with the 790XV was crap and didn't work, so I figured I could use my remote which was the exact same as the one I just recieved. However, there lies the problem, I cannot for the life of me get the 790XV to mate with my remote (Which is a 478V) I tried what the manual said ("open a door, turn the key to ON, ...etc") but I still cannot get it to work. I unplugged the brain, unhooked the battery, etc, but nothing seems to work. Am I screwed on this purchase too? Or are there any other steps I can take to get this to work? Thanks in advance for your help!

Honda door switches from the earlier years are famous for rusting and not giving an adequate ground when the door opens. I have no idea if they changed them by that year. Does your domelight not come on sometimes when you open the door? Can you wiggle the door switch and make your light dim and brighten? You may want to try grounding the alarm's door trigger wire to the chassis to see if you can get it into the programming mode.

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Let's Go Brandon Brown. Congratulations on your first Xfinity Series Win. LGBFJB

Well I've been testing my door wire and its fine. I am getting the proper signal and it is tight. I called DEI and the guy I talked to said that the system might be locked by a BitWriter from the dealer and I can't unlock it without going to them or buying one myself. Is that true? Or is there any other way to unlock an alarm without having to use a BitWriter?

If that's true, you've found one of the problems with buying on flea-bay. The equipment would have been previously used. They never come locked up from the factory. Any competent dealer should be able to free that off with a bitwriter, but you will have to pay. (Strip parts to reach control u it, plug in bit lead and reset). N.B. Those Honda sliding door switches can be a nightmare, also expensive to replace.

When you bought the 790 did you change any of the wiring? If you just swapped brain sthere is your problem. The ignition input on the 690 (alarm only) is in a different plug than the 790 (alarm and remote start).

I did change the wiring from the 690 to the 790, so it has all the correct connections for the 790xv. The problem is I can't get it into programming mode. I have the door trigger wire, the ignition input wire (heavy gauge pink wire), the LED, the horn, and the valet switch all hooked up. I open a door, turn the key to ON, press the valet button once, then press and hold it, but nothing happens. Am I doing something wrong? Am I missing some wiring? Thanks for your help

Did you hook up all the heavy gauge wires, or just the pink ignition wire?

Meter the yellow wire in the remote start ribbon harness. It should read as +12v when the key is on, and 0v when the key is off. If this wire doesn't act as an ignition, it will never go into programming.

Yes I hooked up all the wires to their respective car side wire in the heavy gauge relay set. I metered it the yellow wire in the ribbon and it reads +12v when the key is in the ON position. Anything else I should be checking for? I am completely stumped on this.

I also have a second question. The prewired starter kill for this alarm didn't come with it. I have plenty of relays and wire, can anybody tell me how to wire a relay so I can have the starter kill? Or have pictures of it? Thanks for your help guys!

Ok, good news. I successfully entered program mode. But once there I cannot program the remote. I press the lock button but I don't get any response from the alarm and then the remote gives me the three beeps like its out of range. Any way to reset the remote or am I doing something wrong?

did you replace the antenna too? ive seen many times the antennas on these alarms go bad. and people think its their remote because the remote isnt working. so i would say check the antenna check the connections etc.

Yes I replaced the antenna with a brand new one as well as the antenna wires. I went ahead and bought a new remote offline so as soon as it gets in I will update you guys. Thanks again for the help.

eskimo10 wrote:

Yes I replaced the antenna with a brand new one as well as the antenna wires. I went ahead and bought a new remote offline so as soon as it gets in I will update you guys. Thanks again for the help.

You did it again? posted_image

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What else could he do? He's a poor Eskimo living with the other Inuit in the far North, no broadband, he HAS to order offline because he can't get online. posted_image

Haha. Yea well instead of spending 200+ on a remote out of Best Buy (The only authorized Viper dealer in my area), I spent 68 on a NEW remote offline. Say what you will, but this is one of the rare times I have ever had any trouble with anything I have purchased on eBay.

Ok I'm good to go now, alarm is up and running. But I still have yet to find an answer for my earlier 2nd question

"I also have a second question. The prewired starter kill for this alarm didn't come with it. I have plenty of relays and wire, can anybody tell me how to wire a relay so I can have the starter kill? Or have pictures of it? Thanks for your help guys!"

Take a 5 pin relay, key side of starter to 87a, starter side to 30, armed out (Orange?) to 85 and "proper" (i.e. stays live on cranking engine) to 86. If it's a remote start unit, your starter output goes to 87 or 30.

howie ll wrote:

Take a 5 pin relay, key side of starter to 87a, starter side to 30, armed out (Orange?) to 85 and "proper" (i.e. stays live on cranking engine) to 86. If it's a remote start unit, your starter output goes to 87 or 30.

What do you mean by "proper"? IE constant 12v?

eskimo10.[/QUOTE wrote:

What do you mean by "proper"? IE constant 12v?

What do you mean by "proper"? IE constant 12v?[/QUOTE]

true ignition wire to pin 86 or, you can tap this to the key side starter wire, anyone you would prefer they work equally well!

t&t tech wrote:

eskimo10.

What do you mean by proper? IE constant 12v?[/QUOTE wrote:

true ignition wire to pin 86 or, you can tap this to the key side starter wire, anyone you would prefer they work equally well!

true ignition wire to pin 86 or, you can tap this to the key side starter wire, anyone you would prefer they work equally well!

[/QUOTE]

So I will have the ignition or starter wire running to two pins on the relay? I'm not quite sure that makes sense to me.

no! to pin 86 you can connect either the true ignition wire, OR the starter key side wire, not both.

if you reread my post you would notice the OR, it's not in caps though. hope it make sense to ya now. cheers.

P.S. if you are using the starter key side wire then yes on the relay there would be two pins connecting to the starter key side wire, 87a and 86.

Proper ign means that when key is turned to starter position, i.e. cranking that ign supply is still live. If you're not sure what we are trying to explain please look at the relay section on this site.