big box employees vs. independent employees

id like to see the different opinions of the big box employees vs. the independent employees..

Is it ok to hook up your 12v constant from your remote start to blue/red (2amp) in Dodge , Chrysler & Jeep?

i for one, imo, thinks its fine if you change the remote start fuse, because the wires control relays , and if the key can use 2amp so can my remote start..

I'm an independant.  I get nervous using a low power, thin wire like that.  Even though I use  a smaller fuse rating on the R/S, I still connect to a thick constant +12v wire.  I will even use an empty, constant 12v,  fuse box fuse location with a 10 amp fuse and a leg extender ( off the correct fused side) to connect the R/S.

Probably not the case on a Chrysler product but didn't I read somewhere that the low power consumption from the R/S and bypass unit caused Fords some problems when attached to the IGN wires?

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Soldering is fun!

i work for a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury/Suzuki/kia dealer and anything low current like that i go to the fuse box or to another high current source rather than the ing harness   rather not have to do it again later

i know its not a dodge product just my opinion

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If i Can't Install it    I Don't need it   Joe

metz35 wrote:

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id like to see the different opinions of the big box employees vs. the independent employees..

Is it ok to hook up your 12v constant from your remote start to blue/red (2amp) in Dodge , Chrysler & Jeep?

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NO! Think about it, the inputs on your remote start are fused at 30amps.

I know a few techs will use those low current wires when they do negative parking lights...etc...Not me...! But it does bring up another question...Why arent the grounds the same size as the power wires...! I see on some of the newer system that they have increased the size of the ground...! It is different almost at each shop you go to...Like honda's and volvo...Some install the whole keyless unit in the door...Theres usually always a thick power wire at the fuse box...etc...

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M.E.C.P & First-Class
Go slow and drink lots of water...Procrastinators' Unite...Tomorrow!

I think you're straying from the topic there tommy, are you drinking again? lol! Just kidding, of course doing it as metz said will have no adverse effects since the wires are only triggering relays, hence either way only a max of two amps will be drawn! However if another high current source were available with minimal difficulty i would go to that source! Just my 0.02 cents! 

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COMMIT YOUR WAY TO JEHOVAH AND HE WILL ACT IN YOUR BEHALF. PSALMS 37:5

Whenever i run into thin gauge power wire i look somewhere else in the vehicle, chances are you can find a better source than at the ignition, as for changing fuses on your brain 12 volt source, i wouldn't do that either. I try and stick within the parameters set up by the engineers who design the product. I used to work for a big box store but now am independent and am even more careful than before.

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"ill install anything once lol"

shadyinstaller wrote:

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Whenever i run into thin gauge power wire i look somewhere else in the vehicle, chances are you can find a better source than at the ignition, as for changing fuses on your brain 12 volt source, i wouldn't do that either. I try and stick within the parameters set up by the engineers who design the product. I used to work for a big box store but now am independent and am even more careful than before.

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I'm not 100% sure if I'm reading this right but are you feeding a 2amp circuit with two 30 amp fuses wired in parallel? This may not be a good idea. If there is a problem with the car and you have fused it like this there is a good chance this car will burn.

Big Box store here.

I would never hook my power source up to a 2A wire. You can usually find a more suitable constant power source, and I think there has only been one car where I had to run a power kit to the battery. I never use less than a 10A power source. Reason for this is if some jack comes in and changes my negative light connection to + for some reason, I want to have enough current to do so.

Usually I have to think about not how I am going to install it, but how people down the road are going to troubleshoot/look at it. Technically yes you can use less than a 10A wire, but you have to think about how much you are hooking up. For example, roughly there is about 250ma draw for each relay used to turn on the remote start from the brain, and there is usually 1 starter, 1 acc, and 2 igns. So there is at MINIMUM 1A there. Therefore when you figure in 250ma for you negative trigger p-lights, locks, arm/disarm, etc.... 2A is plain and simple just risky to hook up to.

Spend the extra time/materials to do the job so you don't have to touch it again.

I could be wrong but i think that metz didn't mean the actual alarm's power connection, but the remote start portion, just the current wires for the remote start! That's the way i interpreted it! So no beegbie the car won't burn, the wires at the ignition harness must be fused from oem specs, also it is totally safe to do so, even though the remote start is fused at thirty amps!

The determining factor here would be the installer, the majority who have been under dashes for years will almost certainly go to a better current source, althought it isn't necassary, it just "feels" right! No installer who cares about his work would like to complete something and have his conscience bug him after, because he's thinking he should have gone to the larger current wire! At least i speak for myself there anyway!

Metz can clarify my opening statement! If however he did actually mean the entire alarm's power supply, then no, it's just plain wrong to connect to such a low current source!

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COMMIT YOUR WAY TO JEHOVAH AND HE WILL ACT IN YOUR BEHALF. PSALMS 37:5

I'm with t&t and KTM 110% here.

Former Circuit City employee (years ago).

All three CCs I installed at we got power directly from the battery.  It took a bit longer, but at least standardized our installs and eliminated issues like this.

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Kevin Pierson

t&t tech wrote:

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I could be wrong but i think that metz didn't mean the actual alarm's power connection, but the remote start portion, just the current wires for the remote start! That's the way i interpreted it! So no beegbie the car won't burn, the wires at the ignition harness must be fused from oem specs, also it is totally safe to do so, even though the remote start is fused at thirty amps!

The determining factor here would be the installer, the majority who have been under dashes for years will almost certainly go to a better current source, althought it isn't necassary, it just "feels" right! No installer who cares about his work would like to complete something and have his conscience bug him after, because he's thinking he should have gone to the larger current wire! At least i speak for myself there anyway!

Metz can clarify my opening statement! If however he did actually mean the entire alarm's power supply, then no, it's just plain wrong to connect to such a low current source!

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I'm still not completely sure on this one. If the Ignition switch had a 12v feed that is fused at 2amps and it has 2 outputs (ignition and accessory)and one of the two outputs begins to draw more than two amps because of a malfunction the two amp fuse will blow. If your feeding that same malfunctioning output with the 30 amp fuses they will not blow and now is where the smoke and fire happens. A 20 gauge wire drawing 25-30 amps will heat up and burn. Is this scenario possible or am I missing something?

Umm! If for some strange reason a mafunction does occur, how then would a wire capable of two amps, that supplies the relays that energize the various circuits supply more? The "malfunction" would be present with remote start or without so therefore the fuse will pop anyway!

I don't think the coil of a relay can cause a current draw that significant! Unless they were changed over to relays that had a larger coil draw, but either way it should still be safe!

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COMMIT YOUR WAY TO JEHOVAH AND HE WILL ACT IN YOUR BEHALF. PSALMS 37:5

t&t tech wrote:

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Umm! If for some strange reason a mafunction does occur, how then would a wire capable of two amps, that supplies the relays that energize the various circuits supply more?

In my scenario this is the malfunction. Besides, the wire won't supply more currant, the circuits draw more. If it wasn't possible for the circuits to draw more there would be no fuse at all from the factory.


The "malfunction" would be present with remote start or without so therefore the fuse will pop anyway!

I don't think the coil of a relay can cause a current draw that significant! Unless they were changed over to relays that had a larger coil draw, but either way it should still be safe!

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Yes the malfunction would be present with or without but if your using a larger feed with larger fuses and not using the 2 amp feed how would it blow the 2 amp fuse? Magic?

I think we misunderstood each other! Firstly, i meant if the heavy gauge current wires were connected to the two amp source then it would have no adverse effects, seeing that the key does the same, secondly i didn't comprehend that you meant if the heavy gauge wires were connected to a larger current source that this could cause the burning you reffered to, i thought you were reffering to the same two amp source!

Thirdly, the wires in question here are connected to the coils or various relays are they not?

And lastly this was not the intent of the thread to argue about a malfunction that may happen, it's about a simple principle that has been brought up in a discussion! Mr beegbie i do apologize if i offended you! I will refrain from arguing this point any further!

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COMMIT YOUR WAY TO JEHOVAH AND HE WILL ACT IN YOUR BEHALF. PSALMS 37:5

No offence taken. Just a simple misunderstanding. If you look back to shadyinstallers post that I responded to I think he was saying that he grabs power at a different source and doesn't change fuses which I'm pretty sure is not such a good idea. When done constructively arguments aren't always a bad thing.

yimke] wrote:

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ig Box store here.

I would never hook my power source up to a 2A wire. You can usually find a more suitable constant power source, and I think there has only been one car where I had to run a power kit to the battery. I never use less than a 10A power source. Reason for this is if some jack comes in and changes my negative light connection to + for some reason, I want to have enough current to do so.

Usually I have to think about not how I am going to install it, but how people down the road are going to troubleshoot/look at it. Technically yes you can use less than a 10A wire, but you have to think about how much you are hooking up. For example, roughly there is about 250ma draw for each relay used to turn on the remote start from the brain, and there is usually 1 starter, 1 acc, and 2 igns. So there is at MINIMUM 1A there. Therefore when you figure in 250ma for you negative trigger p-lights, locks, arm/disarm, etc.... 2A is plain and simple just risky to hook up to.

Spend the extra time/materials to do the job so you don't have to touch it again.

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I'm independent, but have worked at Circuit City, and agree with the above rationale. If the factory fuse was 7.5A or higher (I've never seen a 5A), I usually consider that sufficiently excess capacity to add on the draw of the control module's processor and its relays, assuming no high current outputs were being used in this install.

If I had employees/coworkers to worry about, I'd be tempted to go to the fusebox/BCM/battery for any ignition circuit fused at 30A or less.

Lastly, I think it's worth noting that at one Circuit City near where I worked, the installers went to the opposite extreme, and sold the customers an 8-gauge power wire kit every time they had to do a car with a low current ignition switch, because they somehow reasoned that the remote starter was going to put 60 amps through the thin wires on the ignition switch without frying anything.

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C Renner's Auto Electronix
My service is cheap, quick, and good - pick any two