2003 f250 powerstoke, remote start

I am getting ready to install a compustar 1wams on my 2003 powerstroke. I am trying to decide on the best option for the glow plugs. Can I hook it to the wait to start light, to the glow plug relay itself, or try and find someone with the programmer to extend the internal timer. I have checked and locating someone who can program the controller is not going to be easy. I am partial to the glow plug relay as it will allow the truck the longest wait time. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Here is a note from Bulldog Security :
NOTE #5: For WAIT TO START LIGHT, do not use the wire in the vehicle, use the 5,10,15 or 20
 Second PROGRAMMABLE Wait To Start Timmer on the Remote Starter

Here are some notes from DEI :
On the remote start, make sure to program the Accessory State During Wait To Start to ON.

On diesel vehicles the tach wire is GREEN / WHITE in a 5 wire harness held up with white tape behind the parking brake release. ( Actually it's above the E-Brake release & behind the fuse box, taped to a thick harness going to the back of the fuse box. )  The tach wire on these vehicles may generate an unclean signal. Options maybe to set the threshold jumper to “on/low“ when programming tach in some Directed remote systems or use part number 454T tach signal generator.

Wait to start      see Tech Doc 1091         Link to Tip 1091 :  https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/file.asp?ID=1016

Which Compustar brain?  The CM4200 has programming option 1-8, Opt 2, that will give an 18 second delay.

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Soldering is fun!

I believe I have the cm4200. The brain has a built in timer hat can be programmed but it requires a special tool that none of.the shops in the area have. I am probably just going to tie into the pcm wire that grounds the glow plug relay to activate the glow plugs. This will set the delay up to 2 minutes in cold weather. My question is if there is a reason not to wire it this way.

If it is a Compustar CM4200 brain and you have the 4 button remotes, it should be possible to program an 18 second start delay for your diesel engine.  Here is a link to the CM4200 Install Guide   :   https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/file.asp?ID=399    The programming instructions are on Page 8.

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Soldering is fun!

The manual I have and the one I found online shows that the only to program the diesel timer is to use the optional op500 programmer that I dont have and cant find locally. If u can program the timer up to 99 sec. There should be no problems with using the pcm wire from the gpr that grounds the relay to power the glow plugs and connect it to the neg glow plug input on the cm4200 harness, right?

Never  tried it that way.  As far as I know the CM4200 doesn't have any Special Option Groups that require the OP-500, but being as I have the OP-500 programmer, I always use it instead of the remotes.

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Soldering is fun!

Why a 2 min.need more than 4 seconds on a modern diesel. 10 seconds should be more than adequate.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

I can garuantee from experience that 4 sec is not long enough on most modern diesels. Even the crappy wait to start light stays on longer than that on a 50 deg day. During the winter with 0 deg temps I know 10 secs will not be long enough to start my truck. Thirty secs sometimes isnt enough. Is the purpose of the neg glow plug wire on the controller there to activate the starter after the ground signal has stopped?

iaff284 wrote:

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I can garuantee from experience that 4 sec is not long enough on most modern diesels. Even the crappy wait to start light stays on longer than that on a 50 deg day. During the winter with 0 deg temps I know 10 secs will not be long enough to start my truck. Thirty secs sometimes isnt enough. Is the purpose of the neg glow plug wire on the controller there to activate the starter after the ground signal has stopped?

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Is your truck a 6.0 or a 7.3? They made both engines that year and depending on which you have will determine what to do.

It is a 7.3 without the keyless entry

iaff284 wrote:

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It is a 7.3 without the keyless entry

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Oh ok. Mine is an 03 6.0 and I have my delay set for 10 seconds, and that's more than enough. I was getting ready to say if you have a 6.0 and your glow plugs ever take more than 15 seconds to warm up then you have serious glow plug issues.

Anyways, one thing I would start doing if your temps get that cold is plug it up overnight or when it sits for more than several hours. Then you should be able to set it for 30 seconds and be fine. If your remote start is made by DEI then I would get the bitwriter and do the programming yourself.

If u follow any of the powerstroke forums, alot of guys install an led light tied directly to the gpr relay so they know when the glow plugs are off before they start the truck. I was trying to find any reason as to why people tap the wts light instead of the relay. The ideal starting situation for any diesel is a warm combustion chamber with warm fuel so the longer u can wait for the cylinder and fuel to preheat the easier it will be on the engine. as long as ur batteries and charging system are in good shape there should be no reason to not wait for the glow plugs to complete thier cycle. I am going to connect my remote starter to the relay. If I have any problems I will report back. The only thing I am still trying to confirm is if the rs will operate correctly if I connect the neg glow plug wire on the control unit to the pcm wire that grounds the gpr to activate the plugs. I am going to call Firstech to double check.

I'm telling you man, I would not tap into the glow plugs in any way, main reason being because I have heard many horror stories from remote start units feeding back into the glow plug control module and really messing some stuff up. Another reason is because there is a big difference in waiting until the glow plugs shut off and waiting until they are hot enough to start the truck...about a 90-120 seconds difference to be exact. Lets say you're walking to your truck in a parking lot and you hit the remote start button...if you are in range for your remote to actually transmit to your truck, I can guarantee you will be sitting in the driver seat with the key in the ignition waiting for the remote start to start the truck long before it actually does if you're waiting for the glow plugs to shut off before it starts. Another reason is because you're really not supposed to start a diesel when the glow plugs are off...you're supposed to start it when they're hot but still running.

I know on my truck the alternator doesn't turn on for up to 2 minutes after the truck has been started because they glow plugs are still running and the extra voltage from the alternator would fry the glow plugs. What I would do is go out to your truck one cold morning with a stopwatch and time how long it takes for your wait-to-start light to go out. Add about 5 seconds and that's how long you should time it. I'm not too too familiar with 7.3s, but I do know that on any year model 6.0, if the wait-to-start light takes more than 10-15 seconds to shut, even on 0 degree mornings, then you need new glow plugs.

I would also seriously look into plugging your truck up at night if you're not already. I plug my truck up every night once it starts getting in the 40s and my wait-to-start light will go out in like 2 or 3 seconds even on a 5-10 degree night (we rarely get below 10 degrees in upstate SC, but we do consistently stay in the teens).

Does your truck have a plug on it?

Everything you need to know about your truck/engine right here!!!!!!

HERE!!!!  link not working, tried clicking on it

808gmac wrote:

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HERE!!!!  link not working, tried clicking on it

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It was working the other day...but it goes to https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum31

But the link was just for general information on 7.3's. But the OP needs to find out if his truck has a plug on it. That's the best way for quicker and easier cold cold starts and it isn't as had on his batteries and other parts.

I have a plug and have done the Marinco mod to it. I use it at home but work 24 hour shifts where my truck sits outside with no plug in. That website link is just a general ford truck website. There are several other far better sources for powerstoke related info. I guess I will try and use the wts light and if it wont start then I will just tap the gpr. I still have not heard a good reason why not to do it.

Correction...just reread some of the earlier posts and I get the idea of having to wait until the plugs cycle for the truck to start if u are in a hurry. But I only plan to use the remote start for cold mornings.

Ok like I said, I'm a 6.0 guy and know very little when it comes to the 7.3's and how they work. But I still don't know what you're talking about when you say "wait until the glow plugs cycle for the truck to start if you are in a hurry"...basically I'm just saying that my truck has a "wait to start" light, and I wait for that light to go out before I turn the key over to start the truck. But even when that light goes out indicating I can start my truck, the glow plugs are still running for another couple of minutes. So what you're talking about is tapping into the glow plug relay and having the remote start turn the engine over whenever this really goes off, meaning the glow plugs have shut off. 1) this is not good for your engine, and 2) you could have walked from 1/2 mile away by the time they shut off and the truck actually turns over.
And I'm not sure if you know anything about ford-trucks.com or not, but if you were just assuming they were another run-of-the-mill forums, then you'll be surprised if you stick around on there. I can't tell you how many times I've posted problems or issues and received the correct answer to my problem within 1 minute and sometimes less, no exaggeration. Their members are far more active and far more knowledgable than Powerstroke.org or thedieselstop.com or any other forum I've ever tried.