2005 dodge caravan w/ pkumux remote start

I recently installed a 4203V (Viper One, Responder Remote Start) with a PKUMUX into a 2005 Dodge Caravan. The install seemed to go smoothly.

The owner provided 2 keys, the learning process for the remote start went well, with the chime and security light blinking after the second key, then showing it the Mux with the key (without the chip) after about 15 seconds the car made the chime and the security light stayed on steady, and finally starting with the key (without the chip) and the Mux activated.

The car remote started once without any issue.

I went to remote start it and instead of starting, the Caravan's marker lights flashed 4 times, it continues to not start, and each time the vehicle's marker lights flash 4 times.

It will remote start just fine occasionally, but then goes back to not starting.

It performs key takeover (valet mode) just fine.

What's going on? Any thoughts?

Antenna placement. Try shifting it around ( perhaps closer to the front of the ignition cylinder ).

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Soldering is fun!

You're talking about the ring that comes with the MUX, I can try that, though it is literally right up against the back of the front of the cylinder.

Since the vehicle's lights are flashing I thought it might be something the vehicle isn't seeing like that. But not an issue with the remote start.

It doesn't list keysense, but could it need that?

If the 4 Parking Light flashes are coming from the Viper, it  means "transmitter shutdown".  Not a Viper user,
so can't help too much there.

I stopped using the transponder chip bypasses years ago and switched to the Data style modules.  The
number of antenna wraps, antenna loop placement and cold temperatures were reliability issues. 

If you have the MUX ignition system, the Keysense is handled thru the PURPLE / Brown MUX wire. 

You could unplug the antenna harness from the PKUMUX and hold a key up against the ignition cylinder
and do some testing to see if the transponder bypass is the issue.

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Soldering is fun!

IMO if it wasn't reading the chip for the bypass it would start them die after a few seconds. I believe your issue is with the remote start itself

The four flashes are coming from the vehicle running lights, not the dei brain. I press the remote start, it blinks the parking lights four times then will not start.

Typically when it has a bypass issue it starts the car then dies yes, but that isn't happening here, it simply flashes the parking lights four times then wont start.

Is the security light flashing when it doesn't start? Also try starting it with the key near the cylinder. How did you connect the mux ignition wiring?

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Kenny
Owner / Technician
KKD Garage LLC
Albany, NY 12205

Yeah, if the security light is flashing on the cluster when you try to remote start, then its your ring placement. You can test this by unplugging the 2 pin harness from the PKU-MUX and holding the head of the key flat against the key cylinder and try to start it again. The key needs to be there before the start sequence begins. Of course watching the security light at the same time to see what its doing. Your ring placement should be between the key cylinder and the "halo" looking transponder antenna that is around the key cylinder. Be careful not to make the antenna to tight around the key cylinder. If its too tight you might not be able to remove the key after using it. The key cylinder needs to be able to push in slightly in order to remove the key. If you leave the ring a little loose before using a small zip tie to make the ring smaller, it will shift around just enough that it won't jam the key cylinder up.
As you can tell, I use the PKU-MUX a alot. Its my goto module for key start Chryslers. I usually install one-button remote starters on chrysler/jeep/dodge vehicles that have the remotes built into the head of the key. Just did a Jeep Liberty & Wrangler with a PKU-MUX, they both came out beautiful.

Correct. The PKUMUX ring is snug around the front of the cylinder. I haven't seen the factory small red bypass light blink when it tries to start.

I hooked cut the mux wire at the back of the ignition cylinder (where i picke up starter and ignition) and then put the two leads from the PKUMUX as shown to the cut mux wire.

Does anyone have any clue as to what the flashing PARKING lights mean?

Are you sure it's not the remote start causing the light flash. Unhook parking light wire to verify

You wouldn't happen to have the WHITE/ blue "activation input" on the Viper hooked up to anything, would you?

Test all your wires, you should have the following:

BLACK/ white neutral safety: needs to see a ground or the remote starter won't work. (If you installed the toggle switch, the BLACK/ white should get a ground when the toggle is on; ground goes away when toggle is off.)

brown brake: must NOT see positive or remote starter won't work. (Should get positive only when brake on)

gray hood: must NOT see a ground or remote starter won't work. (If hood switch was installed, should see ground with hood open; ground should go away with hood closed.)

The white blue is hooked up to the PKUMUX and all the above listed wires are hooked up correctly.

I as well have nearly ten years of experience installing remote starts and alarms, and am confused as to why the vehicle is behaving as such.

I take a look at it tomorrow morning.

dtarlo12 wrote:

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The white blue is hooked up to the PKUMUX and all the above listed wires are hooked up correctly.

I as well have nearly ten years of experience installing remote starts and alarms, and am confused as to why the vehicle is behaving as such.

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You have the wrong wire.  WHITE/ Blue is activation input.  Your Blue/White or solid Blue wire on the Viper is your ground while running wire...that should be the correct wire.

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Scratch that, I meant the blue with white stripe, not the white, blue, THOUGH, I will check that out too when I look at it in the morning.

:P

Ok, so I am a complete idiot. When I have trained people in install, the first thing I tell them is that 99% of issues are installer error...

That being said... The unit was a factory refurbished unit. I made an assumption that the activation on the keyfob was one press, like standard with everything else that comes out of DEI. Someone had set it to two presses...

The unit worked fine from the get go, no issues...

:P

Thanks for all the help though!