Autostart On 93 Tecel Won't Release Starter

I have installed an Autostart brand remote car starter on my 93 Tercel using wiring info from this site (greatly appreciated by the way) . The car will start ok, but the starter never disengages. I have the tach wire connected to the black (-ig) connector on the check connector, and I have tried other points as well. All of the points had a good signal strength (12V top to bottom of signal).

I suspect the problem to be tach related, as I cannot get the unit to program the tach setting. It starts out normally, but never responds that it reset the tach setting. The default tach setting is for a 4 cylinder engine, so I think it should work out of the box.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

- Tim -

The tach signal is not a 12 volt signal rather a variable signal that is >1 volt . Make sure that the unit that you are using has a AUTO tach sense to learn the tach signal and if nor you have to make sure that the programming is 4 cylinder. If you have to use one of the injector wires ( uncommon ) and set the tach learn to 1 cylinder mode.

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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA

I checked the signal at the (-Ig) test point with a scope, and I had a very dirty square wave with a 12 volt signal. I would think that to be correct if the system was generating a gnd pulse to fire the coil, as is normal operation. I also tried using a point at the distributor, as advised by a local shop, but I believe that is the same line present at the check connector.

I also tried the injector route, but I still cannot get the unit to release the starter, or learn the tach signal.

One note tho, I had to connect the ignition wire to a different point on the keyswitch to get the engine to start. The info from the12volt.com indicated the BLACK / YELLOW wire to be ignition, but when I connected the line to that wire, the engine cranked for a few seconds, turned the headlights on then quit. I then connected the ignition wire from the remote starter to another wire (BLACK/ red I think), which gave a postive click up front, (just like when the key is turned to the on postion), and the engine would start using that setup, but the starter stays engaged.

The info I got with the remote starter states that it is factory set for a 4 cylinder engine (setting #1), and when I start the tach sense routine, the unit does respond that the setting is currently at #1, but I cannot get it to respond that it has picked up a setting to complete the tach sense routine.

If the tach signal expected is to high, would that be the culprit? I suppose I could try to limit the signal using a high value resistor.

- Tim -

Does the Autostart have an alternator sense option ?

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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA

Not from the wiring sheet that I have. Here is the diagram from the sheet. It is quite large as I scanned it in at 300 dpi. (Click image to enlarge)

So you have the VIOLET wire going to the BLACK diagnotics plug on the passenger side fender ? Try to disconnect this wire from the connector and re-do the initialization of the remote starter without the VIOLET wire plugged in. After this, reconnect the VIOLET wire to the BLACK plug and start over again. I did this to a 1993 4Runner and the exact problem happened and it did this and it worked after wards but not the first time I had plugged it into the diagnostics plug. BTW: you can delete this picture if you want by going into EDIT and delete the image so it doesn't take up so much space on this post

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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA

I Got it going!
(Or More To The Point I Got The Starter To Spin Down)

The problem was the ignition switch. It seems that when the ignition wire got 12 volts on it, with the key turned off, the power would feed back thru the keyswitch to the starter output. I just put a diode between the keyswitch and the rest of the wiring, then the starter operates normally.

I found that the system worked ok if I disconnected the keyswitch. It was just a matter of finding out which wire was feeding back after that.

As for the tach not being sensed, I connected the violet wire to the black wire at the distributor, then the tach programmed the way it should. The setting was the same as when I started, but I got program cycle to complete.


Thanks for All your help Jeff

I think most of the problem here was that the Autostart was a cheap product to begin with. It would be nice if they gave more info out, but they are trying to limit the installation to just their group of people.

Thanks Again!

- Tim -

Good to hear that everything went the way it should. 9 out of 10 times it's an installer error, but the one timesyou wish it were .

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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA

Hey  Techowl,

Sorry I'm late with info but I just snapped out of soooooz mode!  Here's how to take care of your problem if you didn't already.  Cut the RED / BLACK ignition wire.  Connect the key side to pin 87a of a relay,  motor side to pin 30.   Pins 87 and 86  to +12V.  Pin 85 to 2nd ignition negative out. 

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