2001 Ford Focus remote start trouble
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Security and Convenience
Forum Discription: Car Alarms, Keyless Entries, Remote Starters, Immobilizer Bypasses, Sensors, Door Locks, Window Modules, Heated Mirrors, Heated Seats, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=25699
Printed Date: August 10, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Topic: 2001 Ford Focus remote start trouble
Posted By: fusconed
Subject: 2001 Ford Focus remote start trouble
Date Posted: February 02, 2004 at 1:40 AM
I seem to have buggered myself up and I'm looking for some help, obviously. I have an Audiovox Prestige APS-996c remote start that I've installed in my 2001 Ford Focus. I got the wiring diagram off of here and have verified all of the wires with my digital multimeter. The problem I'm having is that after I've connected all of the required wires, my car won't even start with the key. Ignoring the remote start, I tried to put the key in the ignition and turn it to the start position, but the starter doesn't crank. I get power and all of the dash lights, the techometer and the speedometer all look normal, but the starter won't even crank. According to the wiring diagram, I only have one ignition wire, which is GREEN/ YELLOW and my starter wire is grey/black. I've tested the vehicle side of both of these wires while in the start position with the key and both are getting +12V. In the engine compartment, the only connection I made was to the tach wire (BLACK/ green at the ignition coil), which I checked to see if I may have severred it, but that doesn't look to be true. I removed my connection there and tried again with no success. Any ideas for me? I'm mostly a novice, so I'm not sure what to try next, and I need my car. :( Thanks, Jason
Replies:
Posted By: prdjr165
Date Posted: February 02, 2004 at 4:30 AM
This is a tricky one!The car should at least crank if you didn't cut the start wire(grey/blk).Did you install a starter cutout?There is probably a chip in the key that needs to be bypassed but it should still crank.Check and see if it's in gear or something.
Posted By: Velocity Motors
Date Posted: February 02, 2004 at 8:09 AM
Check your starter wire and see if the starter kill relay is properly wired. If you did not cut the starter wire as stated above, then test the starter wire by putting 12 volts on it and pressing the clutch ( may or may not need to press the clutch to test this ). If it turns over, then you know to look at the clutch wire instead. Make sure that the clutch wire is properly bypassed. ------------- Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA
Posted By: kiteman
Date Posted: February 02, 2004 at 9:46 AM
This vehicle requires a bypass mod. You will need to use a dei 555s. Also check you fuses under dash and hood to make sure that you didn't accidently blow one.
Posted By: Teamrf
Date Posted: February 02, 2004 at 1:58 PM
That sucks...whatever you do don't get discouraged. Just take your time and look at all the wires under the dash make sure you didn't accidently cut one of the wires you shouldn't have.
------------- ~The Rookie~
Rookie of the year that is...
Don't let the smoke out of your equiptment..it doesn't go back in.
Posted By: fusconed
Date Posted: February 02, 2004 at 2:29 PM
Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I actually figured out my mistake after posting last night while reading up on what a car with an automatic transmission does to start. When I was hooking up the siren, I connected the ground to an existing ground point. Well when I started testing the system, the siren was going off like crazy because it was apparently armed and I had the door ajar. So I disconnected the ground connection in order to make the siren stop while I troubleshot, but it turns out that the particular existing ground point was the same ground point used by the starter, and I hadn't fully driven in the screw. Once I corrected that, the car starts right up with the key. Phew! My only problem now is that I can't understand why the car won't remote start. The 2-way remote plays a little song when I try to start the car and flashes the parking lights. I'm not sure what that means. It should show smoke out of the exhaust on the remote. Hmm.
Posted By: fusconed
Date Posted: February 02, 2004 at 4:27 PM
So I have a new problem now. The Prestige APS-996c seems to be confused about the status of the hood pin switch. This problem is preventing me from programming the tach, so I obviously can't remote start it. When I try to program the tach, at the point where i'm supposed to turn on the car so that it can learn the signal, the remote and siren chirp and show that the hood and trunk are open. I've checked the hood pin switch to verify that it's not grounded and I've even removed it from the car so that it can't get grounded. Another symptom I'm seeing that doesn't make sense is that I can arm the car and it arms successfully, but when I disarm it, it complains that the hood/trunk were triggerred. Suggestions?
Posted By: daniel2002p
Date Posted: February 02, 2004 at 5:03 PM
make sure you did not ground any of the hood truck or any pin triggers. I have seen that before.
------------- 2005 Toyota Corolla S
1.8L VVT-i I-4
Always double check your wires with a DMM!!!
Do Not Use A Test Light!!!
MECP Certified Installer!
Best Buy 665 - IN IT TO WIN IT! TEAM MOBLE!
Posted By: fusconed
Date Posted: February 03, 2004 at 12:05 PM
Alright, another problem solved and another one has arisen. It turns out that I forgot to plug in the Ignition 1 wire from the remote start into the ignition 1 wire on the vehicle. After doing that, everything seems normal. No more trunk/hood weirdness. I have been able to program tach, however I can't seem to program the dei 555s. When I try to program it, the last step is to hold the capsule up to the key hole and remote start it. That actually works, but the capsule doesn't get programmed because when I try to start it immediately after, with the 555s in various places around the ignition key area, it won't start. The LED for the factory alarm starts to flash rapidly. Also one other wierdness to note, when I try to program the 555s, after switching out both keys (which are not on the same keyring) and holding the capsule to the key hole while I try to remote start it, first the remote start won't start until I've pressed the start key 4 times, which causes the siren to chirp 4 times and the parking lights to flash 4 times. Then I can finally hit the start key twice and the car will attempt to start. I think that may be my issue because I'm supposed to try and remote start the car within 10 seconds of removing the second key, but I think I'm cutting that a little close, although the car does remote start successfully during that process. I've also tested both the blue and the red cable on the 555s, which plug into the remote start console, and the red cable is getting +12V with the blue cable grounded during the remote start attempts. The car does remote start properly if I put a key in the ignition and leave it in the OFF position. I hope that's enough detail and symptoms. Thanks, Jason
Posted By: kiteman
Date Posted: February 04, 2004 at 8:37 AM
If the car will remote start with the key in the ignition, then you need to test the wire from the 555s that turns on when remote starting, it may be turning on at the wrong time ( like as it tries to remote start opposed to before it remote starts.
|