Car won’t RS when very cold sometimes

Hello,

I've had the same remote starter in my car for a few years. Now that it's very cold out, it sometimes doesn't start after sitting overnight. This only happens sometimes, though...maybe 1 out of every 10 times. It lights up the dash like it's about to start, and then just clicks...it never even cranks.

I have the crank time on the default of 0.6 seconds. Do you think if I change it to 0.8 or 1.0 it might make a difference? The reason I ask that is because when it doesn't start remotely, but then I go to start it with the key, I actually have to hold the key a little longer during crank for it to start. So I thought if I increased the RS crank time by a little it might help. What I don't want is to overcrank if it "usually" works just fine.

Any ideas would be great!

That might work, check the battery voltage when it does this also. Some RS wont send the crank signal unless they see the voltage is above a threshold.

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Tire Proz Stillwater Mn
High End Restyling and Comlete Repair

Ok, what kind of car?

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Mike M2
Tech Manager
CS Dealer Services

no matter what the crank time is, the car should at least try to start.....unless your battery is goin dead. Do you have the tach wire hooked up or voltage sense?

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It's a '92 Integra. The car battery is probably somewhat on the older side, but again...this only happens ocasionally. It's hooked up (and has been hooked up for a while) with the tach wire.

Again, it doesn't crank at all. The dash lights up, I hear one "click", and then it stops.

yeah, i would say it is a problem with the remote start, could be bad connection or more likely, something internal. changing the crank time will not change the problem you are having.

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check and see if the starter out wire is sending out 12v. if it is, then I would think, mabey a hood pin causing the problem, or possibly a poor ground.

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Tire Proz Stillwater Mn
High End Restyling and Comlete Repair

have seen it a few times and it is always the car battery...

If there's no attempt at crank with a Honda, chances are a battery issue or a connection issue. The tach from a Honda is normally very good if you grabbed it at the BLUE wire at the distributor.

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

Hey, I'm starting to think you guys are right about the battery. I did use the blue wire, and it never really failed me.

I bought the car used and have had it for 5+ years...and I've never changed the battery....so who knows how old it is.

U could also try relearning the tach signal on a very cold morning to see if that helps..  That has worked for me a few times, but most likely it would be a good idea for u to get a new battery

When any starter click, either the connection, battery, or the starter itself is bad like Jeff said. relearning tach wont do anything good.

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Houston,TX
"The two most common elements in the universe are H+ and stupidity" (Ellison).

Small update:

I just went to go out during lunchtime, and the remote start did the same thing...it didn't start. There goes my theory about it only happening very early in the morning. But then again, it's like 20 outside, so I still think it's cold-related.

Just to rule out the crank issue (which I'm sure it's not) I increased the crank time right then and there while I knew the car wasn't remotely starting. It didn't help so I set it back.

What I don't understand is if the battery in the car is bad, why does it start fine with the key (it just requires me to hold the key in the crank position a little longer)?

Because the rs unit needs X voltage to operate correctly. If it doesn't see that it wont work.. Safegaurds I suppose.. check your battery first! Then go to the starter wire connections and check them out look for a high resistance from key in side to key out side of the rs starter wires. If that doesnt help ya then just reconnect the starter wire and dont run the starter wire through the rs unit at all.. see if it will start with just the output side of the rs unit...

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Tire Proz Stillwater Mn
High End Restyling and Comlete Repair

can you specify again the symptom, where the starter click or it required a longer length of crank time?

the starter click can be the problem i described above.

do you have tach-sense or volt-sense?

tach-sense - crank time is dependent on the tach signal grabbed
volt-sense - crank time is dependent on the time(0.6 0.8 1.0 ..) set by the unit

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Houston,TX
"The two most common elements in the universe are H+ and stupidity" (Ellison).

Ok, as requested...

1. I hit the remote start button
2. The lights on the dash light up, my seatbelt goes up (b/c I have auto-belts), and you can hear the fuel pump whirling
3. I hear a "click", but I'm not sure if it's the starter clicking, or if it's the RS's relay pack
4. I turn off the remote starter so it doesn't keep trying
5. I put in the key and turn
6. Now, this part is tricky to describe. When I turn the key, the car isn't "cranking" for a longer period of time, but rather it's the time the car takes to start cranking is like .5 seconds longer. In other words, when you normally turn the key to the crank position, you immediately hear it start cranking. When this situation is occuring and I turn the key, it takes another .5 seconds than normal, then cranks normal and starts.

Hopefully that made sense.

I have the RS hooked up to the car's tach wire. I have it hooked up for tach-sense (I hope!). I wonder if for some dumb reason it's set for volt-sense.

Sounds like it could be a starter or solenoid if it has one. Something is not telling that starter to engage right away... POssibly a dead spot on the starter.

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Tire Proz Stillwater Mn
High End Restyling and Comlete Repair

Ok guys...here's a little more information.

This morning the car didn't start, so I put a meter on the battery. Just FYI, it was at 9am and it's like 32 degrees out, and the car had been sitting overnight for about 15 hours.

Battery voltage = 11.85

I started the car with the key, and then rechecked the battery and it showed 14.70 volts (while the car was running).

I drove to the store and then came back and shut off the car and measured again, and it showed 12.70 volts.

Morning battery voltage on a good battery is about 12.65 volts- I think yours is heading south........

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Brcidd - Engineer That Does Remote Starter Installs on the side.

It's the vehicle battery. As already mentioned, the RS monitors it, if it drops below the preset threshold it will not allow it to RS. Load test the battery to make sure. Most auto parts stores will toss a load tester on it for free if you do not have access to one.

i will concur with the problem being the battery. I typically work on brand new vehicles since I work at a dealership. Hondas and Chryslers mostly. I have had numerous 07 Accords do this. Very common if the saleman is showing features to a new customer in the car at the purchase time after the RS was installed and they leave the doors open for a hour or two. The remote starter just clicks. The car starts "ok" with they key, but you can tell the battery isn't where it should be as far as power goes. Put a charger on it, BAM, starts right up with the RS. I'd be about 90% sure that its your battery. Living in ND, it is currently -9 degrees with a -27 degree wind chill...THATS COLD....and remote starters are still functioning properly here, given the battery is good.

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Shaun, we are the same height, that is neat!

12V Installation Technician for Honda, Dodge, Chrysler, Toyota and Jeep.

Anyone have any experience with the Autocraft Silver (# 251) battery from Advance Auto Parts? Seems like a decent little battery, and it's only $55. Again, my car is almost 15 years old, so I don't want anything really fancy. I called Sears and they're cheapest was the $75 Diehard weatherhandler. Consumer Reports seems to like Autocraft, only this model isn't listed. I always find that annoying that what they rate high and what you find in the store are two different things.

Ok, I thought I had it all figured out...but it did it again (twice).

I replaced the battery last Friday. Yesterday morning and this morning were about 10-15 degrees in the morning, and the car had been sitting overnight for about 14 hours. Went to remotely start it, and got nothing....just a click. The car started fine (with a slight delay) with the key, though.

I'm wondering since I only have a 10 minutes commute, and then the car sits pretty much all day and then all night after I drive home, maybe it's just not enough to charge the battery.

Arg

Just for troubleshooting, try re-programming the unit for voltage sense, and see if it makes a difference. You may have a problem with your tach connection.

DUDE!!!  your starter is about to take a crap!!!!!   its classic, slowly but surely it will click and not start more and more until finally you will have to bang on it w a hammer to get it to start, but if you were smart you would just replace it now. it's SHOT!!  i hope the solenoid is attached so you can get both at once.