Iskwezm

most of the cars that worked without a actuator were were mild to stock engines.There was one that had a bigger cam and that one we had to use a a/c idle pot which was used on mid 70'c chevy's.It would open the throttle enough to prime the engine and let it idle.The others were mainly carb adjustments.

zmetalmilitia

Thanks dude. Same back at ya. I'm just here to look and maybe input my experiences and opinions when applicable.

I think I'll go work some on my car, continuing progress with the interior.

ic237

When you say carb adjustments are you talking about the idle adjustment screws. I have a bone stock engine with a bone stock 2v carb. What are you doing? Making it rich or lean? I live in florida so I dont deal with cold weather. My engine never starts without 2 pumps.

Iskwezm

where is your idle at? How did you set your idle mixture.You weather is similiar to ours so it shouldnt be much different

Norm Peterson

Let's just say I've had some experiences that have a little relevance here. I'm entirely willing to stipulate that you're the installation expert.

But in return I think a little recognition of the value of experience is in order.

If you'd ever been 25 miles from home at night in the winter in an empty parking lot with a not-quite-dead battery that finally managed to get you started with its last dying gasp, the importance of the charging and starting systems would be a little clearer. I am not making any of that up; it was a real incident that happened not quite 45 years ago.

I hope that you aren't putting me in with the "it can't be done" or "don't you dare do it to a Classic" crowds. I know it can. I've done a few nonstandard things, too (up to and including installing and tuning an aftermarket multiport fuel injection system in a car that was originally carb'ed).

What I am trying to do is urge a little caution, raise a few questions, and hopefully get people to think. Ultimately, it doesn't matter if people agree with me or not, and I'm comfortable with having provoked some thought.

I can't tell you the number of times I've set off the alarm in one of my cars or inadvertently unlocked a door or the trunk, just from incidental contact with the associated button on whatever fob. Just this afternoon, I found that the trunk on the Maxima was unexpectedly open, probably from when I bent to do something or wrestled with a stuck screen window. These are things you get from experience, if you're willing to pay attention.

On point, I suppose I could have opened the windows on some car if I had that sort of button to snag, and it could have been pouring rain. No, I'm not going to start carrying a man-bag just to keep keys and what-not from poking fob buttons.

I know that things can be done with solenoids. But I think you'd also want some sort of low rev limit set during any remote start event. I've also had an engine run away on startup before the oil pressure came up, and it proceeded to wipe out its crank bearings before I could shut it down. That this episode happened only 35-ish years ago doesn't matter - that sort of poo can still happen.


Norm

Iskwezm

I see your points Norm, but aftermarket alarms do not work the same as factory as far far as the remotes go.Most "extra" features require to push and hold the button or require a double tap for those features.I personally havent had your "bad luck" with cars so i cant say i know where your coming from.My last "big" alarm controlled everything from the sunroof to the air ride and i never accidentally open the windows or started the car.Maybe its the design of the remotes these days?

tcrote5516

OK......well I'm going to toss in an update into this madness just for fun.

- Alarm's in.
- Headlights are working (30 sec on time with lock/unlock)
- Interior lights setup (30 sec on disarm only)
- Both door selonoids are in and working.
- Hood sensor (this was another good reason to have an alarm of any kind when all you have are hood pins. 2 jumpers and a theif would be off and running.

Tossed the horn and bought a simple 120 db piezo alarm (beep beep similar to a BMW)...I agree horns/siren's do nothing so I'm not using it.

The only issue with installing these in a classic as most of you know is EVERYTHING needs relay's...I mean EVERYTHING. Any new car already has this setup for just about every function; 90% using (-)neg low amperage triggers. Once complete, the car will have 9 additional relays (BEAUTIFULLY layed out, heat shrinked and organized if I do say so myself). The drawback is this takes alot longer to install, but then again, I think its well worth it, its a long winter anyway.

Going to wire up the parking lights and blower control tomorrow.

Norm Peterson

Isk -

Like I said, it's accumulated experience. Just part of life and the way things came together those particular days. It's not all "bad luck" if you can take something useful away from it. Better still if you can pass it on. Things like the above incidents I would rather remember than repeat.

The OE's may be picking up from the aftermarket - the Subie trunk release (both on the key and on the dash) does require a sustained push (which annoys my wife, BTW). But the panic goes off too easily - I just set that one off (again) within the last hour while crawling under the sink in the downstairs half-bath to fix the drain stopper. A double-tap would probably reduce the number of these "inadvertents", but I am somehow less than convinced that it would eliminate them entirely.


Norm

tcrote5516

Norm, I have a solution!!!

Hire a plummer

Norm Peterson

If my Dad ever found out that I'd hired a plumber to unscrew, clean, and re-install a damn drain stopper, he'd never let me live it down.

But if one plumber visit would somehow magically cure all unintended fob activations now and forevermore, I might just be interested.


Norm