Manual Transmission Remote Start Issue.

Good Morning Taco Team. I need some help with my manual transmission remote start. I recently purchased a certified used 2016 Taco TRD Sport Premium 6MT. First Toyota product and love it! It came equipped with a Compustar 1WG9R-SP remote start. To equip it for the next start I follow the process the dealership showed me.

1: Turn key to off.
2: Pull out key leaving engine running.
3: Exit vehicle.

Upon exiting the truck it will shut off and lock the doors automatically. When I press the start button it does start the truck but it does so with the lights flashing and horn honking as if you pressed the panic button. I have tried it many times always with the same result. I have always driven manual transmission but have never had remote start before so am a bit disappointed that I can not use this function as intended as it is still cold season up here in Canada. I appreciate any feedback on this.

Cheers!

 

what has the dealer said

 

They want me to bring the truck in for diagnoses but no known date due to COVID19. Plus I may be on the hook for a diagnostic fee which I would prefer to avoid.

 

You should not be, assuming you are still in your warranty period.

When they demonstrated the remote for you initially, did it work as expected, since you say they showed it to you? Maybe there is a step or two left out of the written instructions?

What does the Compustar website say? Most places like that have instruction manuals online.

 

I have the same remote.. I have to pull the hand brake twice to set the remote before turning key to off position then it will lock and arm the remote after shutting the door.
Truck was bought at south point Toyota with the remote installed

 

I purchased Toyota's extended care coverage. I may not be covered as it was not installed by Toyota. I learned this when the brand new windshield was not sealed properly and water poured into the cab when I took it through the carwash. Toyota water tested the truck and found the problem but denied coverage as they did not install the windshield. Buddy who traded it in must have put a new windshield in right before. Only reason they did not charge me a diagnostic fee that time was it was in for a TSB and warranty on the backup camera.

The salesman started it no problem and I am sure I am following the procedure as it is starting the vehicle. No manual available from Compustar. Only a quick start guide which only mentions hitting the start button.

 

UPDATE!

I found these directions under Computstar support which may been my problem. I must have missed the step about holding the brake pedal down. I will try this tonight and see if it makes a difference!

KEY -

1. While the vehicle is running place the transmission into neutral, set the emergency brake, and then remove pressure from the foot brake.
2. Remove the vehicle key from the ignition. If done properly the engine will continue to run after the key has been removed.
3. Exit the vehicle and close the door. The vehicle's engine should shut off on its own within 10 seconds of closing all of the doors.
4. Once the vehicle shuts off your system will be in reservation mode and is ready to safely remote start.

 

Sorry missed the brake pedal part, they install a micro switch in the handbrake to confirm it’s activated for starting. I do a double on the handbrake as it will sometimes not engage, just a small engagement cycle, not reefing it on twice.

 

Good to know. I will try this as well. I also bought mine at South Pointe lol.

 

For my remote start there has to be a sequence of:

This must start while in gear, takes a while to pick up and perfect ....
-Push and hold the brake pedal
-Put into neutral (while still holding down the brake pedal)
- Engage E-brake (while still holding down the brake pedal)
- release brake pedal
- turn off truck
- truck will stay on until driver door is closed

 

Thanks. I have been missing the brake pedal part. It did not occur to me as the truck still started lol.

 

I don’t know about compustar settings and such but it sounds like the alarm is getting set off when the remote start turns on the ignition. My Fortin Evo One did the same thing until I realized i had to set it to “unlock before/relock after” to disable the factory alarm. Also it can take a minute or two for the alarm to arm and if you remote start it before the security light starts flashing it won’t set off the alarm, that could be why it didn’t do it when the salesman showed you.

 

So does it work now ?

 

I shall check after work and report back in the morningtide!

 

So I tested using the brake pedal during to procedure as well as the double handbrake technique and no change. Vehicle still starts with horn honking and lights flashing.

 

UPDATE! I found someone posted a question on a Compustar website about the same issue with their automatic 2016 Toyota RAV4. It appears the remote start is interfering with the factory alarm system. A remedy was to hit unlock on the factory keyfob before hitting start on the Compustar keyfob. The truck now starts without the horn honking and lights flashing. Only caveat is that you have to remember to lock the truck after is starts. I just remembered that the dealership put a new battery in the truck for me so perhaps they need to reprogram the remote start? I have to take the truck in for my new warrantied backup camera when this COVID19 situation blows over so they will have it anyways. At least I have a workaround in the interim.

 

Hmmmm . . . I would never leave any MT parked and out of gear. Guess I'm not a remote start guy.

G.

 

Yeah but you live in NC and I live in Canada. The weather sucks up here. You are at 73f right now and we are at 5f and this is the warmest its been all week. However I have driven manual for years and never once had remote start. Feels odd leaving it in neutral. But if the dealerships sell and install these I will trust my truck to stay where I leave it. Plus its only seasonal anyways.

 

Right on. I use mine all year,never parked on anything but flat surface so never worried about leaving it in gear. Glad you found a workaround

 

For our 6MT (HKEY manual) kits (and HKEY auto kits as well), we flash the modules to automatically on its own to lock, unlock, lock the vehicle to disable the alarm system after your hit lock 3 times to start it so you DON'T have to remember to do this. Sounds like they installed it and forgot to do that for you because I bet when they tested it after the install, they tested it after shutting the door...which means they remote started it BEFORE the vehicle armed itself. Had they locked the vehicle, and let it sit for a couple minutes (to give the alarm a chance to arm itself, they would HAVE seen this issue).

If you don't have means to re-flashing it yourself, find the install guide (you'll have to know what model number you have) and there may be two wires you can short together ON the remote start harness (nothing from vehicle) that will do this and you won't need anyone, or any software...