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Remote start

1.8K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  Snowcat  
#1 ·
I would like to install a remote start system into my 2020 5 speed, but everywhere I look I can't find one that's compatible with my car, they all say "cvt only". I assume this is for liability??? Does anyone have remote start on their manual Impreza? Could you please send me a link? Thanks
 
#2 ·
I've heard of a few cases of people supossedly doing it but it's not 100% clear if everyone was talking about the OE unit or an aftermarket one. I can tell you my 2017 5mt has the option to register the starting module in SSM4, weather it will give some kind of error or not when you try to register I can't say yet. But I do plan to try, but first I'm going through the service manual diagrams to find a way to disable the unit when car is in gear.
 
#3 ·
In my last car, a 2012 Ford Focus with a 5 speed, I had a Compustar remote start.

For safety reasons, there's a routine that you have to go through for the remote starter to work. When you stop the car, you leave the engine running, engage the parking brake, put the gear select in neutral, hit a button on the remote start, then take the key out of the ignition. The Compustar will leave the engine running as you exit the car. When you close the driver door behind you, the Compustar will turn the engine off, lock the doors, and do a quick flash of the parking lights to let you know that the car is ready to be remote started. You can see how all of these things work together so that the car isn't started while in gear.

I had it installed at a local a/v shop.
 
#5 ·
Is it wired or is it computer trickery based on mph/rpm? The gear indicator takes a sec to update and its pretty easy to confuse for a moment.
There was a user who got the 5mt to work with a key but don't remember the specifics.
I seem to remember a report of a viper system being used successfully too, but thats an expensive bit of kit after installation.
If there is an easy/cheapish option for the 5mt, specifically with push button, Id love to know it.
 
#6 ·
The 5mt is already wired to detect which gear is selected so I'm just going to setup a relay to cut power to the unit if it's not in neutral
Is it wired or is it computer trickery based on mph/rpm? The gear indicator takes a sec to update and its pretty easy to confuse for a moment.
There was a user who got the 5mt to work with a key but don't remember the specifics.
I seem to remember a report of a viper system being used successfully too, but thats an expensive bit of kit after installation.
If there is an easy/cheapish option for the 5mt, specifically with push button, Id love to know it.
The display (and theoretically the computer) just use rpm/mph to update the gear. I've had it mistake 5th and 4th one time while I was on the highway, so much so I thought I had put it into 4th, clutched in - and then it fixed itself.

The car already has a clutch & neutral safety switch, every modern manual car is required by law to have them, if you wanted to setup a remote start, you'll have to either fool it into thinking the clutch is engaged when starting while the car is in neutral. Clutch switches are usually on the pedal, neutral switch is on the transmission- typically in the turret.

The neutral switch isn't used when starting - it's for disabling cruise when pulling it out of a gear. Now for the clutch switch - there sometimes are two, one for disabling cruise, the other is the safety switch. In theory you can make your own using an Arduino, just act as a man-in-the-middle with the clutch safety switch, confirm it's in neutral with the neutral switch, and have it send a start signal... though now thinking about it, you have to have the key in the car else the computer won't disable the anti-theft. Might be worth seeing if the CVT remote start system can be retrofitted to work with the 5MT.
 
owns 2024 Subaru WRX Limited
#7 ·
The display (and theoretically the computer) just use rpm/mph to update the gear. I've had it mistake 5th and 4th one time while I was on the highway, so much so I thought I had put it into 4th, clutched in - and then it fixed itself.

The car already has a clutch & neutral safety switch, every modern manual car is required by law to have them, if you wanted to setup a remote start, you'll have to either fool it into thinking the clutch is engaged when starting while the car is in neutral. Clutch switches are usually on the pedal, neutral switch is on the transmission- typically in the turret.

The neutral switch isn't used when starting - it's for disabling cruise when pulling it out of a gear. Now for the clutch switch - there sometimes are two, one for disabling cruise, the other is the safety switch. In theory you can make your own using an Arduino, just act as a man-in-the-middle with the clutch safety switch, confirm it's in neutral with the neutral switch, and have it send a start signal... though now thinking about it, you have to have the key in the car else the computer won't disable the anti-theft. Might be worth seeing if the CVT remote start system can be retrofitted to work with the 5MT.
Well first thing to note is there are two switches in the pedal, top and bottom. Bottom for starting car, top for disabling cruise control. The gear will not display until the pedal is fully released, if you accidentally rest your foot on the clutch (or not accidentally), the gear should go blank and stay blank. But it does not always go blank, and until you let off the clutch it will not update again so If you are fully letting off the clutch and getting wrong gears or staying blank your switches, connectors, or wire could be faulty.

Second I didn't mean that each gear had a wire simply that it was wired in some way to show gears, but all we really need is 1 wire. The transmission neutral position switch is labeled T12 on this diagram, though there's other places to access it. Also 1 more switch by law labeled T13, a reverse switch for the backup light and camera. The other two plugged into T12 and T13 labeled T1 and T2 I assume go to selector fork switches. Personally I've never had any issues with it showing wrong gear by the time my foot hit the dead pedal though though I could see it happening if neutral switch malfunctioned during a shift. No issues with clutchless shifting either.

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Personally I will be trying to do the OE route. The remote unit does talk to the BIU to check if parking switch is active over CANBUS, but 5MT BIU should know it's a manual so that might be the catch 22, or it might not care if parking brake is on. Not hard to short bottom switch to trick it into think pedal pressed for testing, at least you don't lose cruise control like my old Honda, but you do have to be careful about accidentally starting in gear when using turn key/button. But all the switch does is cut power from Pin A25 of ECU to starter relay for turn key, push button uses keyless module. Of course there are safer ways to do this with the right electronics than just disabling.

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#9 · (Edited)
You can see exactly where T1 and T2 go, all oval labels are connectors. I mean selector shaft not fork, but one goes to select shaft for 3rd-4th, other goes to selctor shaft for reverse. That's how it knows it's neutral or reverse. The two unlabeled green spots are the sensors, the wires for those go to T1 and T2 connectors into T12 and T13 connectors that go to ECU harness at T18. There is a diagram of everything and as I explained the only thing that checks for parking inhibitor is the BIU, then remote start module just asks BIU if car is in park over CANBUS.

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