Looking to install remote starter, have some questions

[peterfares]

I downloaded some installation guides for remote starters and bypass modules and it seems nearly all the work is done at the ECU, which is behind the instrument cluster.

Just to get a look at what I'll be doing, I took out my instrument panel. From what I read on the installation guides, it is directly behind it but that doesn't appear so. I did find what I think is the BCM though, but it was deep in the dash and horizontal. There are two screws, one on either side. If I were to remove them, would it slide out and be easy to work on? How far out can I get it?

Also, does anyone know a good place to store the brains for the remote starter?

[kscott]

Yes, that's the BCM. It has a lot of connectors that plug into it, you can unplug them all and completely take the BCM out of the car. There's a warning on it "don't reuse if dropped", since most of the car's security stuff is done by it, and it needs to stay reliable. On my car I tapped into several signals on the car's wiring that leads into the BCM.

The ECU is underhood next to the battery (at least it is on a 2009).

[kscott]

One other tip when working on the Altima's wiring...
Some of the cables have zip-tie-style cable clamps that snap into oval-shaped holes. Nissan doesn't sell replacements for these cable clamps - they probably only come with the wiring harness. Don't cut them and expect to be able to buy new ones. Instead, take a very small screwdriver and open up the locking tooth, so that you can reuse the old clamps.

[peterfares]

I meant BCM when I said ECU at the top, I don't need anything at the ECU, just one relay at the IPDM.
Did you install a starter yourself? Where did you store the brains of the starter?
You say you can unplug all the connectors and take the BCM out. Why would you completely take the BCM out? I just need to tap into the wires leading in, except if some do not have any wires leading to the pins.
How far out can you pull out the wires? Is it easy to work with? How did you tap in, using wire taps or strip and soldering?

[kscott]

No, I didn't install a remote starter. I thought about it, but AFAIK, none of the available units check for overheating or loss of oil pressure while the engine is idling, so decided not to risk it. The stuff inside the dashboard is packed pretty tightly everywhere, so good luck finding a space to add a unit. I'm planning to build a little box of my own electronics for a few misc. functions, to go to the right of the glove box, but the space I plan to use for this is smaller than what you'd probably want for a remote starter.

Take the BCM out just to make room to get your hands in there and work on the wiring. I can't imagine getting to the wires any other way, unless you hook in somewhere else, away from the BCM. Each cable leading to the BCM has about 4" to 5" length that can be easily opened up and worked with. I soldered everything and used 2 layers of heat-shrink insulation on each joint, then wrapped my added cables with electrical tape.

[peterfares]

How are you getting the heat shrink around the wires? Are you cutting the wires and putting your own in? Isn't it very difficult to solder in that little space?
I designed my own little circuit that I will also need to install, so 3 boxes (starter, bypass, my thing). My little box will arm and disarm the remote starter alarm when the factory alarm is armed and disarmed. This way I get to retain the use of the buttons on the doors.

What features are you adding with your own electronics?

[kscott]

Yes, I cut the wires and then soldered it back together. It is a bit time consuming, but I think for reliability you need to either solder, or at least use crimp connectors. If soldering, it would take just as long to cut off insulation from the middle of a wire. For the list of the features I'm planning on, click on the link in my sig, and it's at the bottom of the web page. It was only 10 or 12 wires, not as much as you'd need to do for a remote starter.

[peterfares]

For the crimp connectors, you still need to cut the wire, strip it, and put it in the crimp, correct?

Why are wire taps frowned upon?

[kscott]

Not a gas-tight connection, it's too easy when handling the cables to spin the tap on the wire, and the sharp edges can break strands of the wire.

[peterfares]

What if I put the wire tap on then wrapped it in a lot of electrical tape? Still not good? I'm just afraid of soldering in that little tiny space.

[peterfares]

Ok, I think I will just solder it.
I plan on wrapping the steering wheel and covering any areas the soldering iron could touch.
Just a couple of questions about that, though.
How do you keep the car from smelling like solder?
And how should I 1: add my own wire, should I cut the car's wire, strip both ends, put mine in and solder them together?
Or should I 2: cut the cars wires, strip them both, and then add my own 3 way wire in? This would give a little more room to work with I believe.

[kscott]

wrapping the steering wheel and covering any areas the soldering iron could touch

I doubt there's that much risk of directly touching the steering wheel. For the most part, you're working on the inside of the dash, and the nearby surfaces aren't anything that'll be visible after it's all put back together. Depending on your skill/experience level at soldering (and considering the number of connections to be made), it's possible that a blob of solder could fall off the iron, so maybe also cover up other things like the front part of the seat cushion and whatever's below your work area. Wear long pants. Be reasonably careful to not brush the iron against other wires and melt/dent the insulation. The Altima's wiring seems to have a type of plastic insulation that's tough and heat-resistant, though.

How do you keep the car from smelling like solder?

Just don't breathe the visible smoke. Other than that, there's not that much smell. I recommend a 40-watt iron, and use a damp sponge pad to keep the iron tip clean. If it's a heavier-gauge wire and the joint needs to carry a larger current, use an inspection mirror to check the joint afterward, and see if there was enough solder to cover both sides.

And how should I 1: [...] or 2: [...]

However you want. It'd be neater like #1. The car's wires always tend to be in a bundle with the other wires of the same connector. When I splice things in, I generally try to keep the spliced wire about the same length as it originally was, so that pulling on the cable doesn't put all the stress on that one wire. After cutting the original wire, stripping it and bending each stripped end to form a hook, there will end up being about 1/2" gap between them. This gap gets spanned by the new wire that I'm adding in. The end of the new wire is formed into an oval loop, and the two pieces of the original wire hook into it. Smash it all flat with needle-nose pliers, make sure it's all smooth without any sharp strands sticking out, and solder. On the side of the joint with your added-in wire, it helps to use a temporary piece of electrical tape to hold the two wires parallel and close together while you're soldering it.

[peterfares]

Alright, I soldered all the wires in and put connectors on the ends. Now I have to wait for my remote starter to come.
I just have a question though for anyone with a remote start. Is it possible to put the car into gear and drive off without the key? Will the gear shifter work or will it be locked when remote started? Will the steering lock disengage before you enter the car with the key?

[QR25DE]

The key will have to be inside the car for you to be able to drive off... however, if it requires the key to be in the car to start it, I'm not sure how you're remote starter will start it without it sensing the intelligent key in the car... unless it overrides that?

Not fully sure on how this works so if you can explain it, that would be awesome.

[peterfares]

I'm just about done installing my starter. I still have to stash it away behind the cluster and secure everything so it doesn't rattle. It also refused to remote start saying neutral safety switch error, so I I am just going to figure it out tomorrow, I'm too tired right now. I'll post how everything works when I'm done.

You do not need the key in the car as you need to buy an immobilizer bypass module for the Altima, and you might as well buy a good one that doesn't require a key in the car.

[QR25DE]

Cool cool. Looking forward to the results .

[peterfares]

Seems like my Bypass module isn't working correctly.

I was able to remote start a couple of times but pit-stop mode didn't work. Pit-stop mode is where you activate the remote starter while the engine is running and then you can turn the car off, locking the steering wheel and shifter but the engine continues to run.

What happens is the car shuts off then turns back on a couple seconds later (engine running the whole time). While it was remote starter the steering and shifter were locked but it did NOT turn off when pressing on the break, even with the key not in my pocket. It didn't do automatic takeover like it is supposed to. Automatic takeover is while key is in car, press on the break, it will automatically pulse the start button twice, moving the START button to ON and turning off the remote starter circuit.

Now the bypass just shows an error and will no longer bypass the immobilizer. The remote starter cranks the engine but it doesn't turn on. After I unplugged everything, the car is functioning normally. I will try again tomorrow and then contact the place I bought the bypass module from.

[coconut881]

About the key question, i am looking into the remote starter as well, mine is a 2010 2.5s, I would think it is on the same principle as other cars, the bypass module would bypass the whole ignition, when you step in the car as it is running you still need to put the car at on position (which means for us pushing the button until it is at on) and that would be the verification of the key being with the person putting the car in gear.
My question is: How did you built your own electronic box? bypass module?

[peterfares]

Wow this has been a while. My little box was just going to be a microcontroller that notices when the car was locked or unlocked using the buttons or the fob and then transmit that to the starter system by pulsing the right buttons on a hidden starter system fob. I never finished it so I didn't use it.

The iDatalink bypass module will move the car to the on position on its own when you press the brake pedal down. It does this by pulsing the start button, like if you had pressed it in yourself. I have noticed this does not always work as intended, maybe 75% of the time. When it doesn't work, the car shuts off and you have to start it again. I am unsure as to why it fails to work sometime.

The other bypass modules (when I installed mine, almost 1.5 years ago now) required you to press the button twice to move it into the ON position.

Edit: Just noticed I never posted what was wrong. There were a couple wires on the starter that I hadn't connected to anything that were required. I thought they weren't required, but I was wrong.

A thing to note: When remote started, nearly all electronics work except the AC. The radio is on and lit up, heated seats will work (remember to push the switch before leaving the car, it's a physical switch not much you can do remotely), and the heater works.
The reason the AC doesn't work is because the BCM is still in a sleep state. The BCM communicates with the AC pressure monitor and with the temperature dials to control when the AC is on or off. Since the BCM is still asleep, AC pressure can not be monitored.
There is a workaround, though it is not recommended. What you can do is install a relay that connects when the car has been remotely started. The relay is used to engage the AC clutch (it's electrically engaged). The problem with this is the AC compressor will always be on when the car is remote started, even if it has leaked out. This isn't much of a concern for a newer car, but can be once the car gets older. The other problem is the compressor will also be on in winter. You can fix this by installing a switch on the relay and flipping it twice a year.