Auto Start and Heater Fan

[>>SQL<< 10+ year member]

I have a 97 Honda Accord that I just installed some no name Auto Start System in.

It actually works great, the range is really good, I have no complaints esp for the $30 I paid for it.

Anyway I hooked it up to power just the IGN circuit while running.

I do not want it to Power up the main circuit as that would power up the stereo and I do not want to do that.

However the main reason I installed the unit is to warm the car in the winter as my girl has to leave at like 6-7 am and it gets cold.

I just realized today that the heater fan is not going to turn on this way. (Duh)

So I am thinking I should take an output from the unit run it to a relay and from the relay to the fan motor. I figure I can unplug the relay when it is not needed (the rest of the year besides winter)

This unit does have a Heater Fan Output wire but I am not sure how much current it can carry or even how much current the fan itself pulls.

Also to get that to work requires entering the programming mode of the unit and the directions leave a lot to be desired.

There is nothing wrong with how I am thinking to run this, right?

have any of you dealt with this before and if so what did you do?

Thanks!

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[mendon99 10+ year member]

since the Accessory and IGN wires are needed to turn on your heater, and all you're trying to accomplish besides autostarting the car is getting your heater running,

Id suggest instead that you reroute the radio's red IGN wire somewhere else or through a switch and do it manually. Why are you concerned with the radio coming on? When I install starters in my own vehicles I prefer the radio to come on in cold weather to warm up the speakers, I just keep it at a low volume.

If you wire directly to the heater and its still on the same circuit, you're not accomplishing anything (it's still going to turn on with autostart, unless you disconnect the heater's power wire from the car, in which case it won't come on normally when you do key takeover). You could work around this getting fancy with a relay, but it comes to a point where you gotta say 'whats the point?'

 

[mendon99 10+ year member]

as far as whether the unit's heater output wire can handle the load, you'd have to consult the manual. If you find nothing there, if its a thicker wire it might be able to handle it, but it never hurts to add a relay for peace of mind. It wouldnt be the first time an on board relay was fried due to too much load.

 

[>>SQL<< 10+ year member]

Well the problem is the car being at my GF's workplace.

She is a waitress and they make her park her car at the end of the lot.

The stereo can be very bass heavy (2 Skar 12's on 1,500 watts in a Pro-Rabbit box)

My headunit has a hard drive in it that stores all the music (Pioneer AVIC-Z2)

So the song my GF might have been listening to may have been quiet, the next song could be very bass heavy.

So I just do not want to draw attention to the car - esp when it is parked in the same dark far end of the lot 5 nights a week. (great place to break into a car at)

I think I am going to run a wire from the Autostart that powers up when the car is running and trigger a relay that jumps to the power wire of the heater fan.

I do not see why it will not work. I am going to wire it up Monday and see how it works.

Thank you for your help.

 

[mendon99 10+ year member]

You may get back feed and the radio will still come on, but give it a shot...depends on how the heater is wired. let me know how it works.

You could also wire your remote (to your amps) through a switch. then there wouldnt be any bass.

 

[>>SQL<< 10+ year member]

yes I thought about using a switch for either the amps or the Head Unit, but while my GF is a super sweet and loving girl, she has the short term memory of a chipmunk on crack...lol

Anyway I looked at the wiring diagram for the heater system. The fan blower motor has a relay upstream from it so I do not think bleed through is possible.

if my idea does not work I will have go to one of the other ways.

 

[mendon99 10+ year member]

yep, if its wired on the other side (correct for you) of a relay then you'll be all set. good luck

 

[Worlddre 5,000+ posts]

You could just wire the remote start correctly and use a relay to break the radio ignition during remote start if it's that serious. This is much easier then tracking down the power wire for the heater fan

 

[mendon99 10+ year member]

yep, that'll work too. good idea dre

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

I just go out and turn the car and heater on 10 minutes before I leave. heater doesn't really get hot till the car gets moving anyways. I know it's not related but, I just had to say it.

 

[>>SQL<< 10+ year member]

I just go out and turn the car and heater on 10 minutes before I leave. heater doesn't really get hot till the car gets moving anyways. I know it's not related but, I just had to say it.

thank you for the help.

That is what I used to do, However after investing $30 I no longer have to do that.

This is a Honda so the heat gets real good and hot before the car starts moving and now I can stay my lazy asz in bed while my GF goes to work.

 

[>>SQL<< 10+ year member]

You could just wire the remote start correctly and use a relay to break the radio ignition during remote start if it's that serious. This is much easier then tracking down the power wire for the heater fan

You are right, however the fan motor wire is super easy to get to, it is located on the passenger side footwell.

If my idea does not work then I think I would try your idea next as it is better than any manual switches.

 

[>>SQL<< 10+ year member]

Well the weirdest thing happened

i wired the relay to the Positive wire of the blower fan (there were only 2 wires going to the fan)

I had assumed that wiring this way the fan would just run on high whenever the car was under the remote start

Looking at the wiring diagram their was not 1 but 2 relays on the fan motor circuit.

Well to my surprise (and inability to understand this) the fan speed control on the dash still controls the speed of the fan when under remote start.

How in the H3ll? It is fine except now you have to make sure to leave the fan speed on when the car is parked at night.

I just cannot understand how jumping power like 1 inch away from the fan still can put the control knob in the circuit which is on the other side of 2 relays.

Whatever it still works.

Also I ran the power wire for the relay to the battery and put a circuit breaker on the wire next to the battery so when winter is over I can just trip the breaker and the fan will no longer come on for the rest of the year.

I had the circuit breaker and relay laying around so I am still at $30 total for a remote start system.