Alarm recommendations needed

I want to put an alarm on my '99 Ram. I would like it to have a remote start function that will work with the diesel "wait to start" circuit. Any recommendations? Any brands to avoid?

Reply to
Nosey
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I had a viper system installed on my 99 ram. Remote start, 7 level alarm, keyless entry. I don't have a diesel but I highly recommend it. I'm sure it can be programmed to wait a pre determined ammount of time before starting. the cost was about 300 bucks. Well worth it in the extreme temps of winter or summer.

Willy

Reply to
Willy Wanka

Hey, Nosey, I have the Viper installed on my '02 2500 with the Cummins TD and it works beautifully. I have the Viper 791 XV. I found a shop in Denton, TX (near where I live) that sold it to me direct, without insisting on installing it. I paid 300 bucks for it (and I installed it myself). It is great and here are the features that I find useful, including the answer to your wait-to-start light:

!) Remote start (with Two-way remote so you don't have to see/hear the vehicle to know it started)

2) Wait-to-start input for Diesels

3) configurable run times (I like to start mine when I get out of the shower and I want it to run long enough so that it's still running when I finish getting dressed and get to the truck).

4) turbo-cool-down feature programmable for several different run times.

I installed it myself a) because I can, and b) because it's a manual transmission and I don't think you can find a shop that will install a remote start on one (in case you're wondering, if you leave my truck in gear and set the emergency brake, it can STILL start and walk off...I've done it a time or two, thank God I was nearby and realized my mistake in time). :)

Anyway, I found that the 791XV was great in my truck and seemed to accomodate everything I wanted to do with it/needed it to; cool down, wait-to-start, Two-way feedback on commands, tach-sense, etc.

Here's a link to DEI's owner's manual (DEI seems to make practically every brand of car alarm out there):

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They don't seem to have the install manual online. :(

Anyway, hope that helps you; I've been happy with mine, most noteably with the two-way remote (there seem to be several brands that have two-way but I had not heard of the others that I saw, and I know Viper/DEI and I was able to buy it locally and the shop was good to me, answering a question or two that I had so buying a namebrand locally worked well for me.).

I've installed a couple of the Bulldog remote starts on other vehicles and they're okay but I didn't install them on Diesels and I have no idea if they supported the wait-to-start light. You can hit

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to see what they have to offer. HTH

--HC

Reply to
HC

Thanks for the recommendation. I found the Viper 791XV for $189.00 at Electronics Bonanza. It looks like a great system. How well does the remote communicate with the alarm system through walls? If I'm inside a building without any windows and the truck is parked outside 100 yards away will it still work? You mentioned in another thread that the batteries need frequent replacement on the remote. Does the system need any re-programming after changing batteries?

-- Ken

Reply to
Nosey

That is the draw back, about 300 feet in the open is the max, and it doesn't seem to work very well through walls. I think the antenna placement is the problem. Mine is on the inside of the drivers side windshield pillar and sometimes the range is much shorter depending on the direction I am from my truck. I'd try and put it in the middle behind the rear view mirror. Or better yet try and mount it outside, but I don't know how it would hold up in the elements.

You mentioned in another thread that the batteries need frequent

The batteries don't need replaced very often. And No you don't need to reprogram. I like the code jumping feature. After the fob and brain communicate they jump to a different frequency for the next operation. This stops someone from using a scanner to "capture" your frequency like they can do with garage door openers.

Hope this helps.

Willy

Reply to
Willy Wanka

As for the batteries and re-programming, my system has NOT required that I do anything after I replace the batteries. So, no re-programming of any of the functions that I use it for. There might be some functions/features that some people use that *might* require programming it again, but I'm not aware of any of them.

That price sounds ridiculously cheap. I hunted around and 300 about a year ago was the best I found so be careful to check that seller out (make sure it's not re-man or "fallen off a truck").

--HC

Reply to
HC

Sounds to cheap to me also. You can put in an el-cheepo but you won't be happy and the aggrivation will drive you to rip it out. Happened to my Bro in law.

Willy

Reply to
Willy Wanka

I found the alarm for $189.00 here:

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. Tell me whatyou guys think. They say it's a brand new unit and all items they ship areverified to ensure there are no missing pieces. Thanks for the help so far.

Reply to
Nosey

Not much info at that site. Sounds like it might be legit.

The big thing about putting the darn thing in is hooking it up.

I had mine installed by a pro and it took 4 hours. When I asked why it took so long they told me that there were so many different vehicles and many varations on each and each varation has it's own map. You also have many options as well. If you install it yourself be sure to make solid tight connections. After checking to be sure everything works as you want. Solder the connections to keep them from corroding. If one thing fails you might not be able to get your truck home.

I know I was at a truck show a couple of years back and there was a truck in the parking lot with a viper system in it. When you got within 3 feet of the truck the system said in a very loud digital voice "Please step away from the truck, it is protected by a viper security system". I thought that was kinda cool. Mine don't do that but it can if I want it to.

Good luck Willy

Reply to
Willy Wanka

The site looks good to me...that doesn't *prove* it's legit, but I've seen some that pretty much looked so bad I couldn't believe they were legit. :) You might try calling their 877 number to make sure they have a human there, and then use your credit card to pay for the stuff so you can fight 'em that way if things go sour.

A buddy of mine used to do professional installs at a shop in Houston (for 7 years) and he swore by mechanical connections (crimp connectors). Willy's right about corrosion but as long as you're not driving this thing in the surf you should be okay, I think. What my best friend and I do when we install these things (between the two of us we've done remote start and remote keyless on 6 vehicles in the last few years, all our own vehicles) is to slip some heat-shrink over the wire, cut the insulation off the crimp connector, crimp the bare connector on the wires, and then slip the heat-shrink over the union/connection and shrink it down. No troubles so far on any of our vehicles. The heat-shrink tube should help cut down on the corrosion possibilities. The most important thing about using crimp connections is not to shower down on it with all your might; a good firm grip on the crimper is sufficient; if you really hit 'er hard you might sever some of the conductors in the wire, making a weaker connection.

Other tips include. FUSE IT FUSE IT FUSE IT. :) Put a fuse on all power supply lines (where you get power from the vehicle for anything; the alarm unit, battery feed for horn, lights, or whatever else you get a power wire for. Fuses are cheap and I'm convinced that about half the cars you see on the side of the road on fire are because somebody installed some aftermarket electronics and didn't fuse it and it got across something.... That wire from the power supply (battery, ignition circuit, run circuit, or accessory circuit) is looking to become toaster wire...all you have to do is have it wear through the insulation on something rough you didn't see and BAM red-hot wire running through your dash and wherever else you ran it. :( Is it likely to happen? Maybe. Is it cheap and fast and easy to put a fuse on it and not have to worry about it? Yes. :) Fuse it as close to the power supply as you can.

Another tip, make sure you know whether the output on the alarm/remote start is high current or low current. For instance, I thought the output for dome illumination on the 791XV was high current...it's not, and the dome illumination circuit in my truck is high current...so I hooked it up and it burned out that part of the head unit. :( Fortunately the shop I bought it from went ahead and warranted it back to the manufacturer for me...but be careful. Relays are your friend. Relays rock. You can get all the relays you need from most any parts store; some stock them on the hang pegs by the after-market lights and such. You can also ask for a horn relay for a 98 Dodge Ram 1500 (most of the '94-'01 Dodge trucks use the same relay for most everything, but giving the parts monkey a specific year and make and model will avoid confusion on his part).

Here's a great site with info on installing things like this and some great info on setting up relay packs to control the various door lock circuits:

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You can get wiring colors for your particular vehicle here:

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(click on Vehicle Wiring Diagrams, then scroll down on that page and click the big text about diagrams).

The only part of the install that I remember that might leave you stuck somewhere (besides the time it's torn up during the install ) is that you cut the ignition wire to splice in a relay that acts as 1) the ignition bypass/kill for when the alarm is armed AND 2) acts as the anti-grind device (preventing you from hitting the starter when the engine is running in auto-start. I'd not be too worried about it. 1) do it on a weekend you have free, 2) have a buddy around for moral support and also to get a second opinion from if you have questions.

I got tired of having to go to Wal-mart and buy crimp connectors in their paltry selection, winding up with a boat-load of one size or type and needing more of another and having to buy more of both, tired of hunting heat-shrink tubing, and tired of not having the stuff always here so I hunted around and found these folks:

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I loaded up on crimp connectors and found their prices to be good, the selection excellent, and I was pleased with the order I placed. I bought about 300 bucks worth of connectors from them and bought a big tackle box to store it all in.

Oh, on the relays, you can also clean up on relays at the wreckin' yards. If you are going for some other parts, grab a couple of handfuls of relays and fuses; often they'll let that stuff go for no addtional cost to the price of whatever big items you're there for. :)

HTH.

Good luck.

--HC

Reply to
HC

I got the Viper 791XV alarm from Electronics Bonanza. The total charge was $200.03 with shipping. They delivered it within a week of my order. I installed it myself without any drama except the 5-wire power door locks. That had me baffled for a while but I figured it out. The 2 way remote seems to work well in open spaces up to about 300 yards. If anyone else here decides to do their own alarm or stereo work I recommend subscribing to

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install bay. It's free to register and the site is an amazing source of information. Thanks HC and Willy Wanka for your input.

Reply to
Nosey

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