RE: Re: In Car Video/PC's

["Phil Harris" <phil@xxxxxxx>]

> I used to have a Clifford SmartStart (remote starting) fitted to my
> automatic Senator. It was only supposed to be fitted to automatics,
for
the
> obvious reason that an automatic won't start in gear, but a manual
will.
It
> used a connection to the reversing light circuit to convince itself
that
the
> vehicle was an automatic, since you have to go through reverse when
going
> from park to drive. If you used the remote start 10 times, without the
box
> sensing that you'd driven off having been through reverse, it would
shut
> down and you'd have to send it back to the factory to reset it. Of
course,
> it became apparent, that this scheme could be fooled fairly easily by
wiring
> it to the brake light, instead. Which would allow you to fit it to a
manual.
> Unsuprisingly, I heard of an Escort driver at one of the car hi-fi
shows
> who's vehicle was seen driving itself across the car park, with the
> inevitable result.

The old Smartstarts that I used to fit simply linked into the
"park" switch
on auto boxes...

They have actually changed the remote start now so that it can be fitted to
manuals ... if I understand correctly there is a switch which is connected
to the clutch pedal and for the remote start to be avalable the clutch must
be released when the engine is turned off (i.e. it had to have been in
neutral when the engine was stopped) and then the key removed. If the
clutch
pedal is subsequently dipped (i.e. to drop it into gear in case the
handbrake slips) then it locks out the remote start.

Of course you can still force most cars into gear without depressing the
clutch. :-(

Phil