P80 location of remote starter connection terminal

[abscate]

From Lee

First try to start the car using the service starter connection. That connection is a wire with a terminal attached to it that sticks out of the wiring harness as it passes by the strut mount on the left side (driver's side) of the car. It is usually a green wire with a red stripe and it is actuated by running a wire from the positive battery terminal to the connector. It is somewhat hidden but if you look at the harness between the fuse box and the top of the strut you can find it.

Picture to come

[abscate]

On the bastard 1999-2000 it's a white connector in the fuse box attached to the LHS strut tower

Picture to come

[JimBee]

From Lee

First try to start the car using the service starter connection. That connection is a wire with a terminal attached to it that sticks out of the wiring harness as it passes by the strut mount on the left side (driver's side) of the car. It is usually a green wire with a red stripe and it is actuated by running a wire from the positive battery terminal to the connector. It is somewhat hidden but if you look at the harness between the fuse box and the top of the strut you can find it.

Picture to come

Lee's description seems to fit my picture of the 96 850 connector, but I wouldn't want to put direct battery power to it without being certain. If the theory is correct, that connector should go directly to the green wire on the solenoid, right? I'll test it for continuity.

[FireFox31]

The best way to use this remote starter terminal is with a remote start switch. They should be available at your local auto parts store.

IMG_5489.JPG (6.08 MiB) Viewed 4807 times

The Actron brand (really Bosch) switch I used has nice alligator clips, but they are so big that they barely fit inside the white terminal or on the starter's trigger terminal (with the red/green cable on it). Find a brand with small, long clips.

While diagnosing my car's failure to turn over, the remote starter didn't cause it to start. I think it was a fault of the car, not the starter.

[wizechatmgr]

If the bypass works, check the "J" relay near Abscate's middle finger. I believe that is the starter relay (at least according to the weird print in the main fuse box)

[abscate]

Followup for Manual Transmission cars with ME7 (1999+)

The clutch switch on these cars is not logic input - it merely enables/disables cranking via the ECU

If you turn the key to 'crank' with the clutch engaged (foot off) it won't crank. The second you push clutch down, it will crank

[abscate]

From Lee

First try to start the car using the service starter connection. That connection is a wire with a terminal attached to it that sticks out of the wiring harness as it passes by the strut mount on the left side (driver's side) of the car. It is usually a green wire with a red stripe and it is actuated by running a wire from the positive battery terminal to the connector. It is somewhat hidden but if you look at the harness between the fuse box and the top of the strut you can find it.

Picture to come

Lee's description seems to fit my picture of the 96 850 connector, but I wouldn't want to put direct battery power to it without being certain. If the theory is correct, that connector should go directly to the green wire on the solenoid, right? I'll test it for continuity.

Follow up on this

The RED/GREEN starter bypass wire

It is red/green on all models

It lives under the fuse box cover with a white connector in 1998-1999-2000 models, not sure about earlier

It does not connect to starter directly, but to TERM 87 (load) on the Starter relay.

On automatic cars this does not bypass the PNP switch, so if you have a problem there it will be have to be jumped downstream on the green wire terminal of the pnp

...found on inter webs

[abscate]

Bumping for diagnostics on thread

[abscate]

From Lee

First try to start the car using the service starter connection. That connection is a wire with a terminal attached to it that sticks out of the wiring harness as it passes by the strut mount on the left side (driver's side) of the car. It is usually a green wire with a red stripe and it is actuated by running a wire from the positive battery terminal to the connector. It is somewhat hidden but if you look at the harness between the fuse box and the top of the strut you can find it.

Picture to come

Lee's description seems to fit my picture of the 96 850 connector, but I wouldn't want to put direct battery power to it without being certain. If the theory is correct, that connector should go directly to the green wire on the solenoid, right? I'll test it for continuity.

Follow up on this

The RED/GREEN starter bypass wire

It is red/green on all models

It lives under the fuse box cover with a white connector in 1998-1999-2000 models, not sure about earlier

It does not connect to starter directly, but to TERM 87 (load) on the Starter relay.

On automatic cars this does not bypass the PNP switch, so if you have a problem there it will be have to be jumped downstream on the green wire terminal of the pnp

...found on inter webs

Bumped for the guy I helped last night

[wizechatmgr]

Bumped because I'm sure it is as bumpy as an Albany road downtown =P