Push button and remote start in my CJ
TSB8C
Old Time Jeeper
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- 1984 CJ7, 420 HP "ZZ6 EFI" Crate engine, 700R4, D300, Dana30 front, Dana489 rear, 4.56 gears, 4" lift
Just installed a push button and remote start, with alarm, in my 84 CJ7 . I have a newer truck with push button start that I am used to, and got tired of having to remember to pull the key out of my pocket before buckling the seat belt, or worse, parking somewhere with the top and doors off and jumping out and forgetting to grab the key from the ignition before walking away when driving the Jeep (did that too many times, but been lucky). So a keyless push button system with a fob was for me. I also wanted remote start for cold days so I could start it up from the house and let it warm up before heading out to drive. Now I have an automatic and fuel injection, so remote start is easy.
I purchased a Banvie system off Amazon for about $50. It has push button start, remote start and an alarm with a siren. Pretty basic install since I didn't use the remote trunk release or the door lock/unlock features. I also previously removed the steering wheel lock in my column for towing the Jeep. So no locking mechanism or immobilizer chip to deal with. I plan to replace my column with one with tilt and no ignition cylinder. So needed the push button start first. I popped out the starter switch from the top of the column and spliced the wires to the harness in the kit. Then wired up the marker lights (vehicle locator feature), the siren (only wire that had to go from under the dash to the engine bay), and power, ground, and a sensor wire to tell the system when the engine is running after a remote start attempt. Used the learning feature on the two fobs and voila - it all works. The system also has a shock sensor to trip the alarm if the vehicle is jarred (like someone climbing in) when it is armed.
One or two quirks: In my newer truck, you press the brake pedal while hitting the start button to start the engine (normal). But you can hit the button without pressing the brake to turn it off. With the system in the Jeep, you have to hit the brake to both start and stop the engine. Makes sense since the system doesn't know if the vehicle is moving when you press the button to stop it (could be by accident or something). This kit auto-arms, so when you get out and walk away about 50 feet, it arms without you having to hit the arm button. But it does not have PKE (passive keyless entry), so you must hit the disarm button when you come to get it. With no doors to lock/unlock, this will take some getting used to. Also a note about that sensor wire this new system needs. When you use the push button to start it is not needed. But when you remote start, the system needs a way to know the engine successfully started or not. It says to use the +12V from your electric oil pump. Now I don't know any passenger cars with electric oil pumps. But you need a +12V signal here. So I tried some other sources of voltage after the engine is running. I tried the tach signal to my Dakota Digital gauges. No go. I then tried the oil pressure signal. Also a no go. I thought about the electric fuel pump. The ECM will turn that off after 3 secs or so if the engine is not running. But my ECM with this Crate motor switches the ground on my electric fuel pump rather than the positive side. So I couldn't use that without wiring in another relay. So I took a shortcut. With fuel injection there is no choke or other weather related issues that might affect successfully starting on the first try. It hits every time. So I just connected this sensor wire to the ignition circuit. So when the remote start feature turns on the ignition and then starts the engine, it will "see" the +12 on this wire from the ignition and believe the engine is started. The only small risk is that if for some reason the engine did not start on a remote attempt, it won't know that it failed and it won't do the 2 re-tries. I either have to manually retry by waiting a few secs and hitting the remote start button again or go troubleshoot the issue.
Here's a few pics. You may notice my start/stop button in the dash (right above the wiper switch) is not centered. A prior owner had drilled a hole for a 12V power plug. When I built my console, I installed two 12V plugs (one front and one back) and a pair of USB plugs that run from my second battery. So I didn't need the existing 12V power socket in the dash. When I removed it I discovered the hole was the exact size needed for the button in this kit. So I just used that existing hole as-is.
I purchased a Banvie system off Amazon for about $50. It has push button start, remote start and an alarm with a siren. Pretty basic install since I didn't use the remote trunk release or the door lock/unlock features. I also previously removed the steering wheel lock in my column for towing the Jeep. So no locking mechanism or immobilizer chip to deal with. I plan to replace my column with one with tilt and no ignition cylinder. So needed the push button start first. I popped out the starter switch from the top of the column and spliced the wires to the harness in the kit. Then wired up the marker lights (vehicle locator feature), the siren (only wire that had to go from under the dash to the engine bay), and power, ground, and a sensor wire to tell the system when the engine is running after a remote start attempt. Used the learning feature on the two fobs and voila - it all works. The system also has a shock sensor to trip the alarm if the vehicle is jarred (like someone climbing in) when it is armed.
One or two quirks: In my newer truck, you press the brake pedal while hitting the start button to start the engine (normal). But you can hit the button without pressing the brake to turn it off. With the system in the Jeep, you have to hit the brake to both start and stop the engine. Makes sense since the system doesn't know if the vehicle is moving when you press the button to stop it (could be by accident or something). This kit auto-arms, so when you get out and walk away about 50 feet, it arms without you having to hit the arm button. But it does not have PKE (passive keyless entry), so you must hit the disarm button when you come to get it. With no doors to lock/unlock, this will take some getting used to. Also a note about that sensor wire this new system needs. When you use the push button to start it is not needed. But when you remote start, the system needs a way to know the engine successfully started or not. It says to use the +12V from your electric oil pump. Now I don't know any passenger cars with electric oil pumps. But you need a +12V signal here. So I tried some other sources of voltage after the engine is running. I tried the tach signal to my Dakota Digital gauges. No go. I then tried the oil pressure signal. Also a no go. I thought about the electric fuel pump. The ECM will turn that off after 3 secs or so if the engine is not running. But my ECM with this Crate motor switches the ground on my electric fuel pump rather than the positive side. So I couldn't use that without wiring in another relay. So I took a shortcut. With fuel injection there is no choke or other weather related issues that might affect successfully starting on the first try. It hits every time. So I just connected this sensor wire to the ignition circuit. So when the remote start feature turns on the ignition and then starts the engine, it will "see" the +12 on this wire from the ignition and believe the engine is started. The only small risk is that if for some reason the engine did not start on a remote attempt, it won't know that it failed and it won't do the 2 re-tries. I either have to manually retry by waiting a few secs and hitting the remote start button again or go troubleshoot the issue.
Here's a few pics. You may notice my start/stop button in the dash (right above the wiper switch) is not centered. A prior owner had drilled a hole for a 12V power plug. When I built my console, I installed two 12V plugs (one front and one back) and a pair of USB plugs that run from my second battery. So I didn't need the existing 12V power socket in the dash. When I removed it I discovered the hole was the exact size needed for the button in this kit. So I just used that existing hole as-is.
