Why does all my Lights (headlamp,taillamp,parking lamp, and fog lamps) come on with remote start?

Question

2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

OK I did the install on a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan and every thing seemed OK, I do have one question, when remote starting all lights come on Headlamps, tail lamps, parking lamps, license plate lamp and the fog lamps, (if the fog lamps were turn on before.) (this is with the switch completely off)

This happened even before I tapped in the Green/White parking lamp circuit. Everything else works fine, hood switch and brake pedal turns off the remote start.

After putting in the key and turning to the run position, the lights stay on till I push the brake pedal to put it in gear and then the lights shut off.

disconnecting the parking lamp circuit does not change anything. On remote start all the light still come on.
 

I used a EVO-CHRT4    # 001A06 319593   Version 74.14

Answer 1

Hi Everett,

 

disconnecting the parking lamp circuit does not change anything. On remote start all the light still come on.

This is actually normal and a safe way of remote starting the vehicle. Their needs to be somekind of visual that the car is started (in some cities, by law). Normally connections are required for lights to turn on but alot of newer vehicles will have lights turn on as soon as the car is started. I believe if you apply the handbrake though, the headlights would not turn on.

Comments

Well that did not work, applied the Hand brake/ Parking brake and still all the lights still come on.

After ccontacting the vendor (one of Fortin Distributors) his comment was:

"We have never heard of this issue before actually. It would be best to contact Fortin tech support.".

also I'm member of a number of Dodge forums and nobody elses 2011,2012,2013,2014 Dodge Grand Carvan or Chrysler Town & Country does this.

Also there are a few U-Tube videos showing how to install the Evo, none show thiis happening.

I live in the USA and the neither the State or City requires this function, and this function would have been activated even before the remote install. under normal starting, the lights DO NOT come on.

So the problem is not solved. This vehicle does not have DRL or automatic headlamps.

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Hi Everett,

So the problem is not solved.

Their rarely is a one answer fix for anything.

 

Without anything connected to the vehicles parking lights; looking at the LEDs on the EVO, when do all the lights turn on? With the RED led? the yellow?

 

I'm assuming this is also with a t-harness?

 

I don't see the stand alone remote starter option turned on in the EVO so I'm assuming their is also an aftermarket remote starter installed?

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Hello Robert:

This is an EVO ALL with a CHRT4 T harness and was suppose to be  flashed with option # 15 Stand alone and there is no aftermaket starter. 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan

I will have to get back to you at a later time, as I will have to remove the lower dash panel to view the lights on the EVO, but as a side note, all the lights came on even before I made the parking lamp circuit connection. also everything else functions as normal. 3 clicks of the lock button starts the vehicle and 3 clicks shuts it off.

While in remote start, puhing on the brake pedal shuts off the remote start.

the only problem is all the lghts coming on instead of the park lamps.

the only wires connected in the White 20 way are : the Yellow (Ignition connected to the T-harness yellow wire), the DK.Blue (Hood pin) and the Brown/White (Park Lamps).

Thanks for the help and I will get back to you.

This was installed using these instructions  page 6   Stand alone "C"

 http://ifar.ca/en/download/7701/preview.html

 

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Excellent, keep us posted on the LED status without that brown/white connected anywhere. I was asked if you could at the same time take a look at the dash lights.

 

Stripped down to the basics, that entire install only requires both yellow wires from Tharness to EVO to be connected for remote start. The EVO, without connecting that brown/white wire, should not even be controlling how your lights are currently reacting.

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On a similar note, when connecting to the parking light wire on the vehicle, keep in mind that this is not a direct connection considering that the lighting system is multiplexed. That white/green would react differently on which lights turn on depending on the ground applied.

• ground through a 1.2k - 1.5k Ohm resistor turns on parking lights
• ground through a 660 Ohm resistor turns on headlights
• I'm not sure what would happen if it were directly grounded.

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Hello Robert:

 have not had a chance to disassemle the lower dash panel and it was 14F this morning and has not warmed up too much.

I have a 1k ohm 1/2 watt resistor in line on the Brown/white wire,as this was suggest by one of your techs when I called before insulation. When I first installed the EVO I did not even hook up the Brown/white wire at all, it did have the resitor installed, at this point all the lights came on and I figured maybe hooking up the brown/white wire up would correct the problem.

Also I contacted the Vendor and he stated YES option #15 was check as a stand alone.

I have gone to Device Status and entered the 12 digit  nimber and it comes up with:

Service No: 001A06319593

Preload date: 04-2014

Hardware version: 6

Firmware version: 74.14

RS232 protocol: FORTIN

Vehicle: Dodge Grand Caravan 2013

But it does not come up with the options, is there a resons why NO Options are listed?

 

Thanks Everett

 

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Hi Everett,

 

The reason you cannot see the option 15 on in the device status is that it was enabled using the offline menu. I'm sure the option is on at the moment since the EVO can remote start your vehicle with 3X Lock.

 

I know that you had not even connected that brown/white wire yet and that the lights were all coming on. I was only giving some information on how to make the connections.

 

Currently, we have no bug reports about this light situation that you are seeing. This is a popular vehicle so it should only be a matter of time until we have a vehicle in so that we can try to replicate this scenario and see whats going on.

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Hello Robert:

I finally got around to trouble shoot the headlamps on problem.

You might want to change the instructions, as I replaced the 1k Ohm resistor (according to the instructions) with a 1.5k Ohm 1/2 watt resistor. That fixed the problem,   NO MORE HEADLAMPS   just the parking lamps.

The fix was expensive though, as I had purchased a Flash-Link-2 to check the settings/options

and they were all correct.

 

Hope this helps others