Avital Remote Start Stopped Working

The Quick Answer: Why Your Avital Won't Start

If your Avital remote start system has suddenly stopped working, check these three things immediately before you go tearing apart your dashboard:

• Valet Mode: If you see the parking lights flash but the car doesn't start, you are likely in Valet Mode. Turn your ignition key to "On" and then "Off," then immediately press and release the Valet/Control switch (toggle switch usually under the dash) one time.
• The Hood Pin: If your hood is open or the sensor is broken, the car won't start for safety reasons.
• The Remote Battery: Even if the light on the fob turns on, the signal might be too weak to trigger the sequence.

---

Troubleshooting Your Avital Remote Start

It is super frustrating when technology fails, specially in the middle of winter or a blazing hot summer. You just want your car to be a comfortable temperature when you get in. I’ve installed a few of these units over the years and helped friends troubleshoot them, and honestly, 90% of the time its something really simple.

You don't need a degree in electrical engineering to fix this. Lets walk through the most common issues step-by-step.

1. Is Your Remote Actually Working?

First things first. Does the remote lock and unlock the doors? If the remote does absolutely nothing-no light, no door locks, no panic alarm-then your remote is dead or de-programmed.

Check the Battery: Even if the little LED light on the remote flickers, it might not have enough juice to send the strong "start" signal, which requires more power than just unlocking a door. Crack that case open (carefully, use a coin or a small flathead) and swap the batteries. Most Avital remotes use CR2032 coin batteries. They are cheap, buy a two-pack.

Reprogramming the Remote: If the battery is new and it still doesn't talk to the car, the remote might have lost its programming. This happens sometimes if the car battery died recently.

To pair an Avital remote back to the car:

1. Open a car door.
2. Turn the key in the ignition to the ON position.
3. Within 10 seconds, press and release the Valet button/Control Center button once, then press it again and HOLD it.
4. The siren usually chirps to say "I'm listening."
5. While holding the Valet button, press the Lock button on your remote.
6. The siren should chirp again to confirm it learned the remote. Release everything and turn the key off.

2. The Infamous "Valet Mode"

This is the most common reason I get calls from buddies asking "Why is my remote start broken?"

Valet Mode is a safety feature designed for when you hand your keys to a parking attendant or mechanic. It disables the remote start so they don't accidentally start the engine while working on it. However, it is really easy to accidentally trigger this mode if you are fumbling with your keys or pressing buttons too fast.

Symptoms of Valet Mode: You press the remote start button. The parking lights flash (usually once or twice), maybe you hear a clicking sound from under the dash, but the engine does not crank. The doors will still lock and unlock.

How to Exit Valet Mode: The process varies slightly by model (like the Avital 4103 or 4113), but the general Directed Electronics (the parent company) method is:

1. Get in the car.
2. Turn the ignition On then Off.
3. Immediately press and release the Valet Switch (that little black push button or toggle switch the installer hid under your dash near your knees).

If you have a 2-way remote (the kind with a screen or that beeps back at you), it will usually give you a confirmation tone that you have exited Valet Mode. Try starting the car again.

3. Check the Hood Pin Switch

This is a major safety feature. Under your hood, there is a little plunger switch. When the hood is closed, the switch is pressed down. When the hood opens, the switch pops up.

If the system thinks the hood is open, it will not start. This prevents the engine from starting while a mechanic has their hands near the fan belts.

The Problem: These switches live in a harsh environment. They get rusty, corroded, or bent. Sometimes the bracket holding them bends down, so even when the hood is closed, it doesn't push the button all the way down.

The Test: Find the switch. Press it down with your finger. While holding it down, have a friend try to remote start the car. If it starts, you found your problem. You either need to clean the rust off, bend the bracket back up, or replace the pin switch. They cost like $5 at an auto parts store.

4. The Brake Pedal Safety Switch

Just like the hood pin, the remote start monitors your brake pedal. If you step on the brake, the remote start shuts down. This is so no one can steal your car by hopping in and driving off without the key.

If your brake light switch (located above the pedal) is faulty, or if you have blown tail light bulbs (sometimes the circuit relies on the resistance from the bulbs), the system might think you are pressing the brake.

Check your brake lights. If they stay on constantly even when you aren't touching the pedal, the remote start won't engage.

5. Troubleshooting by "Flashes"

The Avital system is actually pretty smart. It tries to tell you what's wrong. When you try to remote start it and it fails, look at the parking lights. They will flash a specific number of times to indicate the error code.

According to most Avital manuals (like the 4103LX), here is the decoder ring:

• 3 Flashes: Low Voltage. The system thinks your car battery is too weak to crank.
• 5 Flashes: Brake pedal is depressed (or the switch is broken).
• 6 Flashes: Hood Pin switch is active (hood is open or switch is broken).
• 7 Flashes: Manual transmission mode error (if you have a stick shift) or the neutral safety wire isn't seeing a ground signal.
• 8 Flashes: Neutral Safety Shutdown. This usually means the toggle switch (the On/Off switch for the system) is in the OFF position.

If you get 7 or 8 flashes, check the physical toggle switch usually mounted under the dash. Sometimes you kick it with your foot by accident. Flip it the other way and try again.

6. The Tachometer Signal (The "Tach")

Does your car start for a second and then immediately shut off? And then maybe it tries again, starts, and shuts off again?

This is a "Tach" issue. The remote start needs to know when the engine is actually running so it can stop cranking the starter. It usually reads the RPM signal (Tachometer) to do this. If that signal is fuzzy or the system "forgot" the idle speed, it gets confused.

You might need to relearn the Tach rate.

1. Start the car with the actual key.
2. Let it idle down to a normal RPM (wait about 30 seconds).
3. Press and hold the Valet/Control button.
4. Wait for the LED light to come on solid or flash.
5. Release the button and turn the car off.

This tells the Avital brain, "Hey, this is what the engine sounds like when it's running."

7. System Lockout / "Sleep" Mode

Sometimes the computer inside the remote starter just glitches out. It happens to phones, it happens to laptops, it happens to car starters.

To hard reset the unit, you usually have to pull the power. The main module is a black box zip-tied under your dashboard. It will have several harnesses plugged into it. The thickest harness usually has the power wires.

Unplug the harnesses, wait about 5 minutes, and plug them back in. This reboots the brain. Just be aware, you might need to reprogram your remotes after doing this (see step 1).

When to Call a Pro

Look, I love DIY stuff. But remote starters are messy. They involve splicing into your ignition harness, immobilizer bypass modules, and door locks. If you have checked the battery, the valet switch, the hood pin, and the toggle switch, and it still doesn't work, you might have a wiring issue.

Specifically, if you have a newer car (push-to-start buttons), you likely have a "Bypass Module" (like a DB3 or iDatalink). This is a separate computer that talks to your car's security system. If that module loses its programming, the Avital unit will try to start the car, but the car's security system will shut it down thinking it's being stolen.

Reprogramming a bypass module usually requires a special cable (like a DEI Bitwriter) that only dealers have. If you are at this point, go to a local stereo shop. Don't go to the dealer-go to a car audio/alarm shop. They deal with Directed Electronics/Avital systems every day.

Conclusion

Don't panic. 9 times out of 10, when an Avital remote start stops working, it's because you or a mechanic accidentally put it in Valet mode, or the hood pin is dirty. It's rarely a catastrophic failure of the unit itself.

Take five minutes, grab a screwdriver, check the hood pin, and count those parking light flashes. You'll probably be back to a warm car in no time.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why does my remote start flash 7 times?
A: 7 flashes usually indicates a "Timer Mode" or "Manual Transmission Mode" error, but in many standard setups, it indicates the Neutral Safety wire isn't grounded. Check the On/Off toggle switch under your dash; ensure it's in the "On" position.

Q: My car starts but shuts off after 5 seconds. Why?
A: This is almost always a Tachometer (RPM) issue. The system doesn't realize the car is running, so it shuts down to protect the starter. Try the Tach Learning procedure mentioned in the article above.

Q: Can a Check Engine Light stop my remote start from working?
A: Yes, on some newer vehicles. If the remote start is integrated with the car's computer via a data module, a "Check Engine" light can prevent remote starting as a safety precaution to save the engine.

Q: Where is the Valet button usually located?
A: Installers try to hide them but keep them accessible. Look on the kick panel (near your left foot), under the steering column plastic, or sometimes inside the fuse box panel on the side of the dashboard. It's usually a small black button or a silver toggle switch.

Q: My remote unlocks the doors but won't start the car. Is the remote broken?
A: Probably not. If it unlocks the doors, the battery and programming are fine. This indicates the system is in Valet Mode or a safety sensor (Hood/Brake) is preventing the start sequence.