ive been looking around for answers on this and havent been able to paint a clear picture for myself on what needs to be done to install an aftermarket alarm. some people are talking about having to mess with the factory alarm to get an aftermarket one to work and others make no mention of it. all the information i can find is old from 2008 and 2010. the goal is to install a viper alarm with remote lock and unlock along with remote start in my car.

can anyone clarify how cpu#2 works with the stock alarm?

from what i gather, the passenger door has a factory actuator on it and all i would need is one more for the driver side correct?

in what way can i test the factory alarm system to see if its even functional?

i would love to just buy an alarm and take it to a shop for them to install but i really dont trust anyone in a 3hr radius to do it properly. i dont know if the fd is special in some way when it comes to this type of thing and im willing to bet the people around here dont either. i dont want to end up with a wiring debacle as an end result so i am turning to the community for answers.

 

Gonna follow this cause I am going to do the same. But my car does not have an alarm at all (no factory)

 

Good question. Never really been a good "how to" on doing keyless entry on an FD. I did mine YEARS ago.

First off, IMHO fancy car alarms went out of style in the '90s. I don't need the car shouting VIPER ARMED at me or anything. The factory alarm does most everything you need it to do - if someone opens the door with a jimmy or something while it's locked, alarm goes off and starter is disabled. Or jimmy'ing the trunk or hatch. Of course, if someone REALLY wants your car they will get it - hook up a tow truck and there ya go.

That said, you can get JUST keyless entry systems that don't have all the alarm stuff. I have an older one on my car - the Boa from DEI. DEI really makes some of the better systems, the brain box has built-in relays and everything, so you just have 1 box and not a bunch of goofy relays and junk. That system isn't made any more (I think I put it in like 10 years ago!) but there are similar systems out there.

The first hurdle is adding a solenoid to unlock the driver's side door. The passenger door has a power lock solenoid already. So, if you unlock the driver's door, the passenger door will unlock as well, just like when you unlock it with a key. But, it can be tricky to hook up the solenoid and make it nice and reliable. One route that has been talked about in the past is using a JDM "passenger side" solenoid - since it's US driver's side, there you go. It's WAY harder than it should be to make that work, I spent HOURS and almost permanently "locked" myself out of the car. There are extra sensors on the driver's door that need to be added to the JDM latch mechanism (which has the unlock solenoid). You'd be time, money, and frustration ahead using a standard aftermarket door lock solenoid.

I THINK, if memory serves, that the keyless entry I have (and I imagine most of them) has an output wire that ties into the factory alarm to tell the factory alarm that the remote unlock was an "authorized" unlock so the alarm doesn't go off. I don't remember this being difficult or weird.

Testing the factory alarm is easy, and it's all outlined in the shop manual. Easiest is to roll the windows down, lock the car, and let the system arm. The Security light goes solid after you lock the door, then it eventually starts a slow blink. The blink means it's armed. Reach in the window, unlock the door from the inside, alarm should go off. Then, just stick the key in the door or ignition and turn it to kill the alarm.

I would try to do this yourself if at all possible. There's no WAY I want some shop yanking on FD interior plastics and drilling holes and chopping wires. Remember, they will go as fast as possible to get it done, they will not take the time to do it carefully and properly.

Dale

 

I'm in a similar boat. I have the AdvancedKeyless entry system with push start still sitting in its box waiting to be installed. Ahead of that, I secured a JDM passenger side solenoid but have yet to proceed due to the lack of forum info overall.

With the headaches mentioned above regarding add'l sensors on the driver's side needing to be kept in play, is it feasible enough to simply use the JDM component along with a suitable aftermarket unlock/lock solenoid such that the door latch mechanism can be utilized? My original one has aged quite a bit over the years. And the JDM passenger version that I have seems to be in better shape overall. (Or perhaps it is better to go with a new USDM unit combined with an aftermarket solenoid, and simply call it a day?)

 

I'm planning on doing a keyless entry/alarm in my 1993 jdm. I currently have a US passenger side actuator installed in my driver door. With that installed, you can't use the little trigger switch that let's the system know if the the handle is lifted.. or however the stock system works. I will have to replace the module under the dash with the alarm unit. Also.. the factory switch on the driver door will no longer be able to unlock the passenger side lock. No big deal really. I'm glad to have keyless entry with progressive unlocking. Will just have to unlock passenger side manually for a passenger or use the button on the remote.

 

I am in the same boat, going to put an alarm in mainly for the power unlock. I used to install remote starters/alarms years ago so I have that part covered While doing some research on the drivers door lock actuator I came across this thread
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...r-lock-368617/

That should help in setting up the actuator, which is going to be the most time consuming. I have yet to put my alarm in I bought it and went to install a couple months ago but the main harness in the box was for a remote starter got it exchanged but I have been lazy since lol.

Mike

 

I'm happy I found this thread

 

Ever consider installing an OEM keyless from a JDM model?

 

I don't know of anyone in the US that has tried the JDM OEM keyless entry. Looking at pictures of it, I think it's assuming there is wiring and actuators in the car that wouldn't be there. Also, they were designed for the 99+ cars, there was already a significant revision in '96, so there's a LOT of things that could have been changed.

Last I saw they go for like $400-500. Not worth the price or the gamble.

Dale