Remote Start for Miata
 

I'm considering putting a remote starter in my Miata. My car is my DD and I do a few 10 minute trips every day. In winter the coolant never really gets above 60C unless I let it warm up. I'm considering putting in forged pistons too hence the remote start idea.

Yes, I know remote start in a stick is potentially dum but I always leave the car in neutral in my parking lot.

Has anyone implemented a remote start in the Miata or have any idea of how to do it? I assume that aside from a clutch switch override there would be more involved. I also recall reading somewhere about a failsafe circuit that wouldn't let the car start unless it was in neutral.

Shouldnt be any different than any other car. One suggestion though, NEVER use the remote start unless you are 150% positive that YOU were the last one IN your car. Not even the last one to drive it, the last one IN THE CAR., otherwise you will eventually run the damn thing through a building like a guy here in charlottesville did a few years back after letting his "buddy" drive the car left it in gear and i guess the e-brake off. Im not sure on the details but i know he ended up going through circuit city and blamed his remote start.

I had a remote start on my last manual car, just do what KPLAFIN said, be 150% sure! In any case, it's just like wiring up a normal remote start system, and you have to bypass the clutch switch as you mentioned.

As much as I love the idea of a remote start, unless there was some way to let the remote start box know that the car was in neutral I wouldnt do it.

Then again I really dont need it as I dont drive enough and my car is now garaged.

I could have sworn there was a neutral switch on the transmission. There's 2 switches on the transmission. One for reverse, and one for neutral. use a test lamp and figure out which one is which.

My 99 has a nuetral switch. Just taped it and hooked it up to the remote start unit. Car won't start unless it's in nuetral. Also has an oil pickup wire so it will shut off after 3 seconds if there's no oil pressure. Also has the ability to allow you to leave the car running when you shut the key off and lock the doors. If you lock the doors with it running before it automatically shuts off, then it knows the car is in nuetral and will allow you to remote start so long as the door is not opened again. Pretty failsafe to me. And yeah I bypassed the clutch switch a long time ago.

there is a neutral safety switch...utilize it.

I thought the NA's did not have this.

they do. it's those two white plugs on the top of the tranny.

http://www.boostedmiata.com/technical/clutch_switch.jpg

Thanks, where is the clutch switch?

up underneath the dash where the clutch meets the firewall. It's one of those 'lay on your back on the floor with your legs hanging out of the car' places. It's like a button, and the clutch pedal presses it. There's some way you can wire it to bypass it, but according to flyin miata, the simplest thing to do is to buy their little $8 part that simply covers the switch and holds it engaged all the time. I personally have done neither yet.

Or you can just take a bit of insulation off the wires for the switch and jump em? or better yet get some tape and tape down the switch.

8 dollars my ass.

When I installed mine I just grounded the line that would normally sense that the clutch was in to the e-brake so the e-brake would have to be engaged to start. I took it out to a parking lot and tested it with the ebrake on and the car did fine, just killed everytime I started it in gear with the e-brake on...it always worked great except when I came home one day to pick up my car from my folks' house after our mechanic had worked on it. He had delivered my car there and taken my dad's to do some brakes. He of course just barely engaged the e-brake...not even close to all the way. I of course pressed the remote start like i always do and next thing you know my car was in the back of my dad's work car, luckily only visible damage was some scuffs which were easily repaired by some buffing and rubbing compound :)