I have had the top of the line Compustar installed on my last 4 vehicles, and up till this year have had no real problems.

This year when the temperatures get down to minus 20 celcius my starter has alot of dificulty starting my truck yet my wifes 2004 escape starts on the first try. The installers have tried to fix it a few times, and so far had no success. Is anyone else having problems with their compustars on there 2004 trucks, or are my installers doing something wrong.

Thanks for any and all feedback.
Trev

 

Does your truck have the same difficulty when starting manually at that temp?

Does it crank fine but no fire? How many times does it have to crank before it will start?

You may need to have it programmed so that the fuel pump can run longer. It may run slower at that temp and not able to pump enough fuel to fire the engine and keep it running.

I had a similar problem on my 93 K1500, getting it reprogrammed took care of it.

I do have a question for you, with your experience maybe you can give me some insight. I have gone through two 'brains' with my 2WFM Compustar starter, they keep getting fried. My installer said it probably has to do with hooking up trailer lights. Any trailer wiring problem (which I havent been able to find any problem) can supposedly backfeed into the brain via the parking light circuit and cause problems. Supposedly he said that the older units use to have protection against this, but the newer ones do not.

Is this anything you have heard of? Is there any way to protect it short of disabling the parking lights?

 

My truck will start on the first attempt when i go outside and manually start it.

I havent heard of the trailer problem, but my installers were considering replacing the main unit as a last resort. The problem i have is everytime they need to work on it, my truck is gone for half a day. As well the whole point of buying the starter was so that i wouldnt freeze my a$$ off first thing in the morning.

I have decided that before they attempt this repair, that i want them to put in writing that if the unit fails again, i want a full refund.

I then will go buy a different one from some other manufacturer that actually has a starter that works when it gets to minus 20 celcius.
Later Trev

 

PATS Interface is your problem. The type of key Ford uses on the new F150 is like the ranger, explorer, mountaineer keys. The problem is that the ford pats system with this key is very sensitive. We had this problem about two years ago when it would get cold, the pats interface would not accept the code being forced down its throat. I dunno what kind of interface they are using, but try that. They will probably say I am full of **** but I can send you the email from Ford. Let me know!!

 

The beauty of these Compustars is the interchangeability without having to mess with the wiring. Thats why I went with it. Someday if I want to upgrade to Spread Spectrum I can do so and only have to replace the antenna, main unit, and remote while only paying the difference between the two models. All the wiring stays intact.

If they want to replace the main unit it should be a quick fix. Both times that I have had mine replaced it took maybe 5 minutes at the most. Ask them if they can do it while you wait.

Hope you get it figured out and the PATS interface solves it.

If you do replace it with another brand, take a look at both Directed and Astrostart. They are both excellent brands.

 

Well after a few more unsuccessful trips to the installers to try and fix the problem with my truck, they finally gave up and replaced the entire setup with a new compustar system today. It also happens to be the coldest day of the year so far so i should get a good read on whether or not it works tomorrow morning. (fingers crossed) The installers said if it works, dont call them or come buy because they are going to run and hide as they are at their wits end trying to figure out the problems.

I really prefer the new remote as it has a few more options than my old one had. It is also better looking and doesnt have that flimsey antenna.

My wifes Escape also screwed up and they replaced the PATS interface and its has been working fine.

Oh well just thought i would post a follow up.
Trev