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Remote start on a Volvo 240 - - 5/20/04

Alex had an extra AviStart 3200 lying around, and asked me to put it in his Volvo. This was a great project because it is the perfect year, 1986. This is before electronics got too complicated and after there was NO electrical system besides ignition. His car had power central locks, and a real ignition switch, so this install was a breeze.

The first thing I did (like always) was to read the manual, and photo copy the important parts. Then I obtained the Haynes factory service manual, and photocopied the wiring diagrams for his year. T hen I put all of this together nicely in a little binder.

The AviStart is connected to the car with 4 main harnesses. It also has a LED, valet switch, disable switch, and antenna, which all have there own connections.

The primary harness has 12 wires, and I was impressed with the amount of wire Avital left me. Of the 12, I used 4: 12v in right from the fuse panel (with supplied 15a fuse), chaises ground, light flash, and honk out. 3 wires are listed as "no function" (for alarm add-on harness), and the rest of them are used for disabling a stock security system for remote starting. I pulled out the center console, dash, gauges, steering wheel cover, and kicker panels, shift cover. The supplied wire was enough to supply ground and +12v to the fuse panel (left driver kicker, it taped an unused fuse). The horn needed a relay because in the stock system it drew all the current through the switches, and the AviStart could only drain 200ma. The only challenge here was the light flash. I wanted it to flash all of the lights, which included the turn signals and parking lights. The hazard circuit fit the bill, but the hazard switch (which was easy enough to get to, about 3" of wire) had all the individual lights connect at the close of the switch, meaning that it was purely mechanical switching. So I hooked up 2 diodes (to stop cross blinking) and ran them to the L/R turn signal lights, and that was that.

The remote start harness was next. Avitel saved me a lot of work by including a "relay satellite" assembly that had a ribbon cable that ran to the AviStart. There were 6 wires (heavy gauge) that came out of it, and they hooked 1-1 with the heavy gauge wires coming out of the ignition switch. Per recommended in the install guide, I soldered the connections and reinforced them with zip ties. There was even an extra "second ignition circuit" wire that could be used to provide high current to another circuit if required. I left it unused (using 5 of 6).

Another wonderful thing that came with the 3200 was the "451m door lock control module". It's basically 2 pre-wired relays with a ribbon cable that goes to the AviStart with a 3 conductor ribbon cable. The only thing I was disappointed in was the lack of documentation; I had to disassemble it and do some reverse engineering. This is what I found:

(2) violet-black ' fuse ' (1) violet-black = the N/O #87
(1) green-black = locking relay, switched #30
(1) white-black = locking relay, N/C #87a
(1) blue-black = unlocking relay, switched #30
(1) brown-black = unlocking relay, N/C #87a

Volvo's system relied on 2 switches that grounded one of 2 lines (one unlock and one lock) momentarily, that went to 2 cross-linked (flip flop) relays (located behind the central panel a/c vents???). the original intentions of the box were to switch +12v and leave ground N/C, so i had to do a little modification. I cut the 2 violet-black wires before the fuse (close to the box), and taped them into a near by ground wire. Then I cut the brown-black and white-black, as they needed to float for proper operation. Then the blue-black went to the input of the unlocking relay, and the green-black went to the input of the locking relay. Tested it, it worked perfectly.

the last harness was for various inputs... his car was manual and he said he didn't want to mount a switch on the shifter, so i turned the "neutral safety switch" into a disable switch. i put the disable switch inside the "stuff holder" on the passenger side, so that the driver could reach it easily, the passenger could not, and that it could not be seen from the outside. the included hood switch was mounted in an existing hole under the hood. the wire has been run, but not connected. as Alex says "its not my hands that will get caught in the engine." the tach wire went right to the dash... a (misslabled in the service manual) red-white wire going to the dash is the tach signal. simple tap and were in busnass. the brake switch wire to an existing brake switch, and that harnass is done!

I put the antenna on the drivers side windshield, very low to the bottom. i ran the pre-terminated wire (again, very nice and easy) along the weather stripping down to the steering loom, and along that to the center console. antenna done.

the led went on a spare switch panel; 3/8" hole. the "valet switch" went right under the instrument panel brightness adjust knob, above the rear defrost switch and head light controls. same size hole, looks stock.

this was all of the connections, i put the actual unit behind the ash tray. started up on its first try. i am very impressed with the Avitel 3200, it came with all nessesary wire, switches, connections, and exclent instructions.

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