Arctic Cat apparently wants $400 US for a remote start and install. I found this little item which combines a remote start and alarm into a neat package and may interest some of you. It was designed for motorcycles which means it must have relatively good waterproofing. The kit was purchased on ebay for $35 here.

EDIT: The link was going to expire so I updated it to the ebay store. He has several models to chose from but for this application I do not belive any of the other models will fit the vent hole. You may have to flip through a few pages before you find the model I chose but just look for "Motorcycle Alarm security remote start engine" http://www.stores.ebay.com/samitoelectronicsinc

In this pic you can see the shape of the head of the key which is to the right. I had to get a spare Arctic Cat key and saw/drill/grind/file to match the one that came with the kit in order for it to fit the remote. To the left is the final product after I installed the modified key. If you do not want to go to all this trouble then simply attach your key to the chain on the remote.

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL348/944791/3836270/48795905.jpg

In the next 2 pics you can see the side markers I put in for signalling and improved visibility at night. Size wise they are almost perfect (just about a 1/4" to short) and fit very well in the recess after removal of the original reflectors. You will be required to drill 2 new holes in the plastic to secure them in place with bolts and locknuts. I warn you, it is a big install for the rear portion!!! The markers are of the LED type so they draw almost no current, will not burn out and are completely sealed. I purchased them here. Heck they ended up costing more than the remote starter/alarm. The side markers are optional and the system does not require you add these to function.
http://www.ledtrailerlights.com/cm/cm_M20350.htm

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL348/944791/3836270/48795589.jpg

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL348/944791/3836270/48795508.jpg

In the next pic you see where it all gets connected. The smaller wire loom feeding into the main ignition harness is my install.

Wiring is as follows:

First color is always from remote module and the next wire is at the ignition harness. I preferred to use a small precision screw driver and release the female spades from the igniton connector in oder to let me solder to the terminal as opposed to tapping into the wire but either method will work fine.

Orange to Yellow/Red
Blue to Black/yellow
Black to Black or chassis
Red to Red/White.
Yellow to side clearance markers or taped up if this is not used.
Pink and Grey from module are taped up and not used.
There is a black wire which is indicated "cut to reduce sensitivity". This is for the alarm sensitivity and must be cut otherwise if you sneeze it will go off.


http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL348/944791/3836270/48795394.jpg

In the next pic you can see where I installed everything and it makes it very neat, protected and unobtrusive. The siren which is the red thing to the upper right has 2 holes in the base and I was able to remove an existing screw of the sled and use it to securly hold the siren in place. I had to drill out one of the siren base holes to accomodate the larger diameter screw and I also had to file away a little plastic from the body of the siren to allow the head of the screw to sit properly and to be able to get the socket wrench on it. The module itself is secured with 2 tie wraps which go through the 2 holes I drilled in the plastic. Both the module and siren have a sticky tape on the backside to help in securing them. I was a little concerned about the small size of the siren but it actually hurt my ears when set off in my garage. Believe me, it's very loud.

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL348/944791/3836270/48795187.jpg

Put the vent cover back on and this is all you see.

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL348/944791/3836270/48795262.jpg

Operation is very simple The lock and the unlock buttons equate to arm and disarm. The lightning bolt button gets pushed twice and on then a second time is when the starter engages. Holding it when pushed the second time will let it crank until you release it otherwise it will only crank for about 2 seconds which may not be enough to fire her up. Caution should be used because once it's running and if you mistakenly (highly unlikely) push it twice again it will grind the gears but only for 2 seconds. The siren chirps twice about 10 seconds after the sled is shut down as a reminder to arm the alarm. One chirp is armed and 2 chirps is disarmed. After it has started it will only run for 8 min unless you push the start button again which will allow you to operate the sled without the key or if you insert the key and turn it to the on position. There is also a little switch on the remote to turn it off in order to avoid unwanted signals being sent when you put it in your pocket.

I guess the big question is how long will this thing last? I'll tell you when it breaks which is hopefully never. The beauty of the whole thing is if something were to cause problems for whatever reason you could simply open the vent cover and unplug the harness which will dissconnect everything and since no wires were cut or jumped, it will be as if you never installed it. The install is fairly new but I have used both the alarm and started it dozens of times and put about 600miles on the sled with everything working as it should.

If you are only interested in an alarm and not the starter, hookup is a snap and will only require you to connect 2 wires (power and ground) but the location/install of the rest would remain the same. $35 for just and alarm is still cheap.

Enjoy and be careful out there. Please remember to keep to the right at all times, especially in the corners. My life as well as yours depends on it.

Snowride; that was an excellent, informative post!
I would suggest to the moderators that it be copied to the tech centre so people have easy access to it in the future.
Good Job!

Good article Snowride. Thanks.

great information,,,,any chance that a normal car remote starter would work also??? I have installed many in cars and you can waterproof it relatively easy,,, I have one out in the garage,,,,and all summer,,,,and a 370 with electric start,,,,, I will let you know sometime this summer

Ill bet I cant,,,,,its not efi,,,,

any chance that a normal car remote starter would work also???

It should work fine but they are much bigger physically and you would have to figure out what in the heck you are going to do with the left over 435 wires you are going to have. The car ones are much more complicated in function and require the hookup of dome lights and rpm just to mention a few. It would be far easier to dish out the $35 and get the one I installed.

It will work fine on a non EFI but if you require the use of the choke then it's going to turn over forever and never start unless you manually engage the choke and shut it off as required. It becomes fairly pointless but the alarm alone is worth the effort and you could still start it via the remote with a warm engine when no choke is required.

Since the sleds are put away and some of you are looking for summer projects, I fiqured I bring this back from the grave. :D

COOL!! Will this work with 4-stroke EFI cats?

Yep, my install is on a T660 Turbo Touring. :D I also installed the same unit on my Polaris 700EFI Quad. Both have been just great. Awfully cool during storage cause I keep my sled on a shelf in the warehouse at the office with a cover over it, every month or so I go out back, hit the remote start and let her run for about five minutes with out even taking the cover off or climbing up there.

The other solution is to buy a 05 T660 where they are now standard equipment but it will not have the alarm feature and it will definately not have the cool factor of this unit. The key and remote in one piece is just great.

This is definitely my next mod item for the summer. A great idea for the winter too. Start her up and let her warm up while stay inside drinking coffee.

The alarm really is :thumbsup: kewl.

:D Just placed my Ebay order.

Snowride did you use the optional relay (12 v, 40 amp) in the wiring?

Unless you ordered a different one or they changed/added to the diagram, I never saw this relay even mentioned. Fill me in on the details please. Maybe they added something to help out because of amperage draw on some of those massive motorcycle starters. Heck, there up to 2000cc's on some of them. All I can tell you is I have 1 installed on the sled and one on the quad and both have performed flawlessly to date.

It now includes the wiring diagram as well as a sales pitch for the relay. They are not needed for the T660. But like you said to help out those big bore cycles.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2462202671 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2462202671)

How difficult was it to add the sidelights in the back?

Biggest problem was the wiring. Not that it was difficult but the rear end needs to come off as well as partially removing the seat to get the wires up front. There is very little room to add another set of wires in there and you have to make them fit so as not to interfere with the adjustable backrest movement. I ended up using a soldering iron to melt the plastic, making the existing recess for the rear grip wires a little deeper so it would accomodate the extra wire.

You could avoid running the wires to the front by connecting into the rear tail light but the main headlights are also on this circuit and the alarm/starter signalling will not function because of the high draw when all this is hooked up. You end up getting a very faint blink which is barely noticeable and you may eventually wear out the relay in the alarm/starter module if you do connect it up this way. If you just want the lights to function as side marker lights when you start the sled,then go ahead and hook it up to the tail light.

PS I also modded the high beams to light up all four when selected by adding a relay between the high and low beam circuit. Great improvement for nightime visibility.

Here's the post on the headlight mod.

Standard 12v 4 pin relay. Coil side goes to ground and blue light wire (high beam). Contacters go to white bulb light wire (low beam) and to battery. When high beams are selected, the relay gets energized and fires up the low beams straight from the battery. Works beautifully. Got in about 100miles last night running this setup, flawless.

Next step is to try replacing the bulbs with Xenon style. Ordered 2 pairs @ 13.95 a pair. (That's cheap) I'll keep everyone posted about the improvement, if any. http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/STGH886

Now that I got a few miles in various conditions on this sled, all I can say is UNBELIEVABE. Thank you Arctic Cat for reinventing snowmobiling.

EDIT: I finally recieved/installed and tested the Xenon bulbs. Output is only marginally better than the stockers but definatly much whiter. I give them a thumbs up

:thumbsup: Successfully installed and working on a AC T660 non turbo.

Snowride great step by step instructions.

Glad to hear you got it easily installed. Was there anything in my instructions which made you think and re-read or was everything crystal clear? With todays crap instructions which are included with almost everything we buy, it's real easy to do better. Makes me sick sometimes when I see how poorly written/explained and confusing some of them are.

I found the instructions very well written and organized. The photo illustrations were helpful too. Installation went very quick and easy. Though I had to juggle my free time with my daughter to do it. She rather have me play baseball with her than me play with my own toys.

I did find LED lights (yellow trailer sidelights) for $13 a peice. They are just a 1/8 inch shorter on each side when compared to the relfectlive lens. Hope to get those in some time soon.

Since the instructions are rather brand specific I will add a wire function explanation for those of you who want to install this on whatever. I took the time to figure each wire out by using a voltmeter before I installed the unit as nothing was mentioned in the instructions that came with it.

HT202 Remote Starter/Alarm Wire Functions

Red
= Main power for module, requires a full time 12v source (not ignition powered, I said "full time" as in direct to the battery or any other wire which always has power.)

Black
= Ground, hook up to any ground wire or chassis.

Yellow
= Signaling power to set off signaling device such as flashers
and both should be connected to flashers or taped up if not used.

Orange
= Ignition power up and sends power to the ignition when using the
starter feature.

Blue
= Starter power/ground. You need to know the type of system your
Machine has. Some need to have a ground signal sent to the starter to allow it to crank, others need to have +12v which cranks the starter. This is
selected by plugging in the appropriate wire to the white wire
where it exits the module, where you will find a “bullet connector”.
Connecting to black will cause it to send a ground signal and connecting
It to red will cause it to send a +12v signal to the starter when using the
Remote start feature.

Pink and Grey
= Depending on the ignition system, these may or may not be required. They function together like a switch and are always connected but become disconnected when the engine starter is actually cranking over and then reconnect when the starter has finished. Tape up if not required for your system.

Black Wire Loop
= Alarm sensitivity adjustment and is the black wire which comes out of the
module, then goes back into the module to form a loop. If this wire is left untouched, the sensitivity will be very high, if you cut this wire, the sensitivity will be reduced. Cut anywhere in the loop and tape up both ends if the alarm goes off to easily.

I have batteryless ignition in mine,,, so I would have to add a battery to make it work. You could use something as simple as a 12 volt lantern battery to save on space, but it would not have the same ground as the sled,,, so you would have to use the ground on the battery,,, I dont think it would be a good idea to try to ground the battery to the sled though,,,
also could get expensive as you are starting the sled so there is a fair amount of drain on the battery,,,, even with a relay inline, your initial power will come from the battery,,,
any thoughts on batteryless efi???

Is there electric start available on battery-less efi snowmobiles?

Question for Snowride: When wiring the flashers, should I connect the yellow wire from the alarm harness directly to the flasher? Will this be enough power to 'flash' the sidelights? Or should I use a relay and separately power the sidelights?

Good question because I did have a problem at first when I hooked them up to the tail light wire. Problem is, the tail light wire is the same circuit as the headlights and when it tries to flash code to the side marker lights, it is also attempting to flash the tail and twin 55watt headlights. It is barely visible and i'm sure the miniature relay in the starter would not live a very long life if kept this way. Here's how I got around it.

I connected the yellow leads (both of them) directly to the side markers, at this same splice, I spliced into an ignition activated 12v source. You will have to test which wire this is but it is easily done by looking for 12v when the key is turned to the on position. This allows the signal lights to work on their own without trying to light up the whole sled, yet light up and remain on for better night time visibility when you turn the key to on and drive. Only drawback to this is the side markers will not light up if you elect to run the machine in "keyless mode". Does this make sense?

This little gizmo is 2 fold, a remote start and/or alarm system. If you do not have a battery then you do not have electric start. Kinda moot point to try to install this with out the benifit of a starter don't you think? I assume you are only referring to the capabilities as an alarm but even then it does draw a little power and you would need to charge up the newly installed battery every so often to keep it alive. Remember, all this thing does is hotwire it for you through a remote like all remote starters do. It has a few timers and a few saftey features built into the electronics of the board but essentially it's doing the same thing as if you turn the key to activate the electric start.

Originally posted by Snowride@Jun 23 2004, 03:53 PM
I connected the yellow leads (both of them) directly to the side markers, at this same splice, I spliced into an ignition activated 12v source. You will have to test which wire this is but it is easily done by looking for 12v when the key is turned to the on position. This allows the signal lights to work on their own without trying to light up the whole sled, yet light up and remain on for better night time visibility when you turn the key to on and drive. Only drawback to this is the side markers will not light up if you elect to run the machine in "keyless mode". Does this make sense?
Problem solved regarding sidemarkers lights to light up in "keyless" mode.

There is an auxiliary connector 12 volt ingition activated underneath the hood. Connecting the side marker lights to this auxiliary connector, the marker lights will come on when the ignition is turned OR the remote starter is used in "keyless" mode. Why? It is tapped to the same circuit as the head lights.

Secondly, I ran the remote unit yellow wires to the lights (+) connections and the lights will flash. The lights will also stay on once the engine is up an running.

The first picture shows the auxiliary connector. No idea what Arctic Cat's intention was but it feeds 12 volt.

The diagram of the harness underneath hood from the service manual for the 2004 T660 (turbo and nonturbo) models showing the auxiliary connector (#4) next to the KPH/MPH selection connector (#3). Location: right below the speedo assembly between the headlights. Maybe pushed back into the foam.

The connections:

From auxiliary connector to side marker lights (both +/-).

From remote controller, yellow cables, to positive (+) connection on side marker.

This results in two cable connections to the the positive (+) and one negative (-) on the side markers. The remote controller is already grounded.

The marker lights will flash when activating the alarm on/off. The lights (all) will turn on when using the remote keyless start. The side marker lights will turn on in keyless mode.

Thanks for the update/improvement. :D I will change my wires this fall when I pull down the sled.

Check out http://www.streetforceleds.com/ (http://www.arcticchat.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3812)

for some great LEDs

Does anyone know about adding the remote starter/alarm to a 2001 Ski-Doo Mxz 700?

Is it possible? What would I have to change/add?


Thanks,
Psxbs

Originally posted by Psxbs@Aug 11 2004, 02:08 AM
Does anyone know about adding the remote starter/alarm to a 2001 Ski-Doo Mxz 700?

Is it possible? What would I have to change/add?


Thanks,
Psxbs
does it have electric start? If so, you'll need to determine which wire at the keyswitch does what.

No, it does not have electric start. Does that make a difference?

Originally posted by Psxbs@Aug 12 2004, 05:47 AM
No, it does not have electric start. Does that make a difference?
Only if you want the remote start. Otherwise just installing the alarm circuit would work for you BUT if it has a battery.

No electric start I can assume that it has no battery. Is it one of the batteryless EFI? You could still add a 12 volt battery just to power the alarm.

Hope that helps.

ttt

Snowride:

How long did this installation take? I have to put two of them on and was trying to figure on time.

Forester

My first one took about 3 hours. My second alarm install on my other sled took about an hour (note two weeks later). Experience gained from the first plus having all the necessary part available made the second install quickly go by.

I guestimate three hours at most for two sleds at once.

It took me a whole darn day and then some but that's because I had to figure everything out. With the instructions shown here and little or no guesswork left and assuming you are of the capable type, I estimate 2 hours with out doing the sidelight mod. Add another 1 1/2 hours for the sidelights. Both of my units are still going strong with no problems whatsoever. :cool:

Thanks guys,

I am going to add front sidelight and when they come in I will start the process.

Forester