Disable Remote Start for Maintenance?

[JimmyKumbaya]

I'm curious if anyone has firsthand knowledge of this:

Do Ford mechanics disable the F-150's remote start capability (via the Sync screen) prior to performing maintenance? After crawling under my truck to change the oil (totally not a problem, no need for ramps or jackstands, just slide under!), it occurred to me I'd left my FordPass-equipped phone in my home, where presumably the truck could be started without input from me. Further, on some vehicles you can schedule remote starts ahead of time. Both of those make me wonder if there shouldn't be (maybe there is) some very large, prominent warning about working on a vehicle than can be cranked remotely.

I see in one Ford document(1) that remote start may be disabled if the hood is open, so maybe lifting the hood is the first thing any technician does upon starting work on one, no matter the problem being worked? Even still, I can imagine a quicky-lube place tapping the oil drain long before raising the hood ...

Jim

(1) https://www.ford.com/support/how-to...oting/scheduled-remote-start-troubleshooting/

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[Blueshound]

Really good question.

 

[Davecp114]

Most Ford vehicles will not remote start if the PCM sees the hood open via the hood ajar switch. I believe the 2021/2022 F150 is no different. Give it a try. I worked at a Ford dealer for a little over a year through the end of 2021 and technicians never disabled the remote start.

 

[JimmyKumbaya]

Just to follow up: with the hood open, trying a remote start from the FordPass app (1) returns the message "Your vehicle cannot be started remotely because the hood is open," and (2) sounds the very-loud-in-a-parking-garage horn three times ...

 

[Mauimaikai]

I've worked at an oil shop and have a friend who worked at a dealership. Both of our places of business at the time required the hood to be open before any work could be done, it served as an indicator the vehicle was being serviced. The hood being closed was always the last thing to do only after all work had been completed

 

[Oxford_Powerboost]

If the hood trick were to fail, I’m quite sure a low oil pressure event would trigger remote start to immediately shut down

 

[JimmyKumbaya]

If the hood trick were to fail, I’m quite sure a low oil pressure event would trigger remote start to immediately shut down

That's an interesting statement. Is it the case that the truck would shut its engine off -- no matter the circumstances -- in the event of a catastrophic oil loss? If yes, is that documented somewhere?

 

[Oxford_Powerboost]

That's an interesting statement. Is it the case that the truck would shut its engine off -- no matter the circumstances -- in the event of a catastrophic oil loss? If yes, is that documented somewhere?

No, I wouldn’t assume that to be the case. Shutting down while moving would be a huge liability issue for ford. I think you would most likely get a “stop safely now” message, and then it may shut down only once you come to a stop. But during a remote start event, the vehicle can’t be moving and no safety issue would arise as a result of shutting down.

I went out to do a test just now. Obviously I can’t, or won’t, create a low oil pressure scenario. However I had a hunch that anything odd occurring while on remote start would trigger it to stop. So I tried popping the hood while it was running under remote start - sure enough it shut down immediately

 

[DT444T]

If the hood trick were to fail, I’m quite sure a low oil pressure event would trigger remote start to immediately shut down

Does the vehicle have the ability to shut itself off due to low oil pressure?

Edit: Just read the next comment. I would be surprised if it COULD do that, but my Harbor Freight generator has that ability so why not my expensive-ass truck?

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