EVO-START2 - is the ignition wire not needed in some cases?

Question

I setup an EVO-START2 with an iDataStart HCX in a 2016 Kia Sorento (push-start) but since there's a T-harness the only manual connection required for the entire install is from the EVO-START2 (yellow igition wire).

The T-Harness doesn't connect to an igition wire in the vehicle, so I can't just run the EVO-START2 yellow ignition wire to the HCX or T-harness. Instead I have to connect the yellow ignition wire to a longer wire that can reach the driver kick panel, and tap a connector there.

I tried setting up the EVO-START2 without the yellow ignition wire and could not get validation (purple LED flashing) to happen, which didn't surprise me too much. I temporarily connected the yellow igition wire by pushing it into the back of the relevant pin/connector in the driver kick panel. This got me past validation and everything worked.

To finish the install I needed a longer wire, so I left the vehicle to find a wire and to show my wife the app. We started and stopped the vehicle, locked/unlocked doors, etc. It all worked (we could hear the vehicle from within the house and the app confirmed every command).

To my surprise, when I got back to the vehicle, the yellow wire had fallen out of the connector it was temporarily pushed into. This caused me to wonder if it was disconnected the whole time I was away, and so I tested functionality without it.

Everything seems to work without that wire (except for the one-time validation step). As a secondary test I tried starting the vehicle using OEM fob and watching to see if the app reported that the vehicle was on. It did and showed the countdown timer and temperature etc. I can't find anything not working.

So this leads me to the question in the title - do I actually need this wire? Everything presumably is working through data without it. If I don't connect it then I have a 100% plug-and-play installation, which is ideal.

Answer 1

Yellow wire is always required. If it was through data, validation would work. It will not sync with the network properly without it.  There is definitely an ignition wire in that install. The car would not remote start without it.

EVO-START is also not tested with ads products. Product compatibility and reliability is reliant on it being used with a fortin starter. Any concerns should be brought up to ads.

Comments

It's been working for a couple of days now without issue, which is why I started to think it would be nice not to go back and run that wire. But I'll connect it as you suggest.

You're right in that the HCX likely does connect to an ignition line in the vehicle. The reason for my thinking that it didn't is because the pin labelled ignition on the HCX diagram for manual installs, is not connected use in the diagram for T-harness installs.. but I'm now realizing that this doesn't mean another pin isn't being used for the same purpose. 

The only vehicle connector used by the HCX is the "26 PIN SMART KEY MODULE CONNECTOR". Very simple and clean. I would have 100% gotten an EVO-ONE instead of an HCX, if Fortin offered a T-harness installation for this vehicle.

So now my goal is to find the pinout of that smart key connector. If I can tap an ignition wire on the T-harness then I won't need to extend the yellow ignition wire nor tap the vehicle wiring :)

If curious, here's the install diagram: https://images.idatalink.com/vehicle-install-guides/Guides/1149/341/19308/EN/RSA-HK11A-[CMHCXA0]-(Kia_Sorento_2016_19308)-EN_20200122_160450.pdf

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locate the vehices wiring diagram of that connector the harness plugs into and it will tell you which wire on the harness is ignition. Probably easier just to ask them though

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http://www.ksmanual.com/smart_key_unit_components-1101.html

Looks like IGN is on Connector A, Pin 4.

There's also IGN2 on Connector A, Pin 7.

Should I go for IGN, and not IGN2?

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Either. As long as it tests as ignition when remote started and normal started.