Auto start and 4WD question

[JohnH55]

Hey guys, my explorer is an 01 sport. Since I bought it the 4wd has never worked. When turning the truck on the lights have never came on, yes there are bulbs in the sockets and they bulbs are not blown (first thing I checked). I know the TM 101 Control is mostly likely the issue (based on tons of other treads), but after reading through a few other treads mentioning auto start devices messing with the controller I want to confirm if that can cause my problem. The previous, previous owner had a nice auto start system installed on the truck. It by passes the key chip to start up, but will not drive unless the key is in and on. My question is, would an after market auto start system cause any possible issue with the 4WD controller. I want to make sure before I drop 200 on a new controller, only to find out it's not the issue.

Thanks,
John