Bypass the Inertia Switch?

[almostclueless]

wow.


you knuckleheads should search for pics of folks who were burned in car wrecks.

 

[Mutant Pony]

How Many of them were Fords? The ratio is not less than any other company.
Actually, I've seen more Fords go up in flames than any other. They had nothing to do with an inertia switch or lack of though. Mostly electricaL. I saw a Taurus go up in flames sitting at the GAS pumps with no one in it. The inertia switch did it no good.

 

[almostclueless]

I don't think we'll reach an agreement here. I hope the odds are always in your favor, genuinely.

 

[Mechanickid]

whenever i get an older ranger with an inertia switch i just cut off the connector, strip the wires back with a pocketknife and wire nut them together. Never had any trouble with it. My dad did this to his 86 like 12 years ago. Only thing he did different was put some electrical tape around the connection.

 

[Accord4tehloss!]

When i used to park My SHO is areas I didnt trust over night i use to reach in the trunk and hit the switch with my fist to trip it. As a secondary measure against theft.

 

[Speedwagon]

wow.


you knuckleheads should search for pics of folks who were burned in car wrecks.

I fail to see how the inertia switch helps against this. If the engine catches on fire, all the fuel in the fuel lines can still burn back to the tank, regardless if the pump has already been shut off. And as I can attest to, even after disconnecting the electrical directly on the fuel pump, there is plenty of fuel in the lines to burn all the way back to the tank, even AFTER the vehicle has died from lack of fuel. I found this out the hard way last week, when I went into the fuel tank to fix my float. There was still plenty of pressure in the lines after killing the pump, and running the engine till it died, then restarting it even.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

If Ford is the only company to use these, why is it really a big deal if it gets bypassed?

there was a point when not every vehicle manufacturer installed seatbelts in their cars....so why bother to use it, right?

personally, ill take all the protection against being burned alive inside a metal can i can get. i love my truck...but i dont want it to become my coffin

 

[Mark_88]

I fail to see how the inertia switch helps against this. If the engine catches on fire, all the fuel in the fuel lines can still burn back to the tank, regardless if the pump has already been shut off.

It won't necessarily prevent a fire, but it will certainly slow it down. A fire in the engine bay is not necessarily caused by an accident (rear end) or even a front end damage. Accidents themselves tend to increase the chance that the occupants are not exiting quickly from a vehicle and shutting the fuel source off doesn't hurt. It's one less thing you have to worry about.

How many accidents have you been in where you were dazed enough to leave the engine running? I've been in a few and that was the last thing on my mind (shutting off the engine). I usually do a bone count to make sure I'm in one piece first...then I survey the other vehicle to see if there is anyone in noticeable pain that may need help (I usually drive alone but passengers in my vehicle would take priority).

If I happen to hear noises from the engine or see smoke then I would shut the engine off, but the two or three accidents that I've been in did not require it (one was a T-bone that spun my vehicle 180* and the other was where I hit them broadside)...

It's a safety feature...if you don't like them you can disable them yourself...but, personally, I'd want it there just in case...

 

[87Danger_Ranger]

those dam switches can be hit or miss. Ive had soem that I could have droped off a 3 story bulding and it would not hav gone off, have had some that switched hitting a speed bump hard.

If you do bypass it, wire it to a toggle switch.That way if you do get in a wreck, there is some chance of shutting off the fuel pump if the lines get broken etc.

Steps on bypassing it? What wires to where?

 

[adsm08]

Steps on bypassing it? What wires to where?

Canyoncritter's idea was overly complex with the toggle switch. The factory already installed one that can be easily reached from the driver's seat, even when restrained. On your truck I think it is silver in color, on the right hand side of the column, about 2.5 inches down from the wheel.


The easiest way to bypass the inertia switch is to just cut the wires at the plug and splice them together.

Also, this thread was dead for 12 years and one week.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Holy back from the dead post Batman!

There is a case to be made about just replacing a bad inertia switch but there is also one to be made about eliminating it. I have had issues with them before, one was faulty and left me stuck. The other every hard bump or pothole (and anyone from PA knows there are plenty of potholes) would cut it out for a split second. When it gives me trouble, I deal with it, either try a replacement or eliminate. The ignition shuts off the pump too.

IIRC, the wiring for the inertia switch goes to the relay so it’s not full power to the pump as has been suggested. If you are going to splice it, a jumper can be used for temporary testing but I wouldn’t make it a permanent fix. Don’t mummy it in electrical tape or use a household wire nut either. Solder and heat shrink is preferred or one of the solder-shrink connectors that you heat and it does both steps at once. Wiring a separate switch inline to use for anti-theft works too and a standard auto switch is fine.