What is your method for kill switches?

[85_Ranger4x4]

Starter and fuel interrupts are easily bypassed.

Who is going to diagnose a old Ranger they are trying to steal? They jump in and it starts, it runs like crap, dies, tries to restart but won't. "crap, I an't got time to get arrested breaking into an old truck that doesn't even run!" and they leave.

In general, opening a circuit with a toggle switch is not a good idea, because you've introduced a component that could fail and leave you stranded.

Switches are easy to carry in the fusebox. Wires are not hard to twist together in a pinch either.

 

[ForgedCrank]

Starter and fuel interrupts are easily bypassed.

someone who has time and knows what they are doing is a thing you can't really defend against anyway. hell, look at what just happened to Tom Bailey's trucks...

(he recovered them, by the way).
this is just my cheesy way of making it more difficult for the passing opportunist, so I want to keep it simple. odds of someone even wanting this old heap are pretty slim anyway

 

[mikkelstuff]

Oooh I like this. I want a kill switch on my '75 Ranchero - now fuel injected, I can easily install a hidden interrupt toggle switch for the EFI.

 

[sgtsandman]

Or you could always just pull the fuse for the pump. If I remember correctly, mine is in the box in the engine bay. So, they can look at the in cab panel all they want, they won't find what they are looking for.

 

[SenorNoob]

I like the AC switch trick. Might have to borrow it.

Tho I'm more likely to use that switch for an air horn compressor.

 

[Uncle Gump]

On something older with one coil I'd run a wire from the ground side of the coil under the dash to a grounded toggle switch. By pulling the ground side of the coil to ground all the time, no spark.

I'm having a bit of trouble thinking this one through.

By grounding the negative side of the primary windings of the ignition coil... it would certainly not spark until that ground was removed. But it would allow constant current flow through the primary windings. Seems it would likely overheat the coil and cause damage.

Am I missing something?

 

[Mechrick]

Am I missing something?

Nope, that's an accurate analysis. No worse than leaving a key on in a points equipped car (which we all know not to do). If a thief does it and smokes the coil, he's really not going anywhere. Coils are relatively cheap.

I remember on my '87 Fox body Mustang, the fuel pump relay was under the driver's seat. Easy-peasy to reach under, unplug it and pop it in my pocket.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Nope, that's an accurate analysis. No worse than leaving a key on in a points equipped car (which we all know not to do). If a thief does it and smokes the coil, he's really not going anywhere. Coils are relatively cheap.

I remember on my '87 Fox body Mustang, the fuel pump relay was under the driver's seat. Easy-peasy to reach under, unplug it and pop it in my pocket.

I remember pointed ignition days. Not just toasted ignition coils... but pretty burned up primary ignition wiring.

I just can't see much good coming from wiring the negative side of an ignition coil directly to ground... for any reason.

 

[Mechrick]

The last vehicle I did that to was a full size Bronco, and the reason I did it was because a few months out of the year I pulled the top off and it sat in my driveway that way.

I opened up the loom for the ignition coil and added a single black wire to the ground side of the coil, routing it through the dash to a grounded toggle switch buried under the dash. When shutting the vehicle down, I would reach under the dash and flip the toggle switch.

The circuit was nearly invisible, and prevented someone from jumpering power to the coil and taking off. Those old carbed Fords powered up the module and the coil from one circuit.

There were a few times I forgot to flip the switch back when starting, it never hurt anything. But I didn't crank it very long before realizing what I'd done.

 

[bobbywalter]

if i tell ya...