car engine kill switch

jflick35 · 06-22-08, 04:53 PM

Ever since my brothers honda got stolen

, I have been racking my brain for some kind of cheap hidden kill switch. I created one that knocks out the fuel pump and it cost me 3 bucks. If some one wanted to steal it, they would have to tow it or do a LOT of work to get to the fuel pump. The switch is visible but anyone who saw it would not know what it is or how to operate it. It's only temporary, I found a much better way here...

Simple Ignition Kill Switch

You place a magnet on some secret place that you have selected and it activates a hidden switch. You can release the magnet and start your engine as normal. You could keep a magnet on your key chain, or hell, leave it in the car, what thief would think of doing something as crazy as rubbing a magnet around a car interior.

Anyone see any flaws here?

Box · 06-22-08, 05:54 PM

I'm afraid my Animal Magnetism would instantly render it useless.

jflick35 · 06-22-08, 07:33 PM

I'm not too worried, I don't think an elephant can fit in a civic;)

Box · 06-22-08, 08:01 PM

You might be surprised, I once owned and raced a civic and now days I have a mini.

How do you get four Elephants in a Mini?

Two in the front and two in the back. :)

How do you know if you have a herd of Elephants hiding in your fridge?

There's a couple of Minis parked out the front.

Zaniax · 06-22-08, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Anyone see any flaws here?

I wouldn't trust my life to a magnet that might drop off during a ride on a bumpy road

EDIT: Reread the link and can see the idea of having the magnet activating a holding relay

Tankman · 06-23-08, 03:47 PM

I saw one recently, cell phone parts.

Hidden under the dash, call the cell number and the vehicle'll shut down.

Law enforcement use this item while undercover observing the "bad guys."

Jogga · 06-23-08, 04:03 PM

It's an ingenious idea, but I can't help wondering if it would be easier just to deter thieves.

Remove your keys when you leave the vehicle
Lock the doors when your car is unattended
Use a high visibility crook/steering lock when you park your car
Consider a GPS tracking service
For extended periods, what about a wheel clamp?

I don't know about the rest of the world, but British thieves are lazy and tend to go for the easy targets.

Box · 06-23-08, 04:18 PM

Now I understand, those nice men that go around clamping cars are just stopping people stealing them.

You British are such nice thoughtful people.

Jogga · 06-23-08, 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by Box

Now I understand, those nice men that go around clamping cars are just stopping people stealing them.

You British are such nice thoughtful people.

Yep, and so efficient are those nice men, even the owners can't drive the vehicles away. :)

aximbigfan · 06-23-08, 05:40 PM

Too bad you can't put a switch on the magneto.... THAT would guarantee that the engine would not work.

chris

jflick35 · 06-23-08, 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by Jogga

It's an ingenious idea, but I can't help wondering if it would be easier just to deter thieves.

Remove your keys when you leave the vehicle
Lock the doors when your car is unattended
Use a high visibility crook/steering lock when you park your car
Consider a GPS tracking service
For extended periods, what about a wheel clamp?

I don't know about the rest of the world, but British thieves are lazy and tend to go for the easy targets.

yes I definately do the first two:). The gps idea would be real nice but I'm kind of poor right now. I already have an alarm with kill switch but what scared me is that my dad told me someone could run a wire straight from the battery to the starter motor.
I forgot about the steering wheel locks, I haven't seen one of those in years now. "the club" used to be such a fad. I guess people got tired of unlocking one extra thing.
Bigfan I did a short search for magneto and did not find much, apperently it has to do with fuel injection. is that true? I mostly got hits on marvel comics

aximbigfan · 06-23-08, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by jflick35

yes I definately do the first two:). The gps idea would be real nice but I'm kind of poor right now. I already have an alarm with kill switch but what scared me is that my dad told me someone could run a wire straight from the battery to the starter motor.
I forgot about the steering wheel locks, I haven't seen one of those in years now. "the club" used to be such a fad. I guess people got tired of unlocking one extra thing.
Bigfan I did a short search for magneto and did not find much, apperently it has to do with fuel injection. is that true? I mostly got hits on marvel comics

The magneto is the device that produces the current, to make the spark plugs spark. Prop driven airplanes use mags, but cars actually use a different system no a days. I'm so used to airplanes, that I sort of forgot mags are no longer used on cars.

On an airplane, there are two mags per engine, and thus they have 2 rows or spark plugs, for safety, and to increase engine performance slightly. Very, very few airplanes use the same system cars use. Those that do are experimental airplanes.

So yeah, my method is kind of useless, unless you have a very old car, or if you are in an airplane, where it is rendered null any way because you have a specific switch to turn the mags on and off.

Chris

TheFang · 06-24-08, 11:47 AM

I agree with Jogga. Keep your car locked up. I don't have a car, so can't really give you any real help but I do lock my bike up with 2 different locks. One around the front wheel, around the frame, and then to a bike rack, and the other around my back wheel, into my seat frame and then around the frame of my bike.

spyderbite9001 · 06-30-08, 01:10 PM

hey tankman, do you remember where you saw the cellphone activated killswitch? any idea on where to find/buy one? i really like that idea

spud42 · 07-01-08, 04:23 AM

put a switch in the power line to the ECU,EMU whatever you guys call it... no brain no go...... i did this to my nissan when i went away for a while. i just pulled the whole ECU plug out... thing cranked but no way was it going to fire....