How To Question:

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one6five

New member
So I've got a strange question that hopefully someone knows the answer to...

I'm looking to put an ignition kill switch in my car for security reasons. I've looked for write-ups on how to do it but haven't found anything. So if you know any write-ups on the best non-ghetto way to install an ignition (not battery) kill switch, please send them this way. But that's not really my question. I know the clutch pedal has a safety trigger that doesn't allow the car to start unless the clutch is pushed in all the way. Is there a way I can turn that safety trigger into a momentary kill switch?

I'm not an electrical/wiring ninja, but I'm not a complete idiot either. So if anyone knows if that's possible/how to do it, step-by-step instructions would be much appreciated.
 
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WarTowels

Active member
Speaking of non ghetto, isn't this what security systems are for? Zing!


Idea: What if you relocated the clutch switch to a location only you knew?

-Towels
 
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one6five

New member
Yeah I guess I could do a security system, but in my opinion they're annoying and not super effective. I like your suggestion, but I don't know where the clutch switch is. I'll look for it tomorrow, but if anybody can save me the time/pain/frustration of locating it I would be quite happy.
 
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toayoztan

Moderator
The clutch swith is right behind the pedal...you depress it everytime you have to turn the car on and hold the clutch down.

I'm not sure what you mean by using the clutch switch as a kill switch? It kind of already serves that purpose...all you could do really is just move it to a diff location.

If you want a true kill switch, I suggest wiring in a fuel pump cut off switch.

http://www.the12volt.com/

This website will have more than enough info to get you started on a fuel pump cut off switch or an ignition kill switch.

But I agree, the alarm for me really serves as a secondary security system. I like having an isolated kill switch (fuel or ignition if the alarm doesn't come with it) as my primary security from getting my car stolen (it obviously won't serve any purpose in deterring people to smash windows and steal things lol).

Bryan
 
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one6five

New member
Bryan,

Thanks for sharing that link, that should help me quite a bit. So I found the clutch switch and it's a pretty hefty sized switch, kinda hard to hide it somewhere else. So what I'm thinking I'll do is get a smaller, less obtrusive momentary on/off switch and wire it to the existing clutch switch setup. But I'll take a good look at 12Volt and see if they have any better recommendations.
 
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phattyduck

New member
It might be smarter to allow somebody to try to start the car (ie, the starter spins the motor) - but disable the fuel pump. You can just interrupt power to the Circuit Opening Relay (really, the fuel pump relay, but Toyota calls it that). For normal driving (or parking in the garage) you can leave a switch 'on' and the car will start up. For safety, just turn it 'off' and the fuel pump would never turn on. Hide it in a good place, and viola... It would be better to make somebody think your car sucks and doesn't start than think that you have a kill switch and then they look for it.

-Charlie

PS. This reminds me... I gotta add a kill switch. :doh:
 
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one6five

New member
Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to do the ignition cutoff, but the idea of the fuel pump cutoff is probably a better theft deterrent.

I got a momentary pushbutton switch from RadioShack (see photo) and I'm going to clip the clutch safety wires and rewire them to my button which will be hidden. I want to double check to see if I'll need a relay for this new setup. I figure I don't since all I'm doing is adding 2-3 feet of wiring, but I want to get other peoples' input. And keep the recommendations/suggestions coming!

EDIT: The tabs on the switch are crazy tiny. Do I need to get a bigger switch that will allow me to solder heavy gauge wiring to it, or is there some ninja solder technique that will work for the small tabs? (I like the low profile button switch and would rather not go larger if i can help it)
 

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Simba

New member
You need to define what you want to do with more clarity. You have a momentary switch, which suggests you want to be able to shut down the engine while running independent of the ignition. If that is the case, run a relay on the coil ground and flip it with your button switch. Engine will immediately stall.

The clutch switch won't accomplish anything once the engine is already running.

However, you want to immobilize the car so it won't start in a theft situation, there are a number of methods to go about it. You can interrupt the coil as above, or the fuel pump, or the injector power supply, or piggyback on something that already does one of those things (e.g. clutch switch). In this case, you don't want a momentary switch, you want a toggle switch, be it a button or lever or what have you, it needs to remain in a given contact position to be of any use.

You do not need to use a relay with the clutch switch as it is simply providing a low amperage ground. You do need a relay when the amperage of the circuit you're manipulating is greater than the switch you're using.
 
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one6five

New member
Yeah I guess I wasn't super clear. Sorry about that. I've since changed my mind and I'll be going with a fuel cut off switch. I'm going to splice in a on/off switch into the fuel pump line.

I'm basically going to run the on/off switch from the ground wire up to the cockpit and back. I assume I don't need a relay for that, but i could be totally wrong. Would it be best to splice the switch into the ground wire or the power wire? Thanks for the help
 
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Simba

New member
one6five":37fvmwmc said:
Yeah I guess I wasn't super clear. Sorry about that. I've since changed my mind and I'll be going with a fuel cut off switch. I'm going to splice in a on/off switch into the fuel pump line.

I'm basically going to run the on/off switch from the ground wire up to the cockpit and back. I assume I don't need a relay for that, but i could be totally wrong. Would it be best to splice the switch into the ground wire or the power wire? Thanks for the help
Click to expand...

Switch the ground on the fuel pump relay coil, not the pump itself. You do not need a relay in that instance (you very much DO if you're messing with the pump itself). The relay is in the engine bay and easily accessible.
 
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one6five

New member
Simba":uy6na3bm said:
Switch the ground on the fuel pump relay coil, not the pump itself. You do not need a relay in that instance (you very much DO if you're messing with the pump itself). The relay is in the engine bay and easily accessible.
Click to expand...

Awesome. That's exactly what I needed. Once I get it done I'll post pictures for anyone else wanting to do this.
 
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one6five

New member
So I pulled the fuel pump relay but I don't know which wire is the ground. There are four wires:red, blue, black with yellow and tan with black. (See picture). Any input?
 

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Simba

New member
Check the wiring diagrams or trace them with a multimeter. If memory serves it's blue-red. You want whatever of the two smaller gauge wires has continuity to ground and does not have +12V when the ignition is on.
 
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st165-alltrac

New member
Did you figure out which wire is which? Also where is the fuel pump relay located exactly? Id also like to do this pretty soon since I don't have an alarm and its better than nothing.
 
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one6five

New member
Thanks for reviving this post! I've been meaning to post an update. Funny story actually, a few days after I posted this and started looking for a switch and getting the wiring and everything, my other car (97 Honda Civic) was stolen! :doh: So when I got it back, I put a kill switch in that right away. I've since moved away from Oakland to a much safer place so I haven't yet installed the switch in my AT.

I don't know which wire is the ground (I can check that after I install a new salve cylinder), but the fuel pump relay is located inside the engine compartment along the firewall. It's just about dead center along the firewall, bolted along the top of the engine compartment. If I'm not mistaken, it is a flat metal and the wires run down to a yellow connector. I would recommend checking for the ground once past the connector, but I'm not sure if it really matters... there's just not a lot of room above it. The relay should be labeled on top. If you don't find it let me know and I'll take a quick picture so you can see where it is.
 
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