ELECTRONIC KILL SWITCH

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Kim, I have a kill switch that's the simple under-dash switch you originally requested.

It's stone simple to wire on these cars (it just cuts power to the coil) and there's nothing to drain the battery. I don't use it too often, but occasionally use it to crank the engine for a few seconds (without the engine firing) if the car's been sitting a long time and I want to get some oil circulating before the start.

I notice that you're in Sacramento. The best air-cooled VW mechanic around here is @Anthony (he's on this forum) at Anthony's Classic Autowerks, in Auburn. Suggest you contact him for wiring issues or any other help you might need.

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THAT RIGHT THERE^^^^^^ Thanks for being you, Mitch.

Sacto: a kill switch that does not kill everything is not really a kill switch.  It must be the same as if the battery were removed from the car.  I have such a switch.  It has to be able to handle large current, and has a nice red 1/4 turn handle and sits right on the tunnel by the shifter. when turned to the kill position, the handle comes out, you can take it with you.   Theoretically, it needs to turn off all electricity everywhere in an emergency.  Like when you crash.  I had one put in because it also can work as an anti theft device -- you can take it with you.  The car then would be very hard to start . . .

It depends on what you want to accomplish. I've got a circuit breaker in the battery box that will remove power to the whole car, but you have to raise the hood to open or close the breaker. This is very useful for when I'm working on the car.

I've got a hidden toggle switch that just disables the ECU power. It's intended to slow down any purloiner with poor impulse control and a short attention span. It won't stop a flat bed truck. @Sacto Mitch's coil switch serves the same purpose.

It strikes me that you (or the guy who installed your remote switch) need to track down exactly what's draining the battery. Removing fuses or relays one at a time can help track down the offending circuit.

Also, never discount the possibility of a failing battery or a bad battery connection. Good luck!

My JPS came with a fuel cut off valve under the passenger seat.  I can reach over and twist it  

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You are correct, Mr. Frazoo.

What I have is not a kill switch in the race car sense. It's a sorta anti-theft device (although most of our cars are probably easier to hot-wire than anything else on the planet).

My principal anti-theft device is the clutch pedal.

@Sacto Mitch posted:

.My principal anti-theft device is the clutch pedal.

Oh, please stop, my sides are splitting 😄

A Kill Switch "with a solenoid and receiver" has to be powered on all the time in order for the receiver to work with your key fob.  It's not much of a drain, but over a few weeks it'll certainly drain your battery, whether you have it actuated or not, as you've found out.

While I have every reason to believe that your switch installer had good intentions in giving you more than you asked for (and more to charge you for), in the end he gave you a battery killer instead.

Your best bet would be to find Anthoney and ask him to just put a simple switch in line with the ignition wire and be done with it.  That way, you'll not have a parasitic battery drain going on when you least want it.

@El Frazoo posted:

Sacto: a kill switch that does not kill everything is not really a kill switch.  It must be the same as if the battery were removed from the car.  I have such a switch.  It has to be able to handle large current, and has a nice red 1/4 turn handle and sits right on the tunnel by the shifter. when turned to the kill position, the handle comes out, you can take it with you.   Theoretically, it needs to turn off all electricity everywhere in an emergency.  Like when you crash.  I had one put in because it also can work as an anti theft device -- you can take it with you.  The car then would be very hard to start . . .

You're kidding, right? A guy with a single 1/2" by 9/16" box wrench could beat that easily. You find the terminals, unbolt and put both cables on one terminal. Or a creative guy with a pair of vice grips could short across the terminals. Defeated.

Anybody stealing a car will have tools. And the smarts to think on the fly. If they want it, they'll flatbed it, and it's gone.

Kill switches are required for race cars. They are convenient to disconnect power while working on the car. My Spyder has a knob on the negative terminal. Remove knob, disconnect terminal, no tools required.

I like the switch idea for the coil power, allowing oil pressure and fuel pressure buildup before lighting the flame.

A simple switch is all you need.

None of this will prevent ballsy asshats from sitting in your car like they own it.

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I've always found it funny that our cars even require a key to start.

Six inches from the front of the switch are the bare terminals on the back.

Here's the sophisticated equipment you'd need to drive off if you forgot your key:

Heck, Jim Rockford could do it without even looking, but he could make his tires squeal on gravel, so he was a better man than I ever could be.

@Stan Galat posted:

Heck, Jim Rockford could do it without even looking, but he could make his tires squeal on gravel, so he was a better man than I ever could be.

Thread Drift -
Also, besides his cool car, how did he have electricity and water in his trailer even though it was in that parking lot not hooked up to anything?

He hot-wired the grid.

@americanworkmule posted:

Thread Drift -
Also, besides his cool car, how did he have electricity and water in his trailer even though it was in that parking lot not hooked up to anything?

Umm, maybe the same way Riggs did in the "Lethal Weapon" series?

Movie magic!

he had solar and rainwater....a CA beach with no one there:} the county mounties would have his a-- outta there in a day..

My anti theft system was a button on the dash that says "Start" but is actually the horn.

^^  I really like that  ^^

Fuel cutoff with removable key.

Mine:

@Cartod posted:

Fuel cutoff with removable key.

@Michael McKelvey posted:

Mine:

You sure those are not battery cut-offs?

If not, I'd love to know where you got a cool little keyed valve like that.

@Stan Galat posted:

You sure those are not battery cut-offs?

If not, I'd love to know where you got a cool little keyed valve like that.

Well being new to all things speedster I stand corrected.  It is a battery cutoff switch.  Previous owner told me fuel shutoff and I never checked it.  It kills all power.

did a quick search and found this:

https://www.aasesales.com/prod.../g6a-a119-12z-102390

Mine is a battery cutoff.

I do have a fuse I can pull on my fuel pump relay.

I also have a valve in the hose under the fuel tank.

They also come in higher Amp ratings .....

Amazon.com: Remote Battery Disconnect Switch Upgraded Kill Switch for Car Truck DC12V 200A Wireless Dual Remote Control Anti-Theft Prevent Battery Drain Battery Disconnect Switch Isolator On Off with 2 Keys : Automotive

I can steal your speedster in 10 seconds .... wire from B+ Alt to Coil + and pop the clutch.  Did this 2 x with the HS Principal's late 60's VW. First time parked it on the school's front lawn... Second time just behind the podium stage at Graduation, as I shook the Principal's hand I pointed to his Beetle   :~)

@Alan Merklin posted:

I can steal your speedster in 10 seconds

"Gone in 10 Seconds", starring Al Merklin

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@Alan Merklin posted:

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.... wire from B+ Alt to Coil + and pop the clutch...

A reminder here that there is at least one good reason for having an actual kill switch or battery cutoff.

It's easy to forget that (on most of our cars) the bare terminal on the alternator is wired straight to the battery with heavy cabling (via the solenoid) and no fuses.

And most of the metal bits around it in the engine room are at ground. A dropped wrench or some distractions while puttering about there could lead to some real excitement.

For most of us that's a more likely use for a real kill switch than discouraging theft or helping rescue workers when you shunt at Goodwood.

Mitch, the battery hot wire on the starter MUST be covered on race cars. I used a silicone boot, and have a battery cutoff of course.

Strangely enough, my Spyder is NOT equipped with this silicon condom of protection. I think I'll add it over the winter.

HINT: a battery cutoff makes welding on your clown car REALLY convenient. As most probably know, the battery needs to be disconnected while welding. This saves electrical and electronic devices from getting FRIED during welding.

@Alan Merklin posted:

I can steal your speedster in 10 seconds .... wire from B+ Alt to Coil + and pop the clutch.  Did this 2 x with the HS Principal's late 60's VW. First time parked it on the school's front lawn... Second time just behind the podium stage at Graduation, as I shook the Principal's hand I pointed to his Beetle   :~)

We used to steal our band director's yellow Bug. Open engine lid, pull parking light wire off and place on coil. Get in, turn on park lights and pop the clutch. See ya!

@DannyP posted:

Strangely enough, my Spyder is NOT equipped with this silicon condom of protection. I think I'll add it over the winter.

I use a silicone ignition boot from a package HVAC unit.  Sorry, no P/N, but I've moved it from engine to engine.

@Stan Galat posted:

I use a silicone ignition boot from a package HVAC unit.  Sorry, no P/N, but I've moved it from engine to engine.

I have a bag of 'em, red and black. Bought them for the EFI install.

@americanworkmule posted:

Thread Drift -
Also, besides his cool car, how did he have electricity and water in his trailer even though it was in that parking lot not hooked up to anything?

“I won’t kill for it and I won’t steal for it other than that I am open to just about anything “.  Famous quote on making money!

Loved the show and those kill switches are available from Hella too

Obviously, Dr. Obvious, any motivated car thief with the time, tools and inclination can make off with just about any car ever made, I suppose.  So a Kill switch with the battery still in the car is certainly not fool proof.  But it very well could thwart any miscreant with a sudden impulse.  That's all we are going for here.  I find the principle use of my kill switch is as mentioned: to aid with working on the car.  I don't think I have ever switched it off and taken the key/toggle with me as a security move.

Anecdote: the kill switch is only is useful if, well, you use it.  I was tending to some carb issues once upon a time, and had some gas caught in a little tray, trying to be careful about it.  And something struck the alternator hot wire and a ground -- big spark.  By all rights I should have had at least some singed hair, or been blown into the neighbor's yard.  But, ... nothing happened, except I did go turn the kill switch to OFF.

You are right, Kelly; a determined, experienced thief can bypass any anti-theft device made.  Back in the early/mid '90's a friend had a new RX7 Turbo as his main transportation.  It was very fast- he'd sunk a bunch of money into it, and he'd equipped it with all the latest anti-theft technology.  One rainy Saturday night it just disappeared from his driveway and was never seen again.  One of the officers involved in the case told him afterward that, being fairly new and a desirable car, it was probably rolled right onto a flat bed (they didn't even have to start it) and on a freighter to Asia or the Middle East within 24 hours of being stolen.  Such is life in the big city with international port facilities...

The great thing about our Speedsters, though, is we're such a small niche of the automotive hobby, for the most part pretty ancient technology and most of these are unique enough that anyone's car would be spotted pretty quickly if registration was simply altered and it was put back on the road, even with a new coat of paint in a different city.  The same with selling it in pieces- in a lot of instances even an engine would have to be sold as parts separately to lessen the chance of things being recognized.  For the most part there's just not enough potential gain to make stealing a Speedster worthwhile.

THAT said, stock and modified Beetles are stolen often enough, parted out (and stripped shells sometimes found/recovered after being dumped at a later date) that it is prudent to be prepared, and anything that slows down the budding opportunist or slightly inebriated joyrider and keeps them honest for 1 more day is worth doing.  As well as a kill switch, a gas shut off, maybe another kill switch, and even a dummy coil to distributor lead would be ways to help ensure your pride and joy stays where it is left.  The more layers, the greater chance that they'll give up.  And if it is stolen, your driver's licence # etched onto inconspicuous places on some parts throughout the car would prove ownership if they were to be seen on someone else's ride.

I'm sure other people can come up with some great ideas to thwart those with less than honest intentions (I do like the idea of a button on the dash marked START hooked up to the horn- if it blasted for more than just a couple seconds most people would be gone in a flash!).  Al

@ALB posted:

I'm sure other people can come up with some great ideas to thwart those with less than honest intentions (I do like the idea of a button on the dash marked START hooked up to the horn- if it blasted for 5 or 10 seconds most people would be gone in a flash!)

I have never had a car stolen and never had my house touched

He even has a backup ....

@WNGD- A number of years ago Hot VW's did a series on anti theft, the last instalment a Bengal Tiger sitting in a Beetle!

@ALB posted:

@WNGD- A number of years ago Hot VW's did a series on anti theft, the last instalment a Bengal Tiger sitting in a Beetle!

Yup, that'd do it!

@WNGD posted:

I have never had a car stolen and never had my house touched

He even has a backup ..

Funny how a dog (especially a big one) can be pretty intimidating.  We have 2 cats- they can't even keep mice out of the place...

@ALB posted:

Funny how a dog (especially a big one) can be pretty intimidating.  We have 2 cats- they can't even keep mice out of the place...

I have 2 male GSD somewhat like the one above. The older one is 80 pounds and the younger one is 115 .... I dare someone try try the front door if I'm not home

@WNGD posted:

I have 2 male GSD somewhat like the one above. The older one is 80 pounds and the younger one is 115 .... I dare someone try try the front door if I'm not home

Yeah, but you can't keep them in the car all the time...