@Robert M posted:I’m a semicolon guy too. And I know when to use it as well as when to use a colon.
@Sacto Mitch I’m Al’s ALSO familiar with the AP Stylebook. My brother used to talk about it when I’d see stuff written in the paper I thought was wrong.
Fixed it.
@Sacto Mitch posted:.
@JoelP , the real question is WHY you want a kill switch.
Completely disconnecting the battery is convenient for working on the car's electrics. But for that you need a big honkin' switch, usually made just for the purpose, that can handle lots of amps. (Did anyone notice the Jersey apostrophe?)
If you've got an electric fuel pump, it's probably a good idea to have that on a dedicated switch no matter what, so you can turn it on before startup to fill the float bowls if the car's been down for a while. Or turn it off in the event of a major conflagration.
But if all you want is theft protection, the simplest thing is a hidden toggle switch under the dash that interrupts power to the coil. Even if you don't use a relay, current load in this circuit is pretty low, so a moderately-rated switch (say, one amp) will suffice. This is the 'kill switch' the old VS used to install if asked and, not surprisingly, it's the most economical of all solutions. Power to the coil comes from the ignition switch, so installing this kill switch nearby is pretty simple.
This can also be helpful starting a cold engine that hasn't been fired in a few weeks in cold weather. You can crank the engine for a little bit without it firing to get some oil circulating after it's all mostly drained into the sump.
This begs the question of whether any anti-theft measures are prudent on our cars, since, as suggested above, the pros want the real deal and the little guys want parts they can chop and fence. Also, it's way harder to blend into traffic in one of these than in, say, an Accord or a Beemer.
And the demographics of today's car thieves being what they are, a kill switch is probably less of a deterrent than a clutch pedal.
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Holy god! It looks like I better take some kind of wiring course to do this right. What do you guys do for day jobs that makes this so easy? Seriously, I’m not totally brain dead but reading some of this stuff makes me think I just may be and haven’t realized it yet.
@JoelP posted:Holy god! It looks like I better take some kind of wiring course to do this right. What do you guys do for day jobs that makes this so easy? Seriously, I’m not totally brain dead but reading some of this stuff makes me think I just may be and haven’t realized it yet.
Whatever do you mean?
Finished ECU installation(I built the ECU too):
I was a splicer for Telco for 30 years, no course, just time. Lots of time.
@JoelP posted:Holy god! It looks like I better take some kind of wiring course to do this right. What do you guys do for day jobs that makes this so easy? Seriously, I’m not totally brain dead but reading some of this stuff makes me think I just may be and haven’t realized it yet.
Swing from the vines, baby. I swing from the vines.
Some of us (no names ) have been at this madness for a long time.
Wow, is it ever dead in Plastic Car land today...
That must be an old picture, @Stan Galat. You have more hair on your head than I recall.
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@JoelP , sorry if I made what's pretty simple sound complicated.
In a VW air-cooled motor, there are three basic ways to purposely kill the engine electrically. You choose the way that's most appropriate to what you're trying to accomplish.
A kill switch at the battery cuts off all electrical power to everything in the car. Good if you need to work on anything electrical - it's like pulling the main circuit breaker in your house if you need to work on the wiring.
The ignition coil cutoff (which can be installed close to the driver, under the dash) just keeps the engine from starting when you hit the 'start' position on the ignition switch. The engine will crank but not fire. In theory, this is an anti-theft device (that might outwit some slow-witted or impatient thieves).
The third one I mentioned applies only if you have an electric fuel pump. Original VW's (and 356 Porsches) had mechanical fuel pumps, but many of us remove that and put in an electric pump for a number of reasons.
If this all sounds confusing, you should be able to find an independent auto shop in the DC area that could easily install any of these options and explain how to use them. It wouldn't even have to be a shop that specializes in air-cooled VW's. Any guy with gray hair will know what to do.
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Thanks @Sacto Mitch. I think I may try to do the easiest of the three, then see how much I need to pay someone to make it actually work.
I found these videos:
1) Fuel Pump - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhXLsrZiE0
2) Ignition/Coil - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYseqQSlPxQ
Although they're a bit rough, they get the point across.
@JoelP, (what's your first name anyway?), Mitch summarizes it well. As others say, all you want to do is to make it less than dead easy to hotwire. You should consider asking Greg what it would cost to put in either a coil switch or a fuel pump switch. I'd probably go with the fuel pump (relay) since it's really easy to run a short jumper from the alternator to the coil to give it power (if they can get into your engine bay like they can with most of ours).
If you'd rather do it yourself, we can probably talk you through it on the forum or phone.
In terms of background, I'm a child care specialist. That's why I fit in so well on this board...
And a life-long electronics hobbyist and an ex-electronics tech.
Joel. I’m a semi-retired appellate litigator; hence, a life of talking, writing and soul crushing admin. Pretty much the opposite of all this “madness” as you call it.
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Joel, this would have been easier to explain if you'd told us you are a litigator.
Just go to any independent auto shop in the DC area and draw up a work order requesting a kill switch that works to your full satisfaction (hereinafter referred to as The Switch), with the term 'full satisfaction' defined in paragraph 13.
Include language that will hold the shop liable should your car be stolen but that permits you to modify The Switch at your discretion.
Done.
And, oh, welcome to our irreverent madness.
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And thank Heavens that you don't have a valuable Catalytic Converter in there....
@Gordon Nichols posted:And thank Heavens that you don't have a valuable Catalytic Converter in there....
Last winter thieves hit the local BestFriends animal rescue/hospital and stole cats out of 3 of their 4 Sprinter vans. Bastards.
@dlearl476 posted:Last winter thieves hit the local BestFriends animal rescue/hospital and stole cats out of 3 of their 4 Sprinter vans. Bastards.
Wait... they stole cats out of the animal shelter vans?
I guess that made them cat burglars. Were they charged with "petty" crimes?
I'm here all week. Try the veil. Don't forget to tip the waitstaff. Thanks for not letting this conversation go to the dogs.
Unique form of adoption. No tolerance for paperwork.
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@dlearl476 posted:....thieves hit the local BestFriends animal rescue/hospital and stole cats out of 3 of their 4 Sprinter vans...
There must be another explanation.
I'm thinking they tried to steal the first van, the cats of course immediately escaped when the door was opened, then the thieves discovered what the van smelled like inside, so they went to the next van.
And so on, and so on.
After the third van, they must have just given up.
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