Kill Switch Questions

[dobryan]

[OddN]

[VwFredy88]

Hi all. I just want to locate the kill switch in my vw because PO put it and doesn't work properly now. The early days, if I didn't press the brake pedal the engine wouldn't switch of, it just remained on. Now every time I press the brakes the power supply cuts of. Any thoughts on where it might be connected with? Ignition coil, starter, key? Thanks

[Thor-bob]

This battery switch is better:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/kcw-10639/overview/

Works good (so I have been told.....)

Thor-bob

[baltik]

So I already have a hidden coil kill switch but wanted to add a cutoff for the +ve lead of my starting battery.

My house battery likes a higher charging current (Trojan flooded) so I wanted an easy way to separate the batteries so I can raise the voltage.

This also seems like a convenient way to stop parasitic drain as well during winter storage.

I really like the look of this switch, it could be mounted much more discretely and I like that the key can be removed while the switch is still on..

What gives me pause is that it is rated at 100A, does that seem safe for a starting battery hot lead?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/uis-8070060

[danfromsyr]

from another kill switch thread
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8509371#8509371

all this can be wired in the engine compartment w/o adding any wiring runs
it gets a little more complicated if you want to honk your oem horn. even the jettas with a passive lock&alarm system use a seperate horn for the alarm..

[cmayna]

I added a kill switch to the negative coil wire on my '68 Moostang. It helped prevent a theft from doing his nasty. Think I need to do something with our white turd for I'm starting to worry too much.
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'90 Westy / automatic.
If I'm not working on the camper or my '50 Chebbie truck, I'm either fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.


Craig

[pinetreeporsche]

I say go with either, but better, BOTH of the low-tech ones (above): a ground to the neg of the coil; and another, to create an open circuit, on the power supply to the fuel pump. With all the possible places to install the switches, only Houdini could get past that in a reasonable tie period. Just don''t break into the current wiring anywhere that your hack can be seen so as not to give any clues. And sure, wire in an intermittent circuit for horn blasts as well, BUT if you're not near enough to hear it, you might get towed by the cops-- any cop who's not smart enough to reach behind the front bumper and unplug a horn wire.

[dobryan]

That dome light switch is not a good choice, only barely designed to turn on that light. It will not carry the current for your fuel pump and I would not trust it to even trigger a relay reliably. If you have a kill switch for your fuel pump you must make it dead reliable or you could strand yourself in a bad spot while trying to figure out why the engine stopped running. YMMV....
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2010 Subaru EJ25 (Vanaru) and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

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The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[pomfritz]

I've been doing research on installing a fuel pump kill switch. This idea of using the dome light looks good. Mine doesn't turn on and I haven't bothered yet to figure out why. I don't think I want to use it as such and will add aux lighting anyways.

So what would be involved with wiring this up? From what I read I would cut the ground wire, or better unplug the ground and keep it usable as a direct plug in later on if needed, and split off from the wire and to and from the switch?

I'm assuming the same gauge wire as the ground would be safe to use, but is the switch itself capable of handing this?

As it is a ground wire, is this less critical than if it were hot?

Failing this solution, a fog light switch is option B.

That and a Club are my first two theft prevention items, Looking for a GPS solution too. As the $$ keep climbing on restoring this baby, I'm looking got hang on to it.

Thanks!
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83.5 265K. 1.8T, Power steering and AC from SAH. Almost like driving a modern car now. My German Frau named her Stefi

[Jake de Villiers]

I'm being reminded of Stan Wilder's story about his Porsche 911. The PO had wired a kill switch through the dome light switch - but didn't tell Stan about it when he bought it...

He had a day of head-scratching after innocently adjusting the dome light!
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[boof1306]

I wire a well hidden wire to the negative side of the coil. Run the wire to the cockpit and fit a switch to earth the wire. Turn it on and no spark. If you do it well no thief will work it out. It will even stump a few mechanics.

[woggs1]

[Christopher Schimke]

I think that it would be great to wire up a hidden/secret kill switch, but take it one step further and wire in a relay that is connected to a hidden horn so that if the starter solenoid is powered up without the kill switch being tripped, the horn blows. In other words, the kill switch would have to be in it's deactivated position to both start the car and stop the horn from going off while turning over the starter. That way the hidden horn blows each time the thief tries to turn over the engine.
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[kamzcab86]

[danfromsyr]

wouldn't a switch to ground the Tach signal suffice to create a non-start scenario? that pulls off the Pulse side of the coil?
I'm asking because I don't know but for the 85+ vans the wire is right in the instrument cluster already.

then again with a switch on the dash, it's really no different than just adding another switch inline on the Ign key circuit.


on mom's van when we got it there was a kill switch that interupted the fuel pump power feed. it spliced in at the firewall and was located under the back seat in a hidden location. presumably for trailhead or longer term security than a grocery store concern.
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[maco70]

On my side, i also have a switch on the ground of the fuel pump and i always put a bar in the steering wheel.

As some says, a crazy thieft could always take it, but he will have a some trouble.
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Martin from Montréal

1986 Vanagon GL full camper westfalia
(brown/tan interior)

[randywebb]

I have been using the built-in anti-theft prevention designed by VW's engineers... the ignition switch that fails.
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1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans.

[Jake de Villiers]

[vanagonjr]