1996 80 Kill Switch Question - How do I wire this baby up?

[GSTMike]

PNWFJ80

You can just pull the fuel injection relay out of the fuse box under the hood each time you park, without that relay your truck isn't going anywhere. Plus the likelihood of a thief having one of those relays in his pocket is slim to none!

We do this with all of our race rig trucks when on the road, the amount of folks I know that have had their truck and trailer setups (with their race cars and tools) stolen never to be heard of again is disturbing!

 

[jaymar]

A kill switch is not going to "interrupt the EFI circuit". It would be inserted in the path of the starter circuit and would function the same as any alarm/security system with a starter interrupt. In essence a poor man's security system. That said it's something that only deters the amateur car thief.

Someone suggested pulling the EFI relay...

 

[Dave 2000]

I used to build anti theft devices for valuable cars, the simple latching relay is the way to go IMO, use a reed switch and you are job done. If you want more fun then add a timer, your guaranteed to get your car back if they get past the latched relay.

regards

Dave

 

[jaymar]

I used to build anti theft devices for valuable cars, the simple latching relay is the way to go IMO, use a reed switch and you are job done. If you want more fun then add a timer, your guaranteed to get your car back if they get past the latched relay.

regards

Dave

“Latching relay?”

 

[jonheld]

Someone suggested pulling the EFI relay...

Pulling the efi relay doesn't kill power to the ecu, so the ecu wouldn't have to relearn anything.
Pulling the 15 amp efi FUSE kills power to the ecu.
In fact, breaking the logic side of the efi relay is another good option.

 

[Njck22]

Simplest “kill” switch
No messing around in the engine bay

Remove cover under steering wheel, remove metal plate, locate the wires coming from the ignition switch that end up in 11 pin semi-large connector. Cut the black wire with a white stripe leaving plenty of wire remaining on the connector side (there is a good amount of slack on this wire), then solder a maybe a 6-12inch length of 10 gauge wire to each end of this now cut wire, and connect those to a toggle switch. No need for a relay since this wire isn’t “hot” until start is on. Mount somewhere hidden-ish. This is the same splice point toyota uses with their factory alarm system. And the only failure point is a toggle switch.

If someone truly wants to steal your truck, they will. Flatbed, etc. All you can do is make yourself far from the easiest target for the petty car thief. This will do the trick, as will any other "interrupt". A GPS locator hidden deep with a backup power source is the only way to guarantee retrieval of your vehicle.

 

[Dave 2000]

Simplest “kill” switch
No messing around in the engine bay

Remove cover under steering wheel, remove metal plate, locate the wires coming from the ignition switch that end up in 11 pin semi-large connector. Cut the black wire with a white stripe leaving plenty of wire remaining on the connector side (there is a good amount of slack on this wire), then solder a maybe a 6-12inch length of 10 gauge wire to each end of this now cut wire, and connect those to a toggle switch. No need for a relay since this wire isn’t “hot” until start is on. Mount somewhere hidden-ish. This is the same splice point toyota uses with their factory alarm system. And the only failure point is a toggle switch.
View attachment 2131789View attachment 2131794

If someone truly wants to steal your truck, they will. Flatbed, etc. All you can do is make yourself far from the easiest target for the petty car thief. This will do the trick, as will any other "interrupt". A GPS locator hidden deep with a backup power source is the only way to guarantee retrieval of your vehicle.

A couple of things, if you break a connector at the ignition switch this can be found within a few seconds, invariably the thief will smash the ignition and surrounding plastic to get the key to turn. Next the GPS locator, I do use one of them as a backup, but if the car is in a container to be shipped or worked on the GPS locator will not work (Faraday cage), just use the timer technique, get your car back in a few minutes.

regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

“Latching relay?”

In it's basic form you use a relay that has two sets of contacts, the first isolates the ignition, and the second set are wired from the first. You switch on the ignition, power is now at the first set of contacts, you activate the relay coil, I used to use a magnetic reed switch, you can purchase them so small they are thinner and a third of the size of a matchstick, glue behind anywhere you think would be convenient, the switch is now invisible. As the reed has a supply you pass the magnet over your hidden reed and the relay activates, magnet is removed and the relay is 'latched', you start the car and use in the normal way. When you are at the gas station, shop or wherever the moment you switch off the ignition the relay releases, so you cannot forget to turn off the kill switch. Jump in and repeat and drive off. The switch is virtually impossible to find, the magnet can be thrown in the centre console or wherever. You can cut into the starter circuit, fuel pump or wherever, just pick up the power from the fuse box. When the relay is at rest you can use the a terminal that when the ignition is switched on it flashes an LED, only when the relay has latched does the light go out. This is all very basic stuff but the real trick is a thief will soon find a small switch, it is obvious it could be reached from the drivers seat, a hidden reed could be anywhere including right in front of the driver behind one of the switch blank plates for example.


The second is the timer this is a little more complicated but consider this, your car is stolen and thieves park it in a row of other cars in a side street, say five miles from your home? We know the police do not go looking for cars, and if it is not blocking somebody's driveway then it could be days/weeks before someone reports an abandoned car outside their house.

Now let us assume, the thief did not give up and spent an hour stealing your car in the car park at the local cinema, it eventually starts and with a smug look on his face he is already spending the money he is going to get from your off road goodies as he drives out of the car park and a few minutes later it breaks down! You can bet it will not be neatly parked outside someone's house, more likely at a set of traffic lights, or he just rolled to the side of the road, it matters not as you know by the amount of time you set the fuel pump. ignition timer or whatever how far your car is away and now the alarm is sounding, and you can bet your life you will get a call from the police because it is blocking a particular junction or side street and causing a nuisance. No self respecting thief is going to spend an hour trying to silence the alarm and get the car going again at the side of the road.

You can fit a GPS locator but remember this works from a subscription cell phone SIM, you can purchase a signal 'blocker' and put it in your pocket, the thief drops it in your glove box as he drives off, your GPS will be worthless.

I agree anything that stops the casual thief taking your car is a good thing but it is normally selective, an 80 with iron/big wheels/rack etc is a nice target and this will not be the typical thief with a crumbled spark plug in his pocket, I will not explain that, look it up.

regards

Dave

 

[jaymar]

In it's basic form you use a relay that has two sets of contacts, the first isolates the ignition, and the second set are wired from the first. You switch on the ignition, power is now at the first set of contacts, you activate the relay coil, I used to use a magnetic reed switch, you can purchase them so small they are thinner and a third of the size of a matchstick, glue behind anywhere you think would be convenient, the switch is now invisible. As the reed has a supply you pass the magnet over your hidden reed and the relay activates, magnet is removed and the relay is 'latched', you start the car and use in the normal way. When you are at the gas station, shop or wherever the moment you switch off the ignition the relay releases, so you cannot forget to turn off the kill switch. Jump in and repeat and drive off. The switch is virtually impossible to find, the magnet can be thrown in the centre console or wherever. You can cut into the starter circuit, fuel pump or wherever, just pick up the power from the fuse box. When the relay is at rest you can use the a terminal that when the ignition is switched on it flashes an LED, only when the relay has latched does the light go out. This is all very basic stuff but the real trick is a thief will soon find a small switch, it is obvious it could be reached from the drivers seat, a hidden reed could be anywhere including right in front of the driver behind one of the switch blank plates for example.


The second is the timer this is a little more complicated but consider this, your car is stolen and thieves park it in a row of other cars in a side street, say five miles from your home? We know the police do not go looking for cars, and if it is not blocking somebody's driveway then it could be days/weeks before someone reports an abandoned car outside their house.

Now let us assume, the thief did not give up and spent an hour stealing your car in the car park at the local cinema, it eventually starts and with a smug look on his face he is already spending the money he is going to get from your off road goodies as he drives out of the car park and a few minutes later it breaks down! You can bet it will not be neatly parked outside someone's house, more likely at a set of traffic lights, or he just rolled to the side of the road, it matters not as you know by the amount of time you set the fuel pump. ignition timer or whatever how far your car is away and now the alarm is sounding, and you can bet your life you will get a call from the police because it is blocking a particular junction or side street and causing a nuisance. No self respecting thief is going to spend an hour trying to silence the alarm and get the car going again at the side of the road.

You can fit a GPS locator but remember this works from a subscription cell phone SIM, you can purchase a signal 'blocker' and put it in your pocket, the thief drops it in your glove box as he drives off, your GPS will be worthless.

I agree anything that stops the casual thief taking your car is a good thing but it is normally selective, an 80 with iron/big wheels/rack etc is a nice target and this will not be the typical thief with a crumbled spark plug in his pocket, I will not explain that, look it up.

regards

Dave

I like that the delay also works if you’re jacked. Maybe do one you can activate with engine on. ‘Cause if it’s dead on the spot, you may be too.

 

[Swbkrn2003]

In it's basic form you use a relay that has two sets of contacts, the first isolates the ignition, and the second set are wired from the first. You switch on the ignition, power is now at the first set of contacts, you activate the relay coil, I used to use a magnetic reed switch, you can purchase them so small they are thinner and a third of the size of a matchstick, glue behind anywhere you think would be convenient, the switch is now invisible. As the reed has a supply you pass the magnet over your hidden reed and the relay activates, magnet is removed and the relay is 'latched', you start the car and use in the normal way. When you are at the gas station, shop or wherever the moment you switch off the ignition the relay releases, so you cannot forget to turn off the kill switch. Jump in and repeat and drive off. The switch is virtually impossible to find, the magnet can be thrown in the centre console or wherever. You can cut into the starter circuit, fuel pump or wherever, just pick up the power from the fuse box. When the relay is at rest you can use the a terminal that when the ignition is switched on it flashes an LED, only when the relay has latched does the light go out. This is all very basic stuff but the real trick is a thief will soon find a small switch, it is obvious it could be reached from the drivers seat, a hidden reed could be anywhere including right in front of the driver behind one of the switch blank plates for example.


The second is the timer this is a little more complicated but consider this, your car is stolen and thieves park it in a row of other cars in a side street, say five miles from your home? We know the police do not go looking for cars, and if it is not blocking somebody's driveway then it could be days/weeks before someone reports an abandoned car outside their house.

Now let us assume, the thief did not give up and spent an hour stealing your car in the car park at the local cinema, it eventually starts and with a smug look on his face he is already spending the money he is going to get from your off road goodies as he drives out of the car park and a few minutes later it breaks down! You can bet it will not be neatly parked outside someone's house, more likely at a set of traffic lights, or he just rolled to the side of the road, it matters not as you know by the amount of time you set the fuel pump. ignition timer or whatever how far your car is away and now the alarm is sounding, and you can bet your life you will get a call from the police because it is blocking a particular junction or side street and causing a nuisance. No self respecting thief is going to spend an hour trying to silence the alarm and get the car going again at the side of the road.

You can fit a GPS locator but remember this works from a subscription cell phone SIM, you can purchase a signal 'blocker' and put it in your pocket, the thief drops it in your glove box as he drives off, your GPS will be worthless.

I agree anything that stops the casual thief taking your car is a good thing but it is normally selective, an 80 with iron/big wheels/rack etc is a nice target and this will not be the typical thief with a crumbled spark plug in his pocket, I will not explain that, look it up.

regards

Dave

Dave Great info! Do you have a source for the reed switch? I'm in the middle of an ocean with limited resources so i get a lot of stuff online. Any help on where to tie this in the ignition and what wire would be awesome. I love this site so much information. I dodnt get my new 80 till 12/3 cant wait to start working on it and go four wheeling! Again.

 

[PNWFJ80]

Appreciate the input, hate to report I haven't done a damn thing yet, life. Should have some free time this weekend, think I'm going to do the fuel pump cutoff route on my 93, it's parked on the street and needs a quicker solution. Need to delve into my original idea for my 96 further, will update with progress. In the meantime, as future generations of 80 owners search these threads, here's the wiring diagrams mentioned a few times by others:

 

[PNWFJ80]

Simplest “kill” switch
No messing around in the engine bay...No need for a relay since this wire isn’t “hot” until start is on. Mount somewhere hidden-ish. This is the same splice point toyota uses with their factory alarm system. And the only failure point is a toggle switch.

You rock, that's spot on to what I was hoping someone would post! I was originally looking for that black/white wire in the kick panel, on the factory alarm there's supposed to be a connector right there, but I couldn't find it on mine. I wanted to unplug that connector and play around with a few switches I have, figured it'd be easy and I wouldn't have to cut a wire. I'm curious, if I held the switch down, then turned the key, would that limit wear on the switch(rather than turn the key then hit the switch)?

 

[nemoblackdog]

I agree with Njck22 that if you're going to splice into the ignition kill with a momentary switch that's of the normally open ("off") variety, then a relay is not required.

And, yes, by using your method of holding the switch down, turning the key, releasing the key after the truck starts, then finally releasing your new switch, you'd be eliminating arcing on your switch's contacts (thereby extending its life.)

 

[Dave 2000]

Dave Great info! Do you have a source for the reed switch? I'm in the middle of an ocean with limited resources so i get a lot of stuff online. Any help on where to tie this in the ignition and what wire would be awesome. I love this site so much information. I dodnt get my new 80 till 12/3 cant wait to start working on it and go four wheeling! Again.

The reed switch can be purchased at any electronics store, I guess the states for example might be 'Radio Shack' if they are still about? Telling you what wire to cut is pointless, it is something you should decide on, what I would say is do your wiring down behind the kick panel and behind the fuse box, never do it behind the steering wheel column cover it is the first place an experienced thief will look, and if you need to replace the ignition loom or wiring it will have to be disturbed. Remember the 80 is not a typical car to steal, they are getting older and spares are becoming very expensive, add in the kit you might be carrying and it is a serious target and might be stolen to order, and that will be done by someone who knows what they are doing. Years back I did a little 'repo man' work, flying over from the UK to Europe to pick up cars people had purchased on HP and then absconded thinking they were safe once they had crossed the channel.

As an asides to all this , anyone reading this might want to think about their pride and joy, if it is not your 80 you may have some other vehicle worth a lot more. A custom built system is worth the thought, sure go and purchase an off the shelf unit, a decent thief will have already bought it, taken it apart and worked out what makes it tick. A custom built unit made to your spec is way way more difficult to defeat. Consider this, one of the worlds best alarm systems was defeated by breaking the indicator lens, removing the bulb and stuffing silver paper into the socket, then walk past the car giving it a thump and the alarm sounds and flashes the indicators, the paper shorts the alarm and it goes silent it is now toast, of course the better systems now have a fuse in the indicator line now. And if you are going to buy (or already have), an alarm, then get rid of the stickers displaying the brand, better still fit the sticker of a different brand, I guess you know why this is a must right?

Note: I am not looking for work, so with respect please don't ask.

regards

Dave

 

[Swbkrn2003]

The reed switch can be purchased at any electronics store, I guess the states for example might be 'Radio Shack' if they are still about? Telling you what wire to cut is pointless, it is something you should decide on, what I would say is do your wiring down behind the kick panel and behind the fuse box, never do it behind the steering wheel column cover it is the first place an experienced thief will look, and if you need to replace the ignition loom or wiring it will have to be disturbed. Remember the 80 is not a typical car to steal, they are getting older and spares are becoming very expensive, add in the kit you might be carrying and it is a serious target and might be stolen to order, and that will be done by someone who knows what they are doing. Years back I did a little 'repo man' work, flying over from the UK to Europe to pick up cars people had purchased on HP and then absconded thinking they were safe once they had crossed the channel.

As an asides to all this , anyone reading this might want to think about their pride and joy, if it is not your 80 you may have some other vehicle worth a lot more. A custom built system is worth the thought, sure go and purchase an off the shelf unit, a decent thief will have already bought it, taken it apart and worked out what makes it tick. A custom built unit made to your spec is way way more difficult to defeat. Consider this, one of the worlds best alarm systems was defeated by breaking the indicator lens, removing the bulb and stuffing silver paper into the socket, then walk past the car giving it a thump and the alarm sounds and flashes the indicators, the paper shorts the alarm and it goes silent it is now toast, of course the better systems now have a fuse in the indicator line now. And if you are going to buy (or already have), an alarm, then get rid of the stickers displaying the brand, better still fit the sticker of a different brand, I guess you know why this is a must right?

Note: I am not looking for work, so with respect please don't ask.

regards

Dave

Thank You Dave! Awesome information. Sure you don't want to fly to Hawaii to do some custom work. Kidding aside i really appreciate your sharing this information. I found the schematics on this site and in my manual. I agree to put it somewhere other than the steering column in a fairly inaccessible place. Time is the thief's enemy the longer it takes th emore liekly they will Thinking multiple systems is the best way. Locks keep honest people honest. If they really want your vehicle they will get it! Cheers!

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

I would probably interrupt the fuel pump relay with a hidden switch. Of course you could bypass the relay with a paperclip at the test port but what are the odds that the thief would figure that out?

 

[PNWFJ80]

Had a few minutes to take things apart and snap a few pics of the black/white wire described above in the steering column. Curious why it’s a larger gauge on the firewall facing side of the connector/smaller on steering wheel facing side?

 

[nemoblackdog]

I don't know exactly the design decision fo differing wire sizes on either side of the connector, but I can make an educated guess. Resistivity is proportional to wire cross-sectional area (effectively gauge) and length. To keep overall resistance down, they likely sized the longer portion of the wiring larger, and they could still use smaller gauge wire in the shorter runs near the ignition switch, to make routing easier. This circuit carries a fairly sizable current as it has to fire the solenoid in the starter (I'd guess peak currents would be somewhere in the 20-30A range, with continuous current in the 10A range.) So decent size wiring is in order here.

BTW, this is also likely the reason as these trucks age, this circuit and it's multiple connections and splice points can degrade to the point where it can't carry the current it did when new. Hence the reason some folks have installed a separate relay/secondary solenoid circuit to bypass this so the starter once again receives full voltage. (But this is not directly related to your goal of installing a switch, other than to make sure you use wiring and switches large enough to handle the current draw of the starter solenoid. I.e. don't go using some puny 26 gauge wire here.)

 

[satchel]

Not sure if it has been mentioned but also think about looking into ravelco. Not an alarm system by any means, but they basically interrupt a number of circuits, from fuel pump to spark and what not, and then give you a cap that connects all the circuits as they would have been originally. Kinda like doing 5+ kill switches that can be connected together with one cap. In my case all the wires in the back of the connector are black and is a complete maze of wiring trying to deconstruct what goes to what system. I would imagine if the wiring ever failed it would make my life complete hell.

 

[landcrshr]

Curious why it’s a larger gauge on the firewall facing side of the connector/smaller on steering wheel facing side?

Because it's not an original part.

What you have circled there looks like the "T" harness that was added for the "factory" alarm. There's already a starter-cut relay wired into that harness, you can always use that for your project.