Best method for kill switch on a 200 series TLC?

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If they want it, they'll get it. As hard as you work, there is a craftier, less than stellar guy out there working just as hard to beat your system. In the end I'd rather they take the truck, than break my windows, rifle through my s***, pull a "dirty Mike and the boys" inside and leave.
 
PhuckItImDone said:
If they want it, they'll get it. As hard as you work, there is a craftier, less than stellar guy out there working just as hard to beat your system. In the end I'd rather they take the truck, than break my windows, rifle through my s***, pull a "dirty Mike and the boys" inside and leave.
Click to expand...

By that logic you might as well just leave your car unlocked with the keys on the dash and a welcome sign.....cause they're gunna get it anyway, right? So why bother taking any measures at all?

Obviously that's ridiculous. Obviously it's logical to do everything practical to keep your car from getting stolen. Obviously the VAST majority of thieves aren't using tow trucks, and even if they do, there are other methods for that (lo jack tracker, any decent alarm system with vibration sensors).

I don't get why this is so controversial. Not sure what kinda time and $ you guys have on your hands but it's like, "If my $60k ride that I spent tons of time customizing exactly to my liking gets stolen, no big deal.....not like there was anything I could've done about it."

I don't get that logic.
 
I just worry about more realistic things. The gear on the outside of the truck being stolen. Being assaulted on the walk to my truck, having the keys taken, and truck just driven away. Falling in an open man-hole.
 
PhuckItImDone said:
I just worry about more realistic things. The gear on the outside of the truck being stolen. Being assaulted on the walk to my truck, having the keys taken, and truck just driven away. Falling in an open man-hole.
Click to expand...

I don't leave gear on the outside and it's pretty tough to assault someone with a 9mm ;)

Point is, this isn't an "either or" thing. You can both lock your car, and have a good security system, and a kill switch, and a lo jack, and insurance, and a CCW, and ?, ?, ?. This is America, there's plenty of cool crap to buy and ways to be self-sufficient.
 
Well mine is a 2008 USA version....I see you're in TX, so you should be good there. Wiring may differ with the 2016 refresh or 2021 model specifically, so don't take this as gospel, and I'd recommend checking your own FSM or wiring diagram, but you should be looking for the IMO wire going from the ECM to the "ID code box".

It's also worth noting that I haven't actually tried this method, and can't find any info online about anyone doing it on any vehicle ever. This is slightly disconcerting. Keep in mind that I'm an idiot and a nerd who loves this kind of stuff and tinkering with things I really have no business tinkering with. But I've restored lots of vintage audio gear, tape machines, mixing consoles, etc....so I have some background in circuits and wiring. AFAIK (big grain of salt) this should work beautifully and there shouldn't be any problems at all.....famous last words, right?

If you've got a fancy new 2021 that's under factory warranty, you miiiiiight want to be a bit more careful....or at least wait til I report back with results. Caveat emptor.

I plan to first cut the wire, probably near the ECM since it looks like accessing the ID Code Box will be next to impossible. Then I will put my switch and full wiring run in circuit to test it out before actually running the wires and mounting the switch in my secret location. This way, if there's a problem or something isn't working properly, I can simply reconnect the IMO wire and move on to plan B (which will probably be an ignition cut with addition of a relay).


land cruiser immobilizer wire.jpg


land cruiser immobilizer wire location.jpg
 
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2008... really you are gonna start hacking into the wiring of your 13 year old land cruiser to thwart the mythical threat of it being stolen and shipped to some foreign country... you have a great rig I’m sure, I don’t let my old bronco out of my sight so I get it. But really just be careful where you park, maybe commute in a civic, I use a Tacoma. Maybe just relax a little and realize these problems are not really as huge of a threat as you think they may be. Or just kill the main ecu feed at the fuse block.

You have to decide!
 
Look, first of all, the title of this thread isn't "Tell me why you think I shouldn't do the thing I want to do."

Secondly, I've already gone over this. This is not a mythical threat. These are extremely expensive vehicles that are in high demand overseas that are quite easy to steal and they DO get stolen, albeit rarely, it happens. You wanna take your chances with your rig, be my guest. I'm not going to with mine.

Thirdly, hacking into wiring is what I do. I've rebuilt entire vintage mixing consoles and tape machines from the ground up. I think I can handle a simple SPST switch on one wire.

And finally, I don't have the luxury of just buying another vehicle for commuting (even if that would prevent it from being stolen from my driveway, which it would not). If you must know, I'm probably one of the poorest people ever to own a 200 series Cruiser. I bought it at a salvage vehicle auction and it needs a good amount of work, which I don't mind doing. That said, it will end up with a WA state rebuilt title, which means I can't get full coverage insurance....which means if it's stolen, I can't just say "Oh gosh darnit....guess I better call up the insurance agent and get a new one!"

When this thing is done, it'll probably be worth $30-$35k. I have never owned anything worth that much money in my life.

So a $5 switch is my insurance policy. If that bothers some of you or you think that's a ridiculous proposition, I'm happy to entertain your offers to underwrite theft insurance on a 2008 TLC parked in a high-crime zip code in South Seattle.
 
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ekolpack said:
Look, first of all, the title of this thread isn't "Tell me why you think I shouldn't do the thing I want to do."
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You are correct, I apologize, i was rude. Your approach of killing power to the ID Code looks valid, worth a try to achieve your goal. I'd be very careful to avoid any data connections as opening a CAN connection would lead to an un-terminated data lead and could put noise on the network which may cause other problems.

Good luck with your rebuild! Looks like a fun project!
 
Why would said crime ring track and steal a vehicle from an area where it is extremely rare to find, just to export it to an area where it is plentiful?
 
bronc076 said:
You are correct, I apologize, i was rude. Your approach of killing power to the ID Code looks valid, worth a try to achieve your goal. I'd be very careful to avoid any data connections as opening a CAN connection would lead to an un-terminated data lead and could put noise on the network which may cause other problems.

Good luck with your rebuild! Looks like a fun project!
Click to expand...

Thank you. It is indeed a fun project so far....but body work is about to begin. I hope my patience holds ;)

Anyhow, I've done some reading on immobilizer protocols. Stock vehicle immobilizers don't generally (or ever?) use CAN protocol. They use proprietary protocols with an AES encryption layer at the top of the stack. There is a really interesting paper on the subject here: https://eprint.iacr.org/2012/617.pdf

But now that you mention it, interrupting the ID Code Box, although it uses a different bus/protocol, will also likely have a secondary effect of killing the remote entry/lock and remote start controlled by the CAN bus, because the fob won't be seen or verified. Of course, I don't want this.....so this method may not work on this vehicle. In fact, I'm pretty certain this would be the case....so I may revert to one of the old tried and true methods (ignition coil or fuel pump) after all.

I could also put the switch on the "push-to-start" button....which could work well, and although it could still technically be remote started, it would die immediately when the brake is depressed to put it in gear. Hmmmmm.....this is where the fun begins ;)
 
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This is an interesting discussion:

forum.ih8mud.com

RTH - disabled - fixed

forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com

“... Someone broke into my 570 last night, apparently used the OBD to reprogram the vehicle. Now it won't recognize the keys. ... the thieves ... returned last night and stole the "disabled" truck. I found it this morning with the Lexus app, about 10 miles away...”
 
biphnest said:
This is an interesting discussion:

forum.ih8mud.com

RTH - disabled - fixed

forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com

“... Someone broke into my 570 last night, apparently used the OBD to reprogram the vehicle. Now it won't recognize the keys. ... the thieves ... returned last night and stole the "disabled" truck. I found it this morning with the Lexus app, about 10 miles away...”
Click to expand...

Ugh.....yup, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid: "The police, the towing company, and the locksmith said that there has been a ton of Lexus/Toyota theft lately because people have discovered it isn't difficult."

And from this article I found in that thread: "Security experts are warning owners of Toyota and Lexus vehicles not to rely on their automobile's anti-theft system following a rash of brazen thefts across the Ottawa region.
Since April, criminals have made off with more than 100 of the Japanese-brand vehicles from Petawawa to Casselman, Ont., many of them apparently destined for resale in Africa and the Middle East.
...
"What the thieves are using is an amplifier," said Bates, whose company has been doing a brisk business beefing up cars whose owners want to guard against the so-called "relay attacks."

Bates said in some cases, thieves will still break into a vehicle the old-fashioned way, then plug a computer into the car's diagnostic port and hack the security system to make it think the key is present."

 
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