Just picked up a used E350, 2013, 12 passenger van.
Living along I35 the Tx drug highway, E's and F's and E's are the favorite type of the cartel, I wanted to make mine safe.
I installed a hidden kill switch with a fuse to disconnect the ignition.
Mileage comes on, but no other dash lights, will not crank until the switch is thrown on.
Anyone else done this?

 

can't say I've ever done that. My defensive line rests with loud dogs, lights, good neighbors, firearms and insurance.

Maybe you should move?

 

If you have a multi-pole switch I'd also interrupt the shift interlock solenoid as well.

I found out quite accidentally when that won't energize you ain't goin' no where! (Blown fuse naturally---never has occurred again.)

FWIW it's said if you can find such a switch easily so can the better crooks. They almost instinctively know where to look during those 20-30 seconds they're inside and trying to start your vehicle.

If possible put it somewhere even you have a slightly difficult time accessing when you engage it.

Otherwise its a good idea to slow the fools down, make them rethink hanging around seeing if they can defeat your security measures.

 

How about a second kill switch for the fuel pump?

Sixto
93 E150 Chateau 5.8 186K miles

 

Yep--STDP would take care of the pump and the solenoid at the same time!

 

I meant a physical second switch to slow down the thief.

Sixto
93 E150 Chateau 5.8 186K miles

 

Okay---I see the wisdom in that 100%!

The only thing to keep in mind is if we can reach or easily find it so can the crooks. Having watched a few staged car theft attempts its amazing how quickly a thief gets in and drives away, defeating almost every known deterrent I wonder if we shouldn't just leave the keys in the ignition?

 

i've heard that the most effective kill switches are those that allow the engine to crank but not fire up, so having the switch kill the fuel pump or something. then the theif will crank the engine until either the battery is dead or he's made enough of a scene that he gives up.
if the engine doesn't crank, he knows there's a kill switch and he looks for it immediately.

 

I read of a device that lets a carjacker drive car a few blocks then shuts off the engine. The point is to put distance between the carjacker and you. All I get from google is pages and pages of carjacking news reports, though.

Sixto
87 300D

 

Another way to do this is not with a hidden switch but three switches in plain view with innocent looking labels (rear speakers, fog lights, aux battery) located on different parts of the dash. A SPDT switch has three settings. on-off-on. so 3x3x3 = 27 possible switch combinations. It would be easy enough to wire it so only 1 of the 27 possible combinations worked for starting the van.
Think how long it would take someone to go through all the combinations but you could set it to the correct one in a instant. How's a thief to even know that the switches were interrelated so to try different combinations?
If you really want to get fancy, starting the van with the switches in a certain wrong setting would pop a fuse. Then he'd never figure it out. You'd have to replace the fuse before you could start the van but it would be worth it.

 

WVVan, i like the way you think - another thing to consider is using some of the factory switches in this game - like requiring the parking lights to be on or something...

 

I just remove the key and take it with me.

 

Great idea. so simple. i like it.,...jack

 

Wvvan and joshofalltrades: I really like how you two think! One is complicated(-ish), but very cool and effective, and the other is simple yet cunning.

I'm in the other end of the kill switch debate: I've been fantasizing with the idea of breaking off my key in the ignition so I can just jump in and go... Remote unlock the doors as I approach: then put keys back in pocket until I park and walk away at destination.

 

I'll repeat any complex system such as multiple switches being in the right position etc sound good in theory but to the professional thief they're very laughable. If we can find them so can they----that's their job, they've been known to defeat even the best commercial systems out there.

The idea of engine cranking but no fuel is best if coupled with an intruder alarm.

I went a slightly different way choosing to impede or stop entry with something called The Auto Bolt. Basically just electric dead bolts installed in side and rear barn door, triggered only by the intrusion alarm remote so even if entry to the front is made they can't be released except by that remote.

If I were highly motivated I could create a circuit to disconnect the fuel pump along with arming the dead bolts but that's not necessary for where the van is parked over night.