KILL SWITCH, AGAIN

#101

Unless you have the correct crimp tool and dies for the lug you are better off soldering the cable into the lug.

#102

A correct crimp tool option (borrowed from a commercial electrician), nice and adjustable to boot.

Final kill switch install:

BTW, I don’t think I saw it mentioned before but the stock fittings are soldered on. If you don’t want to loose any cable length you’ll have to heat the connector till it will slip off. Think propane torch.

#103

I’ll be working on this soon. Very helpful thread, and I’ve got a hold on everything except one thing: where can I find a cable with pull handle like the one directly above? All the ones I see seem very overpriced and/or say “FIRE” on them. I’m planning on running one like above, and another into the cabin within my reach.

#104

I’m in the process of wiring mine. The switch came with the resistor. It has 2 thin wires coming off each side. Do I twist those together and put the resistor inline between the kill switch and ground to the car?

Jason (ignorant electrician) Stephens

Thanks for any help.

#105

No, you’d want to keep them separate, and put that inline. Twisting would bypass the resistor.

#106

Thanks. I’m an idiot. There are only 2 coming out of it. I thought there were 4.

#107

Time for more kill switch pics. I didn’t do the “optional” transient killer/resistor. I tried to follow the Yoda method as best I could. I should have asked him more questions about wire sizes. I got the parts from Bimmerworld (kill switch), Radio Shack (10 gauge ring/spade terminals, 30amp fuse and holder), Discount Auto Parts (2 gauge copper lug, 10 gauge wire), JC Whitney (6 foot 2 gauge battery cable), and Pegasus Racing (terminal and lug covers). As you can tell from that I made the battery cable 2 gauge and the ECU wire 10 gauge. I guessed based on looking at the OEM positive terminal. Later I found out that the OEM battery cable is actually more like a 2 gauge center with more outside which I believe is called 2/0 gauge. So it is OEM wiring to the switch and then my 2 gauge / 10 gauge back to the battery. On to the pics which also include my fire bottle pull for corner workers:

#108

Pretty. Hope no one gets over excited and pulls your fire handle to kill your car. Is unusual to see them together.

#109

Yoda has a phone (and email).

#110

It is actually quite common location. Here is mine and I got the idea from looking and 1,000’s of cars and pictures.

[attachment=1481]Picture053.jpg[/attachment]

#111

Looking at it again, I guess his sticker locations could be a little better. The ones on the outside are backwards.

#112

There’s a number of stories out there of corner workers and tech inspectors activating fire suppression when they meant to just kill the car. The 90% solution is to take positive control of the kill switch test during annual tech.

#113

I hope to never be in a position where a corner worker has to pull either, but if I am, I can’t help it if the corner worker can’t read FIRE or has never seen a kill switch. I didn’t think about the fact the decals are opposite on the outside. The huge E decal wouldn’t fit on the door pillar so I put it under the kill switch decal on the door. I still have another larger E decal, so I might put that on anyways incase the door gets knocked off.

#114

I definitely plan to do this. I also don’t plan to use the kill switch other than at annual tech with all the stories of them failing or causing issues.

#115

[quote=“rrroadster” post=49142]All right! Now the Kill Switch kills!

Thanks guys! [/quote]

I’m going to be wiring mine right near the terminal block and was hoping to eliminate the terminal block since it seems pointless to me to have a six inch wire from the kill switch to the terminal block instead of just eliminating the terminal block altogether.

I just wanted to run the connections by you guys first before I start hacking things up. I’m going to disconnect the big wire at the terminal block (one big wire in and three wires out (1 big, two small)) and connect them to the big lugs on the kill switch. The two smaller wires at the terminal block (DME power?) are wired into the spade connectors such that the alternator -> DME works normally but when the switch is opened/shut off, the engine side goes through the switch, to the resistor, and then grounds to the shock tower.

Does this make sense?

#116

[quote=“MrDomino” post=66216]
I’m going to be wiring mine right near the terminal block and was hoping to eliminate the terminal block since it seems pointless to me to have a six inch wire from the kill switch to the terminal block instead of just eliminating the terminal block altogether.

I just wanted to run the connections by you guys first before I start hacking things up. I’m going to disconnect the big wire at the terminal block (one big wire in and three wires out (1 big, two small)) and connect them to the big lugs on the kill switch. The two smaller wires at the terminal block (DME power?) are wired into the spade connectors such that the alternator -> DME works normally but when the switch is opened/shut off, the engine side goes through the switch, to the resistor, and then grounds to the shock tower.

Does this make sense?[/quote]
Nope. Gotta draw a diagram.

You lost me when you said “alternator -> DME” and next you talked about engine side and ground.

I don’t know that I’d bother with the resister nor the ground. Almost no one does that, to include (I think) the OEM design.

Obviously there’s two lines coming from the battery. As long as your kill switch cuts both lines and there’s no route directly from alternator to DME, it’ll work.

Re. your signature. Don’t be sorry. Your struggles for social acceptance, for the slightest gesture of affection from the opposite sex were not in vain.

Hmm. Ok, well maybe they were. That is sad indeed.

#117

It is more work, but seriously consider mounting the kill switch inside the protection of the cage. When I had my wreck a cowl mouthed kill switch would have been inaccessible, if not destroyed.

#118

[quote=“Ranger” post=66217]

Re. your signature. Don’t be sorry. Your struggles for social acceptance, for the slightest gesture of affection from the opposite sex were not in vain.

Hmm. Ok, well maybe they were. That is sad indeed.[/quote]

Haha. Engineering isn’t a major. It’s a lifestyle.

Also, I think I’m going to eventually mount the kill switch inside the passenger window in the vent there.

#119

[quote=“MrDomino” post=66339][quote=“Ranger” post=66217]

Re. your signature. Don’t be sorry. Your struggles for social acceptance, for the slightest gesture of affection from the opposite sex were not in vain.

Hmm. Ok, well maybe they were. That is sad indeed.[/quote]

Haha. Engineering isn’t a major. It’s a lifestyle.
[/quote]
Haha. Only if you choose for it to be.

Calculus, physics and celibacy. And we wonder why there’s no white kids doing it.

#120

The benefit of going back to school for engineering at 27 is that all those girls who are majoring in engineer are hot unlike they were 9 years ago.