simple kill switch

i was working on a 91 camaro, the customer wanted a simple kill switch, so I used a toggle switch and cut the starter wire....well it worked twice then the car didnt want to start anymore. The guy that fixed it said that somethin shorted out and had to run new power wire, I dont know if the guy was just pulling my chain or not to get money, is this possible?? it was only the starter wire...

what gauge was the wire? did you try the switch, to see if it was bad.....yeah right shorted something.  he needs to be shorted out.

it was the yellow wire (about 12 guage) the switch was brand new, after that it didnt want to crank it would just click somewhere in the dash, so maybe i did mess something up i dont know, whats your opinion? btw i put the starter wire back the way it was and still did the same thing, even put a new battery and still the same

does the switch still work? you may have somehow burnt the switch if it was too low of amperage for a starter switch, and then somehow affected something else somewhere else...most small toggles arent really capable of handling very much amperage...

ahhhh it was 10amp, yup i think that did it, thanks

first of all a starter wire is high current. a toggle may not be your best bet. you better off using a toggle to control a relay. two ways to do it . a normal starter kill setup pin 87a key side of starter wire. pin 30 motor side of starter wire, pin85 an ignition wire pin 86 a hooked up to a two wire any size toggle switch, the second wire comming from toggle should be grounded. so when switch is on the car will not start. and off it will. second way a starter kill setup using the starter wire as an ignition source. pin 87a and pin 85 looped to gether and connected to key side of starter wire. pin 85 same thing with toggle switch grounded. pin 30 engine side of starter wire. the engine and key side of starter wire has to be correct.Jon

Installer/Help Technician

---coral springs florida---

mecp certification is not always needed. I have it and it has not helped me out at all. my experience out shines it.

I use a rocker style switch for this exact situation when people just want a kill switch and not an alarm, it's $3... I get it from advance auto, black in color, easy to hide (not all long and awkward like a toggle switch).... Just make sure u use the right one, the one I get says "12 Volt" on the package.

padawan, its more than just 12V, you have to look at amperage...a low amperage switch will probably just burn out like this one seems to have...there is alot of conductivity that goes through a starter wire, so you need a switch that is capable of handling a fair load...

yea the current draw is quite substantial, i would just use a relay, that way just about and switch used to activate the relays will work just fine

Well I dunno the amperage on it, but it's never burned out and I've done at least 15 of em for people... I'll check the package and let u know...but it's gotta be a high tolerance for amps if it's not failing.