Phiz
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Well I drove my Panda clearly displaying it's 1000 badge through Moss Side this evening and I didn't seem to attract any unwanted attention.
Technical DIY immobiliser ideas
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Technical DIY immobiliser ideas
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Well I drove my Panda clearly displaying it's 1000 badge through Moss Side this evening and I didn't seem to attract any unwanted attention.
Moss Side isn't what it used to be.
In the 80's when I went to school there, I used to get asked for "business" by the local girls on my way home, I was only 12.
I soon lost interest in the Beano after that!
The classic immobiliser was to run the low tension lead up to a swtich under the dash and back again.
In response to your reply to me on page 2 Phiz, space wise I always keep mine behind my seat/passenger seat. Because of the shape of the Stoplock, it fits perfectly over the hump in the middle I don't carry many passengers, evident as my Stoplock removed feet space all round and my fire extinguisher remove feet space completely on the passenger side... still need to move it but because I don't take many people around there's no rush. Can always take it out and put it in the front pouch or in the boot if I have to but I see your problem as you will have a lot of stuff to carry around! If you get a trailer or a roof rack etc then you can carry more there and still keep the lock in the boot for example. The baseball bat type locks are smaller so easier to store and still act as a deterrent but may be easier to cut through? Various types available anyway, all with their pros and cons. As a deterrent, any lock that looks like it's going to take more effort and time than it is worth will put a thief off!
I can find the exact model Stoplock for you if you need, though I think they're all pretty much the same (big yellow lock at top, big long bit that goes through the wheel to become a hassle). The one I have makes very light marks on my steering wheel where the weight pulls down, because my mechanical lock is achieved by turning the wheel 90 degrees to the left and then the Stoplock can only lock at the top right and the long bit touches the gearstick. Could probably try it upside down but eh. Anyway, the marks tend to go after a drive, but you can probably find a better way of putting the lock in or getting a different type lock so you don't get any at all
I don't carry many passengers, evident as my Stoplock removed feet space all round and my fire extinguisher remove feet space completely on the passenger side... still need to move it but because I don't take many people around there's no rush. Can always take it out and put it in the front pouch or in the boot if I have to but I see your problem as you will have a lot of stuff to carry around! If you get a trailer or a roof rack etc then you can carry more there and still keep the lock in the boot for example. The baseball bat type locks are smaller so easier to store and still act as a deterrent but may be easier to cut through? Various types available anyway, all with their pros and cons. As a deterrent, any lock that looks like it's going to take more effort and time than it is worth will put a thief off! I can find the exact model Stoplock for you if you need, though I think they're all pretty much the same (big yellow lock at top, big long bit that goes through the wheel to become a hassle). The one I have makes very light marks on my steering wheel where the weight pulls down, because my mechanical lock is achieved by turning the wheel 90 degrees to the left and then the Stoplock can only lock at the top right and the long bit touches the gearstick. Could probably try it upside down but eh. Anyway, the marks tend to go after a drive, but you can probably find a better way of putting the lock in or getting a different type lock so you don't get any at all
I wanted a cheap and effective immobiliser for Pandani and a few weeks ago I simply broke the LT/primary connection of the coil through a fuse holder fitted with a 15 Amp fuse. I placed the fuse holder adjacent the main fuse box below the dashboard and I can simply withdraw the fuse to isolate the coil, anyone attempting to start the engine will find out it won't fire and create a lot of racket in the process.
This also removed the other problem that I discovered and couldn't understand. Why is the coil's LT connection not protected by a fuse? I never liked this as a fault to the car's bodywork could result in a fire! I know that the wire (blue and black) is sheathed in an additional black plastic tube to provide additional protection/double insulation, but I still think a fuse provided the best fault protection. A work colleague who's a classic Mini enthusiast said that the Minis' coil circuits are also unfused. I could understand if the LT circuit was constantly being opened and closed (pulsed) whereby the resulting in-rush current could rupture the fuse.
This also removed the other problem that I discovered and couldn't understand. Why is the coil's LT connection not protected by a fuse? I never liked this as a fault to the car's bodywork could result in a fire! I know that the wire (blue and black) is sheathed in an additional black plastic tube to provide additional protection/double insulation, but I still think a fuse provided the best fault protection. A work colleague who's a classic Mini enthusiast said that the Minis' coil circuits are also unfused. I could understand if the LT circuit was constantly being opened and closed (pulsed) whereby the resulting in-rush current could rupture the fuse.
I can't readily think of any car with a fuse in the LT circuit. (there'll be a list on here shortly now I've said that) If such a fuse blows, you stop. Might be a bit risky, depending on location and speed at the time. Might be an idea to have a spare handy while driving.
The LT circuit does pulse. Every time the coil fires, it is because the LT circuit has been interrupted.
I did think of this myself before I did my modification. I understand that switching the HT side of the coil will still create a pulsed DC input on the coil's LT circuit, however this would be less of an in-rush current [to the coil] compared to switching the LT circuit as the coil's primary winding is constantly closed in circuit and not being switched directly.
I know there's the risk of the car suddenly stopping if the fuse blew whilst driving, but then again this would still happen if the wire faulted to earth or became open circuit as well as give rise to a fire risk. I do carry a few spare fuses anyway, I initially discovered a 5A fuse would not hold so decided on a 15A fuse to provide the protection I wanted; the blue and black wire looks like it's only about 1.0mm2 and unlikely to carry much above 15 or 20 Amps. If I need to fit a 30 or 40 Amp fuse I will as it should still provide better protection than no fuse at all.
I did do some quick Google research before fitting the fuse but could find nothing to explain why there's no fuse fitted for the coil.
