Battery "kill switch" question

Eric Kozmic

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 8
Batt terminal.jpg
I was planning on going for a ride the other day and found a "dead" battery. I believe some new gauges installed are the culprit (voltage gauge is always showing ~12 V).

Thinking about installing a "kill swich" on the end of my "+" battery cable to ensure there's no draw on the battery while the car is in storage.

I noticed the "+" lead has 2 wires (1 to the starter & 1 to something on the grill, perhaps the volt regulator??) See photo.

The question is should I splice this "kill switch" into the larger diameter wire (to the starter) or on the smaller wire, or both??

Thoughts??
 

roger gunter

 
Supporting Member 1
Eric
on all my coups, I install a kill switch
I always take the + ca. from the battery to the kill switch then go from the other side of the switch back to the + on the battery
this way, your breaking the + at the switch

switch has to be on to charge the battery
if you put it some where hidden, then all you have to do is turn it off and remove the key, another theft deterrent

looks like you would have to do the same on the #10 wire , which is more then likely going to the voltage reg.
or the alt. if your running a one wire alt.

I'm sure some one else will chime in here
JMO
 

mac1

Well Known Member
Eric, this is the one I use from Hotronics. It uses a toggle switch that triggers a relayed battery disconnect. If you have a remote switched alarm you can set it up to disconnect when the car alarm is activated.
There's a 12 volt bypass terminal located on the switch that is for things that require power all the time like a lojack, radio preset memory and an alarm.
http://hotronicsproducts.com/product_info.php?products_id=13&osCsid=5acc41c6dca01669f274193090d9317f

batterydisc.jpg
 

Dick MacKenzie

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 9
Why not just put the switch in the negitive side,since the object is to "remove"the battery from the circut?

I was wondering the same thing. Like Bryan said earlier I just remove one of the cables but I always remove the negative side. Is there an advantage to breaking the circuit on the positive side?
 

roger gunter

 
Supporting Member 1
Hey Guys

sorry I typed this out wrong

I use the neg. at the switch not the post.

neg into the switch and then back out of switch to the battery

its just plain hell to get old Im here but my mind left
 

LMBRJQ 60

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 4
I have installed a battery disconnect switch on the 60 in a little plate under the battery tray. You can see it with the red key in it but when you take out the key the thing is all black and blends into the back ground.
Great when you leave it some where or if you have it in storage,
Out of site out of mind if anyone is looking to take it for a joy ride

Steve
 

IMBVSUR?

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Why don't we just look for the issue? All modern cars have a certain amount of milliamp draw that is normal, and stored long enough will kill the battery. However older cars without radio memory and host of other electronic gadgets usually have little to none. So why don't we look for a draw and find the problem? If the car is going to sit for a very long time, then get a disconnect, however we should try to find the issue rather than address the symptom. Just turn everything off and put an amp meter in series with the negative battery cable. Look for the draw and pull fuses till you find it. Then address the issue. Or pull the battery cable.
 

61BUBBLE348

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
Or sold

anyways, where my battery is in the engine bay I use those green twist knob units, depending on the layout I put it on either the +ve or -ve, where the battery is hard to get to, ie trunk or under the floor I use the red switch type and locate it near the front kick panel.
 

DonSSDD

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
I’ve had 2 of those green knobs units fail, got no power when I turned the know in. Used them on several old cars, no issues, but I think they are more cheaply made now than the old ones. I went to a Wirthco lever type, kind of ugly but it is foolproof. Always use the negative terminal.
 

Jim Sullivan

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
I’ve had 2 of those green knobs units fail, got no power when I turned the know in. Used them on several old cars, no issues, but I think they are more cheaply made now than the old ones. I went to a Wirthco lever type, kind of ugly but it is foolproof. Always use the negative terminal.
I used to use a disconnect with the green knob also. I chased an intermittent power loss for a while. Found out the disconnect was the issue. I don't use one anymore. I'll just disconnect the battery cable if needed.
 

IMBVSUR?

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
That will teach me to look at the dates:doh Wonder if that car is still in storage with a good or dead battery:dunno
 

64ss409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 9
As long as were are on this subject, here is something that I found. If I disconnect the negative terminal while in storage over winter, the positive cable will sometimes corrode. If I disconnect the positive cable, the negative cable doesn't corrode. Since I found that, I only disconnect the positive cable. The problem with positive cable corrosion was most evident on the winches in my two enclosed trailers. Both of them use wing nuts for connection at the battery.
 
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