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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Distributor Current
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I am looking to wire in a simple toggle switch between the coil and the distributor to enable me to isolate the distributor as another layer of security. It is a CSI electronic one, if that makes any difference and CSI said to just use wire of the same diameter. I have some thin wall 2 core which will make a neat job of it which is rated at 16.5A – it is physically slightly thinner (hence the thin wall??) but I would have thought this was sufficient, noting the Lucas switch have is 5A! If not what rating do I need? Thanks Mike |
| Mike Dixon |
| Mike
A normal 12v ign coil will draw 4-5amps while the engine is running If you happen to have a ballast resistor system and coil fitted then it would be around 8ish amps So your wire should be good and also the switch for a normal coil but if your car has been converted to a ballast system then the switch could be borderline But With the electronic dist things change a bit There will be 2 wires from the dist to the coil red-onto the coil + --power supply terminal black----onto coil- --switching terminal The black wire operates similar to the original switching wire from your old points distributor and is being repeatedly grounded to earth during operation by the electronic module (distributor) and will be flowing the same current draw as a points dist. The red wire is the power supply to the module and would have much less current flow as it's only supplying the module and not the coil itself With electronics, it is better to cut the power supply to a module than it is to cut the output,as cutting the output while the module is still powered up can cause a backfeed and wreck the module Long story ,short The wiring and switch you have should be fine but best fitted in the red wire circuit to limit any possible damage-- willy |
| William Revit |
| If you've got an old Lucas switch then that'll fine as far as operating goes, noting Willy's comment about amperage, but modern made toggles switches seem to be very flimsily so if you need a new toggle switch I'd suggest a heavy duty (usually 25amp but same physical size for installation) not for its loading but for its greater physical robustness. |
| Nigel Atkins |
| Mike, the above suggestions are good but the problem with doing it this way is if the switch fails you’ll lose ignition (not fail safe). When I’ve done this in the past I’ve connected the SW terminal on the coil (the one that goes to the distributor or the black wire on your CSI ignition) to ground via a switch, this has the advantage that the switch only passes current when you try to start it in disabled mode and if the switch fails (unless it goes short circuit which isn’t the normal failure mode) you won’t be left stranded. If you have an RVC tacho it’s even easier as you can just take a wire from the black/white wire on the back of the tacho via a switch to ground.
Bob |
| R.A Davis |
| Bob's method also has the advantage that if some low-life attempts to hot wire it with a feed to the coil, then it still won't start. :-) Just don't leave the ignition switched on for any length of time with the coil switched to earth or your coil will get very hot! Now, I wonder how I know that? |
| GuyW |
| Bob The SW terminal is connected to the ignition SWitch. The CB terminal connects to the distributor (contact breaker). Connecting the SW to ground will let the smoke out! |
| Dave O'Neill 2 |
| I know that is what SW and CB stand for, but why does it matter Dave? Are they not just opposite ends of the primary winding in the coil, isolated from the chassis. |
| GuyW |
| Guy The SW terminal is live when ignition is switched on. If grounded, the loom will burn out due to a dead short. |
| Dave O'Neill 2 |
| Dave I was misunderstanding what you were getting at then ! The SW is only live if it is connected to the ignition wire. If the connections are both reversed, with CB connected to the igntion switch and SW to the dizzy, it works just as well! |
| GuyW |
| “The SW is only live if it is connected to the ignition wire.” As that is how they came from the factory, we would have to assume that that’s how most would be wired. |
| Dave O'Neill 2 |
| Indeed Dave, I said that I misunderstood what you meant. Connecting the other terminal (CB) to earth also causes a short when the ignition switch is turned on, but via the coil winding so not quite so direct. Obviously the engine won't then start. Wires don't melt but if left like that for more than a few minutes the coil does warn up quite a bit. |
| GuyW |
| Dave I stand corrected, you’re absolutely correct, for SW read CB this dose of course assume you’re coil is connected correctly. It’s about 10 years since I did this on my car and then I used the B/W wire on the tacho but that’s no excuse for such a school boy error. The only saving grace is there’s eagle eyed people like yourself about. Bob |
| R.A Davis |
| Blimey I had not realised I would open this much debate! More confused than ever - so do I switch the red or black wire? -Red is on the pos side of the coil and shares the terminal with the white wire - Black is on the negative side and shares it with the black and white wire A red key type battery isolator is looking more attractive by the minute. I would rather not fry my new distributor or melt my loom...... Mike |
| Mike Dixon |
| Mike, the mistakes confused me too, but I started that way. My coil is wired as per your last post. HTH And I'll put my concern was that 16.5A thin wall wires, which I take to be 1mm2, is physically thin and not so robust so I’d be concerned about supporting and protecting the wires behind the dash and in the engine bay against the environments and more likely my clumsy mittens. |
| Nigel Atkins |
| It has been suggested to me that I put up this link as an explanation of coil polarity - https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/ignition/ig104.htm |
| Nigel Atkins |
| Mike, my apologies for any confusion I caused. Prior to fitting the CSI ignition you should have had a white wire on the + or SW terminal, this is a supply that comes via the ignition switch. On the other terminal marked – or CB (contact breaker AKA points) you would have had a black/white with that would have gone to the distributor. You could also have a second black/white that would go to the tacho if you have an RVC tacho.
If you still had the old distributor you could take a wire from the black/white wire via a switch to ground. When the switch is closed (disabled mode) it simulates the points being permanently closed and the car won’t start. As you have a CSI distributor (as do I) you should now have a white wire on the + or SW terminal as before but you should also have a red wire that goes to the CSI distributor. On the other terminal, - or CB, you should have a black wire that also goes to the CSI distributor. This black wire performs the same function as the old black/white wire with the electronics inside the distributor performing the same function as the old points. The CSI distribtor will use an electronic device (probably a MOSFET) that performs the same function as the old points, so you can do the same and connect a wire to the terminal with the black wire via a switch to ground. I haven’t tried this on my car but I will and report back Bob |
| R.A Davis |
| Mike, Bob, as you hopefully have a good few thousands of miles and use through the various season and/or over a reasonable length of time how do you find the CSI to be in use? I ask as I'm a big fan of new fully electronic distributors replacing (worn or not) points and worn dissy and can recommend the 123 by my years of use but the CSI wasn't on offer when I got mine and it looks like it might be more convenient for Spridget installation and use especially where a side dissy cap is needed. |
| Nigel Atkins |
| Nigel, to be honest I’ve only recently fitted the CSI distributor so can’t give you any long results yet but I’m very hopeful. The reason I fitted a CSI is I’ve been running a Lumenition Magnetronic for a number of years which although it works very well has a fixed and rather high dwell angle at 70 degrees. This works well at high RPM but makes the coil run hotter than I’d like at low speeds. Having sat in traffic waiting to enter shows the coil would get too hot to keep your hand on it, I did measure it but can’t remember the temp.
A friend has a 123 fitted and was getting pinking under load, I tried to get a copy of the various cures available on his distributor (his is the non programmable version) but try as I might I couldn’t find them anywhere. When I looked at the CSI unit all the curves available on that model were freely available, this was the main thing that swung me towards it. I like the Idea that if I start to have an issue I can identify what the advance is at any particular RPM and look for a different curve that would hopefully solve the issue. I also had a question about variable dwell that I couldn’t find in their documentation and emailed them, within a couple of days I had a complete answer which included links to the curves and installation instructions. If original looks are what you want the CSI is almost indistinguishable from an original Lucas unit, even having a fake vacuum unit, it does have vacuum advance but it’s controlled electronically. There are a lot of cheap replacement distributors with electronic modules already fitted for sale but the quality of some of the castings is dire and none of them publish the advance curves. They seem to rely on the fact that it physically fits to prove it’s correct for your car rather than providing an appropriate advance curve for your car. A false economy in my book. Bob |
| R.A Davis |
| My plan is to use 2 core thin wall so it should be physically robust enough. It is also black so should be less obvious in the engine bay. If it fails it is easy enough to remove -so the less obvious the better Sorry not to have made it clear but my simple approach to the switch did not involve picking up earth at all - see att sketch - wire to and from the switch using the twin core. I will post a quick 'review' of CSI under a new thread. Cheers Mike  |
| Mike Dixon |
| Comments on CSI:
Following on from Bob's comments on the CSI I agree with all of what he said. The CSI looks more original, using a lucas side entry cap, and you can change the curves without removing it - I think, but might be wrong, that you have to take out the 123 on an A series engine? I did have a few questions before fitting and Wim from CSI replied same day by email and was really helpful. It was a doddle to fit in the end. It does seem to start and drive better, but I have no evidence to support that! I would have no hesitation in fitting one again. Mike |
| Mike Dixon |
| Mike,
picking up on the two core cable, do you mean 2 Core Thin Wall Cable (Flat [or round] Twin) - 2 x 16.5A (1.0mm²) such as - https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/2-core-thin-wall-auto-cable-2-x-16-5-amp.html In which case are you using just one of the wires (inside or out of the outer flat sheath), or are you twisting both cable ends together - in which case I'd favour buying single core thin wall cable, either 1.0mm² or 2.0mm² (25A) a small reel or few metres of black is always handy for earth wiring (subject to load of course). https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/25-amp-single-core-thin-wall-auto-cable.html |
| Nigel Atkins |
| Bob, Mike, thanks for your reviews, I agree with your comments. Personally I've never had problems with the (non-programable) 123 (other than keeping on top of cleaning the cap and rotor as the spark scars them). After installation I had the car set on the rollers, not for the 123 but it did dismiss any thoughts I had that the 123 might be improved even more by moving off the standard curve setting for my model for the modest extra power my engine gave. |
| Nigel Atkins |
| Nigel My plan was to run one cable in the twin core from the coil to the switch. Run the other one from the switch to the distributor- so in effect is one cable, joined by the switch. Hope this makes sense? The attraction of the Twin core is it is sheathed and makes a much neater job? I think that is what I have shown logically if not physically in my sketch? Mike |
| Mike Dixon |
| Right Mike now I understand but personally I don't like the idea of the switch wire being in both black and red, the way round this is to over-sleeve the visible ends of the opposite colour wire with heat shrink sleeving.
If you're using crimp spades then you want the red size for 1mm wire, I always prefer to use the fully-insulated-over-the-spade-connection type - and using a ratchet crimper not only gives a neat, tight professional finish it also saves my weak hand tendons. If you have any sort of terminal protector I'd use that inside all the connections too to help keep the crud and damp out. |
| Nigel Atkins |
| I agree with the idea of just earthing the CB wire as you only need a single wire back to the dash and, as said, if the switch fails (open circuit probably) it doesn't matter. |
| Bill Bretherton |
| Far out--
Mike Your comment-- "My plan was to run one cable in the twin core from the coil to the switch. Run the other one from the switch to the distributor- so in effect is one cable, joined by the switch. Hope this makes sense? " If this is to replace the red wire in the circuit, then yes all good Please re read my first post right up the top All this advice being given on here about earthing the black wire is ok for points dist but would ultimately wreck your electronic module dist---it's not the way to do it and those promoting it above havn't done it either on an electronic ign. These units are built to operate within a certain window of load and earthing them out will wreck them The red wire circuit from the coil to the dist. is the one to get into Remove the red wire from the coil Fit your switch-wherever Run one switch wire to the coil where the red wire was removed from Run the other switch wire to join onto the red wire to the dist. that was removed from the coil----------- done willy |
| William Revit |
| I hadn't read the OP properly (!) e and Willy is correct, of course, for electronic ignition. |
| Bill Bretherton |
| Thank you all for you help, to think this started off with the current this draws....
Wim from CSI has got back to me ( his comments are the bulleted ones) and he favours the black! Hi Mike, -Red is on the pos side of the coil and shares the terminal with the white wire • that’s Right. - Black is on the negative side and shares it with the black and white wire • The black and white wire is not need anymore, because this one was between the points of the old dizzy and the negative side of the coil You can lead the black wire of the CSI to the switch and from the switch back to the negative side of the coil. Mike |
| Mike Dixon |
| Follow on from Wim
Hi Mike, The advice on the forum is also good, I assumed you preferred to swith the black wire. I can assure you, this is not a problem for the CSI ( like suggested on the forum) both solutions will do. b.t.w. a standard 3 ohm coil coil has a max. current around 3 Amp, if you use a 1.5 ohm ballast resistor in combination whit a 1.5 ohm coil (most used combination) it still around 3 Amp. (the sum is still 3 ohm) The wiring should be thick enough fort his, however the average current is lower because the dwelltime is only about 4 msec. (a point dizzy has a fixed contact angle) So not an issue? Mike |
| Mike Dixon |
| “All this advice being given on here about earthing the black wire is ok for points dist but would ultimately wreck your electronic module dist---it's not the way to do it and those promoting it above havn't done it either on an electronic ign.
These units are built to operate within a certain window of load and earthing them out will wreck them “ Willy I understand exercising caution where electronic devices are concerned as you can fry them in a milli second but in this case your concerns are ill-founded. In answer to your statement “those promoting it above haven't done it either on an electronic ign.” I have used this method, of taking the negative side of the coil to ground via a switch. Admittedly not yet on a CSI unit but that will soon be remedied. “These units are built to operate within a certain window of load and earthing them out will wreck them” Grounding the black wire from the CSI distributor via a switch won’t increase the load (current) on the unit, it’ll decrease it. Any current that would have been taken to ground via the distributor is instead shunted via this link to ground. My background is in electronics and both electronics and cars are my hobbies so I’m reasonably confident in anything I write, barring the odd school boy error. To confirm and sanity check my belief I emailed Wim at CSI and his reply which he’s confirmed I can quote is as follows I wrote On previous cars using both points based systems and my own design electronic systems, I've taken a wire from the CB terminal on the coil (the one with the black wire from the CSI distributor) to ground via a concealed switch to ground as a security measure. I assume the CSI distributor uses a MOSFET or similar to pull this line to ground to simulate the points and that grounding this line would simply shunt any current normally taken by the MOSFET and effectively disable the ignition. And Wim replied “Technical you are right, But when you make a shortcut to ground, then constant current will flow and heat up the coil. You can also use a capacitor about 1 uf in series with the switch, this will clamp and reduce the induction of the coil, so there will be no spark and no extra DC current in this situation. Beware, the switch must be able to withstand up to 500 Volts.” I replied saying “I hadn’t considered using a capacitor. I’m less worried about heating the coil as this would only happen in the event someone tries to steal the car but a capacitor solves both problems.” The summary of the above is, in my opinion the best method is to take a single wire from CB terminal on the coil (the one that has the black wire from the CSI distributor) via a single wire and switch to ground. An easier way if you have an RVC tacho is to pick up a connection from the black/white wire on the back and take it via a concealed switch to ground. Bob |
| R.A Davis |
| Hmmm
Not convinced with the black, I've seen dead tachos kill electronic ignition modules I'd be going the red side to be safe------- The current draw this side of the coil to the dist will be minor as it's only powering the module whereas the black will still be at 3-4 amps Wim's 3 amps is ok for a std coil but if you have a sports coil like most people it would be more like 4 Also with a balasted coil he is correct at the same 3 amps while running but while starting the ballast is bypassed and the draw would be around 8 during cranking ------- |
| William Revit |
| Willy Each to their own. You may not know the answer to this but I’d be interested to know what tacho could kill an ignition system. As a side line I repair Smiths tachos and it’s difficult to see how any of these could do this but I’m willing to learn. You’re correct in that switching the supply to the distributor involves far less current but it does include, 4 additional connectors, 2 wires and a switch as potential points of failure. Bob |
| R.A Davis |
| Mike, if the load (assuming that's the correct technical word, but you know what I mean) is 3A or 8A the 16.5A wire will be OK and you can get heat shrink sleeving in red and black. So - that's your using your existing wire sorted. :) But taking 8A the toggle switch would be better as the heavy duty (25A) type if the standard Lucas switch you have is only 5A(?). |
| Nigel Atkins |
| If others are considering a CSI system and want an immobiliser, you may wish to consider this. http://www.csi-ignition.nl/bestanden/csi_immobilizer_lucas_23d_25d_43d_45d_59d_manual_neg._ground_-_g.pdf |
| R.A Davis |
| Nigel, a 12v Lucas coil will draw 3 or 4 amps if earthed from CB side. |
| Bill Bretherton |
| Cheers Bill, I was just covering the highest figure shown of 8 just to show Mark he's well covered with 16.5A.
Quick look at the instructions Bob put up and unless I've read it wrong CSI say to have a DLB105 which is the sports coil so nearer 4A from Willy. The immobiliser has a fob, that'd never do for me another key to lose and go wrong or is it the unit that would go wrong, I'd sooner a switch go wrong, easier to work out. Luckily my midget isn't attractive enough to need an electronic immobilser, I'm more kinkily to get stolen for my looks. :) |
| Nigel Atkins |
| I thought of the immobiliser one but an extra £180 seemed a lot and I wondered what might happen if it failed. The decider was they were on backorder! |
| Mike Dixon |
| Bob-------
"Posted 12 February 2019 at 13:12:39 UK time Willy Each to their own. You may not know the answer to this but I’d be interested to know what tacho could kill an ignition system. As a side line I repair Smiths tachos and it’s difficult to see how any of these could do this but I’m willing to learn. You’re correct in that switching the supply to the distributor involves far less current but it does include, 4 additional connectors, 2 wires and a switch as potential points of failure. REPLY Bob All I can say is , best if you follow Wim's advice and then you've got it in writing if it all goes pearshape On the tacho brand question - It was a Smiths 3wire Power Earth Pulse It shorted internally and sent 12 down the pulse wire to the module which died instantly |
| William Revit |
| Thinking about this again, I agree with Bob (Davis) in that the CSI unit probably uses a power MOSFET transistor for switching the coil current (can't find much information on this) so earthing it for security purposes shouldn't damage it, meaning a single wire could be used as with points. |
| Bill Bretherton |
| I have used electronic ignition for nearly 20 years / 100K miles, combined with a hidden connect to earth switch taken from the dizzy side of the coil. No problems at all - except occasionally when I forget to switch it off and wonder why the car doesn't spring into life at the first turn of he key! |
| GuyW |
| Just read back through all this--- Guy's post just before this one has proven that it's ok to earth the switching wire I'm 99% convinced by this, but ,there is a lingering worry in my head Some would say this is normal---ha ha willy |
| William Revit |
| Before someone destroys an expensive system I should add a disclaimer! I know nothing of electronics. Maybe there are different sorts of systems? Mine was lifted from an MG Metro, using the Metro dizzy and a small black encapsulated thing that plugs directly into a socket on the side of the dizzy. I have no idea what it does or how it works but the engine runs well with it and seems happy. |
| GuyW |
| I’ve also had this arrangement fitted to my Midget for approximately 15 years with a hidden switch. My system is one I built myself from a combination of a Maplin kit (shame they’ve gone) a Lucas hall effect pickup and rotor arm and an interface I built between them.
The one system I wouldn’t use this on would be a CDI (Capacitive Discharge Ignition) these drive the coil in a completely different way but I think these are only really used in the likes of chain saws and racing engines, neither of which are likely to require something like this. And if Wim says it’s ok to do it this way (at least on a CSI system), that’s good enough for me. |
| R.A Davis |
| I am being terminally dim. The consensus seems to be, leaving aside Wims comments, to : connect the SW terminal on the coil (the one that goes to the distributor or the black wire on your CSI ignition) to ground via a switch ( Bobs method which most seem to agree with, pasted in from I think the 3rd comment above ) So I earth the coil via a switch? What wires go where? What does the black CSI connect to? Can anyone do a sketch - I am very visual! Thanks Mike |
| Mike Dixon |
| Mike. Apologies for the initial confusion (mixing up the CB and SW terminals in my original email) Leave the CSI wiring in place exactly as it is now. Run a wire via a switch to ground from the terminal on the coil that has the black CSI wire attached to it. Switch open engine runs, switch closed engine won’t run. Job done Bob |
| R.A Davis |
Mike, does this help. Bob
 |
| R.A Davis |
| Bob that's perfect thanks. Picture worth a 1000 and all that. Electrics are a bit of a mystery to me so I have only a vague idea how it works, I will just accept it does! Thanks for taking the trouble to do that. Mike |
| Mike Dixon |
| Maybe I am being obtuse, but simply installing a switch in either of the low tension distributor wires should allow the circuit to be interrupted and then the car won't run. |
| Dominic Clancy |
| Dominic That I think was one of the options discussed above ( 11 Feb @ 18:02 has a sketch?) . Was that what you meant? Mike |
| Mike Dixon |
| Agreed, add a kill-switch in series, in either of the low tension leads; switch and cable rated at 6amps minimum. The problem with a switch that shorts the coil low-tension terminal to ground is that if the kill-switch is closed (ie active) whilst one unintentionally keeps the ignition/key switch 'on' for a long period, the coil will cook itself. (Coils are designed to have their low tension coil operated with an interrupted current.) |
| J Thomson |
| I think many (most?) of us are aware of the coil heating up but there is the presumption that one wouldn't accidently leave the ignition on for too long while earthed. |
| Bill Bretherton |
| >>Bill Bretherton wrote >> there is the presumption that one wouldn't accidently leave the ignition on for too long while earthed. Fair comment, but presumptions are best avoided when dealing with cars, and particularly old cars of multiple previous owners. And owners of advancing years with impaired memories(!). And it's possible that some person other than the owner (kill-switch installer) might be in possession of the ignition keys, eg mechanic, next owner, friend, or potential thief. |
| J Thomson |
| My take on this (and I think you know which option I favour) is, putting a switch in series with either side of the coil (ie between the supply and positive side of the coil) means you have the current of the ignition system flowing via this additional wiring and switch while the engine is running. This adds a number of potential points of failure that would leave you stranded at the roadside unless you were able to reverse the wiring changes. The potential points of failure are 4 additional connectors, 2 wires and a switch. The connectors would need to be either crimped with a good (preferably ratchet) tool or soldered (soldered or crimped, there’s another debate) and the switch would need to be a good quality item as the typical failure mode is open circuit.
The alternative of taking the negative side of the coil to ground via a switch avoids most of these problems. The wiring and switch only need to conduct any current when someone tries to steal the car. The coil heating issue presumes that you not only leave the kill switch closed but also leave the ignition on for an extended period. If your car failed to start because you’d forgotten to switch off the kill switch, would you walk away leaving the ignition on? And if a mechanic was working on your car and didn’t know you’d left it with him while the switch was operated, would he really leave the car with the ignition on long enough to damage the coil? These types of problems would apply to a points based system anyway. And if you’re really worried by the coil heating issue, you could put a capacitor in series with switch as suggested by Wim. When weighing off the issue of amnesia against ease of fitting and reliability, although both methods work I know which I’d choose. |
| R.A Davis |
| » (soldered or crimped, there’s another debate)« It sure is Bob. If it's worth anything I used to solder then crimp, but several times I had wires breaking right at the crimp connector. I think what happens is that the soldered end can't deform inside the crimp like bare wire and gets brittle at the joint because of the stress. So I stopped soldering and just use quality crimps and an expensive ratchet crimping tool and I don't get broken wires anymore. Just my 2¥, make of it what you will... |
| Greybeard |
| I crimp and then solder.... |
| David Smith |
| I used to work for a military equipment manufacturer and if a joint was meant to be crimped it was forbidden to solder it, the reason given was the solder will wick up the cable making it inflexible and prone to break. This does assume you always have the correct crimp tool. If I make a joint nowadays and I’ve got the correct tool and the cable is the correct size I just crimp it. If I don’t have quite the correct tool or the cable is undersize I crimp and then solder. |
| R.A Davis |
| What is an expensive crimp tool - it is a low cost crimper that doesn't do a good job, whereas an initially higher monetary cost of the correct tool which does the job properly is the least expensive option.
I've not no training in anyfink (especially Inglish langwidge) but years back I did do a very reasonable crimp with the basic crimper but then having small hands the manly shovel size crimpers became more of an effort to use and get right so I invested (only quite recently) in a ratchet crimp and wished I'd bought one decades ago. If you're like me and don't really know what you're doing forget solder use the correct sizes wires and fixings and a ratchet crimp tool (or crimper). |
| Nigel Atkins |
| The ratchet crimpers are pretty affordable these days and seem to do a good job, I expect due to the Chinese making them. If you want price shock have a look at the price of new Amp crimpers. I have a set for Stratotherm high temp crimp connectors and new they're about £300 + VAT, fortunately I found some 2nd hand in California and even with shipping the price was acceptable. |
| David Billington |
| A hidden 'in series' switch on the SW side of the coil, in effect duplicating the ignition switch won't protect the car at all when a villain hot wires the car by adding a cable direct from the battery to the coil.
Splice a wire into the wire that connects to the CB terminal ( dizzy side of the coil) and take it back hidden inside the loom wrapping to wherever you want to hide the switch that will then connect to earth. That way it won't be apparent and as long as you switch to earth when you leave the car it will be immobilized even if an attempt is made to hot wire it. It would be harder to conceal wiring for an in series cut off switch between coil and dizzy (or electronic module). |
| GuyW |
| A lady friend of mine in her 70s worked in Belfast during the height of the Troubles and drove a Triumph Herald. She became adept at removing and pocketing the rotor from the dizzy. Never got her car stolen. Just a thought. |
| Greybeard |
| Whatever you do to ignitions ,it will only stop honest thieves
Real thieves have their van or trailer parked down the road somewhere, they push your car out onto the road and bump it down the road onto their trailer and away-- And here's a good one I heard the other day VW Amarok In the radio on these there is a built in tracker for when emergency is activated A friend's mate had his Amarok stolen and contacted the police, as you do I don't know if it was from the police or VW but they found the last known location of the car which was a car park about 2klm away from where it was stolen but no signal from the car for the last 12 hours which wasn't long after it got nicked When they went there--no Amarok- but the radio and pieces of dash and trim were laying there in the grass Do you think the thieves knew about the tracker in the radio -- I reckon they might willy |
| William Revit |
| Trackers are quite primitive here. The thieves don't worry anyway, they just park the vehicle up and wait to see if it's tracked and recovered, if it's not the thieves move it on. |
| Nigel Atkins |
| Friends recently had a rented portaloo nicked from outside their premises, that's about £1000 + VAT to replace, fortunately the farm owner had it covered on the farm insurance this time. Apparently it's quite a common theft and they get shipped abroad never to be seen again. I suggested fitting a tracker, would anyone suspect a tracker in a portaloo? Anyway the next one is going to be more securely fixed down with steel straps etc so hopefully the next one won't go. Lots around here on building sites with little to no means to prevent removal. |
| David Billington |
| A friend had his house broken into and they took everything electrical, tv washingmachine ,oven,hotplates-the whole lot Claimed insurance and replaced it all with new, a month later they came back and nicked all the new stuff--he's got himself a very unfriendly guard dog now-I'm not game to go see him anymore, don't want to get eaten Bit of a shame but I like my arms and stuff like they are |
| William Revit |
| William, Someone I stayed with a couple of times had geese and mentioned they made very good guard dogs, maybe not vicious, but alerted when thing weren't right and had very tasty eggs as well, very nice scrambled. |
| David Billington |
| David - was the Portaloo full at the time? That's really taking the piss haha! Also you're dead right about the geese. We had Chinese geese for years, until they all died off. I liked them. They made an amazing racket if they saw anything unusual. The old gander (called Kato) was a real tartar and saw off several people he didn't like the look of. One of the funniest things I ever saw was Kato beating up a 17 stone police sergeant! |
| Greybeard |
| Willy, that used to be an old trick to break-in the first time and then return for the insurance replacements, perhaps even get the packaging boxes, remotes and instruction books. The Police would warn the victims about this. I don't know if this still happens as to me it appears many break-ins are opportunistic by those wanting drug money. |
| Nigel Atkins |
This thread was discussed between 09/02/2019 and 20/02/2019
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