Um, see all those other fuses next to the EFI fuse? This may fool some kid but any experienced thief will know to check for this and replace it with one of the other unnecessary fuses.

Something you could do is swap enough of the spark plug wires around that it won't run, they'll probably just think your rig is a POS

No matter what you do, they can still tow it away.

 

I looked up mad chemists old post of the subject, It is a blue wire with orange stripe. I am assuming it will be the same on my 97 sr5 4x4. i'm sure if they really wanted to steal your car they would get around anything you put in the way. but most people wont take the time or effort fiddling with a car to steal it. That is my experience(well it happened to a friend). The longer somone has to work to get your truck, the greater the risk they will be caught, so it cant hurt to throw in a few little tricks to keep the truck where it was parked.

 

take the wheels off AND pull the motor

 

Unplug the O2 sensor wire loom. The truck won't crank without it. It'll try and turn over for a sec, but die right after. The guy will keep trying this and attract attention from the nearest good samaritan.

 

No matter what you do, they can still tow it away.

 

You could always disguise it as an Exploder. Who would even think about swiping one of those POS's

Seriously, there is no way to realistically keep anyone from taking anything. Period. The best you can do is look to deter the would be thief by installing any number of counter measures. A "mean ass" dog in the cargo area works too.

A friend of mine had an insane Husky in his Tahoe when two punks took the keys from him and climbed inside and started the truck. The dog went Ape Sh#t on both of them. When the cops got there they were both bleeding severely from multiple dog bites and were hiding in the floor area They were taken to jail after an extended visit to the ER.

Personally I would consider splicing into the fuel line near a congested area and installing a manual shut off valve. The kind you twist to open or close. You could easily splice and conseal it pretty well. This seems to me to be the easiest fix, not as good as some of the others I've heard though.

I like the wire splice into the panels myself.

I hope we can keep this thread rolling, I'd really like to see something easy and simple that could be used in conjunction with a few other tricks.

I know, I know....pull the motor!

Doug

 

The best thing would be something you come up with all by yourself, thus hard to guess for a potential thief. Do two or more of these, and chances of someone finding them both are non existant.

There are several ways to go, some more practical than others, hehe:
1) Cut off fuel, air or ignition in an infinite variety of ways
2) Disable supporting electrical or vacuum systems
3) Physically disable the truck by taking something off

Fake distributor(just drill the conductors out), hidden switch under a panel that cuts off power to something important, like a fuel pump. A fake wire that does not conduct while appearing intact (coil or spark plug).. A hidden switch to the fuse box would be better than just taking a fuse with you. A valve in a fuel line is a good one that someone already mentioned. Or how about an obstuction in the air intake, who would think to look there. If it does not get air, fuel or spark, it wont run. With these newer vehicles, that require a bunch of bullshirt supporting systems to even turn over, disabling any of them would do the trick. Disable two of them, and short of someone towing it away they couldn't take it. Let your imagination run wild! If they want it bad enough, even taking the wheels off wont work as they can always use a fork lift But then, this is not a Ferrari, so there is no need to be that extreme

 

Ha Ha Pull the motor. I like that. Be just my luck the bad guy only wanted the motor and I did the work for him

I remember someone posted about pulling the wire off to oil pressure sender, something about it starting for a second, but then shutting off. I was always going to check this, but kind of forgot about it. Anyone ever try this?

I once had someone attempt to steal my K-Blazer, but my starter interrupt stopped them. I did have to replace a window, steering collum. But it sure made me feel better knowing the low-life didn't get a free ride.

 

Pulling the oil pressure sender's wire won't do anything to stop the motor from running. Same goes for a single wire o² sensor, it'll just run in open-loop mode. I'm not sure about the multi-wire o² sensors but I'm pretty sure it'll run disconnected as well as the extra wires are just for a heater. It'll probably run like crap though... The only sensor I can think of that will truly stop the motor from running (not just make it run like crap and stall) is the AFM or MAF/MAP sensor depending on what engine you have, if no airflow is sensed the fuel pump is shut off after a few seconds as the ECU assumes that the engine is stopped.

 

Some things I have done in the past:

Unplug one of the main wire plugs to the engine, then barely reconnect it (no electrical contact but looks plugged in)

My son never found that one when I dissabled his.

Have a distributot rotor that is shorted out. Get a used rotor so it isn't obvious. Drill a small hole from inside the rotor (where the shaft goes) up to the brass contact. Put a piece of wire inside with epoxy. This shorts the spark from the rotor to the dist shaft. No run...

 

Bump! I know it's old but it's a great thread.

I'm a new member and was looking for ideas on how to deter piss-ants from taking my 4runner. I'm interested in the fuel cut-off switch. Anyone know the color of the wire I'd have to splice into? I have a 1999 4runner 2wd (base model).

thanks in advance!

 

Search for the thread I started a while back on the same topic, has the wire color stated in the opening lines.

 

I would take off the distributor cap and keep it in the house, or better yet just take the rotor out and leave the cap on to be stealthy.

the fuses can be bypassed with a simple wire, thieves aren't always as dumb as you think!

 

Put the TRUCK in your suitcase!!!

 

Airport eh? So that means if they want your truck they'll have to pay for parking for you too? lol
You could always take a knife and cut a brake line. This way it'll disable the brakes. When he gets to the airport parking outside gate, he wont be able to stop and he'll run right through the "arm" thingie that is always down before you pay for parking. The cashier will call the airport police. Not only was he not able to steal your car. They also caught the guy as well.

 

take your ECU and chain the truck to the ground with some big chains and locks.

Or, a Garage?

There IS a thing called Engine Braking...

 

Holy crap this is an old thread...

 

Sell it and buy a new one when you get back.At least its a good excuse to get a new one.

 

I live in a bad neighborhood so in my 1997 4runner, I pull the starter relay. It a little blue box in the fuse box under the hood. I even ground down the little tab on it so I can easily take it in and out. I have an automatic so removing the starter relay makes it harder to steal. If somebody wants my truck they are going to have to work for it. I think most thieves would just move on to an easier target.

 

I agree with just removing the rotor under the distributor cap. No spark, no run. Also, removing the coil-to-distributor wire will do the same thing.