I live in NYC and car alarms are a nuisance rather than a theft deterrent. Noone takes notice. Stolen cars are a part of life here.

BUT, I want to try to protect myself and I am asking for suggestions on how to make a simple off switch, located in a hidden place, that would prevent starting the car. I assume it could hook up to the steering column wiring harness.

Any suggestions?

Thx
J

PS:
Its a 97 Camry, 4cyl.

There are a thousand ways.
The easyest way would be to take the IGT signal wire from the ECU to the ignition coil & wire a switch on it. (I think - ECU harness A, it should be the only solid white wire on that connector - but it's been a long time since I read a '97+ 5s-fe wiring diagram... But that should be right LoL Clip the wire & if the car won't start, you've got it!).

I would put the switch down under in the carpet on the right hand side of the driver's seat. & run the wire under the carp. That way it's inconspicuous to reach to (people always adjust a seat) & easily in reach.


You can do the same thing with nearly everything else in the car, but IGT is pretty much the easyest one. Don't do it to the ignition key wires. The ECU's can have a tendancy to freak out if resistance on the lines get changed much.

IGT = the ignition pulse sent from the ECU to the ignitor & coil to fire. If the ECU doesn't tell the ignitor to fire the coil - the spark plugs don't spark.
Obviously... The car isn't moving under it's own power.

Just for clarity, the IGT signal goes from the ECM to terminal 2 of the ignitor connector. The wire - white it is. /Yoda

Thanks brian =) I thought so cause toyota always use to try to use the same general color wiring, but I wasn't sure!