prkiller

The way I did it was much simpler.
I used a simple 2 pole switch. Ran the battery and alternator on one pole, and everything in the car off the other pole.

When you flip the switch, the battery and alternator circuit is killed at the same time, the car dies, and everything in the car dies except the power wires from the battery and alt.
It is harder on the switch, but I never use the switch to kill the car except for the annual tech inspections, so it's not a problem.

That's how I've done it.

granracing

Do you turn the switch off after using the key to turn the car off? If not I could see that way but otherwise I'd take as much load off the kill switch as possible. I've purchased a couple of different kill switch types and after time they always seem to fail (no exposure to rain or other issues). I now carry a inexpensive plastic version as back-up.

Driven

Stolen from the Spec Miata guys:
We did this to our chump car with a 2-pole switch, purchased from Ebay for like $15.
Ebay link

to clean up the instructions:
1. Extend positive battery cable from battery and connect to Side A of kill switch
2. Get another positive battery cable and connect to Side B of kill switch... this will eventually connect to the + side of the battery
3. Remove B wire off Alternator (one bolted to the alternator) and starter wire.
4. Connect B wire from Alternator to Starter
5. Route new wire from Alternator to Side B of kill switch

Side A of kill switch:
- Factory wiring harness positive battery cable

Side B of kill switch:
- Positive terminal of the battery
- Alternator

granracing

Just using the switch will cause it to fail much sooner. Yes, you can go cheap on this and save just a few bucks but get to an event or worse be in a fun race and have the switch go bad. Your savings can quickly go away.

GSRCRXsi

Thanks. How do you have the starter power wire hooked up? Straight from the battery to the starter? Or is it off the second pole with "everything else"?

prkiller

Think of the kill switch this way.

Hot side and cold side.

Hot side gets battery and alt. Those are the only things that have or produce power.

Cold side gets everything else that "draws" power. So, Starter, ignition, everything else in the car that gets power.
Run the starter wire straight from the cold side of the switch to the starter.
Run another wire to the fuse panel to provide the rest of the car with power.

You should be done!

As Dave pointed out below and as I said above but didn't go into much detail, with this switch setup, it sends a lot of amperage through the switch itself if you use it to kill the car and the more you use it, the faster you'll kill the switch itself. So, don't use the kill switch to turn off the car while it's running unless you "have" to. I keep a spare switch in the trailer just for this very reason as I've had them fail as well.
Use the key or ignition power to turn off the car, then flip the switch to save your battery power!

prkiller

Exactly! I always kill the car with the ignition switch, then simply use the "kill switch" to power down the rest of the car.
That's the way it should be done every time!

GSRCRXsi

i dunno, just seems crazy to pull all those amps through the switch when starting the car. and you have the alternator post straight to the battery? doesnt that line need to be fused?

is it against the rules to do it the way as my second diagram? with the starter line right off the battery? if its not against the rules i think i would prefer to do it that way.

prkiller

Think about it this way.
The switch when in the "closed" position is just a connected bridge. The starter won't pull to many amps through it, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Now, if you were shutting the kill switch off at the very moment you were trying to start the car, then you'd have to worry about it. But that won't be the case.

I'd certainly rather run the starter on the "cold" side of the kill switch because it's one less "hot" lead in the engine bay.
If you do it the way I'm suggesting, the only hot leads you have are the alt and battery power and they both run to the switch.

That's always the way I suggest everyone run their kill switch, but the way you are suggesting would work. It just doesn't isolate the starter lead and in my example, it's easily done with no issues what-so-ever.

BTW, I've been doing it like this on many many cars for almost 7 years now!

GSRCRXsi

thanks for your input jeremy. i guess ill have to mull it over in my head which way i want to go with it lol.

what about the ignition switch? switch/relay vs. beefy switch?

raffaelli

I'd not risk damage to the car wiring or components. Just get the right switch and wire it the right way. Peice of mind goes a long way.

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/gro...upID=CABLETERM

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pro...asp?RecID=1464

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pro...asp?RecID=1011

Mine is mounted on the cage inside the car behind the drivers side mirror.

GSRCRXsi

yea i got that switch. im going to wire it up like my second diagram with the starter motor right off the battery. whether its fine or not, i dont like the idea of the starter pulling so much amperage through the switch while starting the car.

semi off topic:

in removing the stock harness. the top bolt of the alternator will not come off. turning the nut just broke through the plastic "stoppers" and the nut under it just spins with the top nut, along with the entire bolt. im not sure how this bolt is secured internally, is the shaft snapped inside? or just unscrewing from somewhere inside the alternator?

either way i cant get the top nut off. should i just replace the whole alternator? i already cut the wire so i can attempt to take the whole alternator out. just not sure if i can trust the alternator after this, even if i manage to get the top nut apart.

should i look for an "upgrade" alternator like one of the higher output versions? or just stick with a 90A reman from advance (which run about 200), or are the ebay remans an option? they are significantly cheaper.

B18C in a 91 CRX btw.

GSRCRXsi

up

Driven

an alternator from Vatozone, O'Reileys, Pep Boys, etc... it'll work.
Unless you're driving around with a 1000watt stereo system, a few TVs, and a fridge... I wouldn't worry about "upgrading" the alternator.

GSRCRXsi

Thanks, I didn't think so, just wanted to be sure.

known

iTrader: (1)

Maybe if you were running some 24 hr chump car with Stadium lights but not just to power the minimum components. The car probably had more of a draw at the alternator as a street car than it will for your track days.

Im just running a used alternator currently but would use an advance auto replacement if needed.

GSRCRXsi

got the master switch wired up (for the most part).

some pics:



and a switch panel:



you can see the loopback from the alt/fusebox line to ground the alt through a resistor for alt protection as recommended in the directions. i used a 10ga wire there for the loopback, think thats enough? or should i re-do it in heavier gauge? the switch is only a 1/4" blade terminal so it didnt seem like it would be taking much current to just ground out through the resistor on the other side of the switch.

GSRCRXsi

moved to electrical thread

nick91civicsi

Bringing this thread back to avoid a whole new one. So for scca rules is it legal to run the starter straight from the battery?

I bought the master switch that has the extra contacts for the alternator and ignition. So my question is can i just run from the switch to the main power feed which is also connected to the alternator and just leave the oem starter cable alone?

Or should I run the 4ga wire from the switch to the starter and then "daisy chain" to the alternator and main fuse box?

Any help is appreciated. I have spent hours reading up on this and found so many different methods that I concluded there's just alot of different ways to do it and as long as your way works and is legal than its fine. My question comes up because I dont know if having the power running through some components to get to others will actually affect anything because technically they are all connected to the same power source on the oem setup.

Robin6

Do you have fire suppression also or is it in the plans?

nick91civicsi

Yea fire system is in the plans. I read that post but it doesn't spell out if the starter can be run directly or not because its not drawing power unless you are starting the car? Also about the daisy chain or connecting everything from one to another? Or should i just use a distribution block and run from the switch to the block then run an individual wire to each component (starter, alternator, fuse box).

nick91civicsi

After re-reading, this thread it looks like either way is acceptable as far as the starter wire goes but now my question is...when you run power from the switch back to the main fuse box do you still need to run a wire to the alternator? If I'm not mistaken (which is possible) the alternator wire runs to the fuse box and terminates right next to the main power feed in the fuse box and is connected by a fuse to the main power? So is there a need to run from the switch to the alternator? Or will it be fine to just run one wire to the main fuse box?

nick91civicsi

Anyone?

smokin rubber

same as me, works great