Hot wired years ago

[devonwoody]

Many many years ago when I was working, (salesman), a friend said to me when I was visiting his office, "hey John I have lost my car keys and the car is just round the corner from the office, do you think you could get it started"

I said, " in the films they just seem to join to wires together behind the ignition switch, it should be easy"

Well it wasnt, it burnt his wiring loom out and cost a lot of money to put right. Never did learn how to do it. :wink:

So?????????????????????????

 

[DIY Stew]

I'm an ex diesel fitter (worked on coaches), an easy way to start a coach was to lift the side flap, locate the starter and short out the thin solenoid wire with a screwdriver, I did this many times.

One of the coach drivers had a mark 3 cortina with an automatic choke, the slot for the choke control was on the steering column directly opposite the ignition switch, he used to start his car by putting a thin screwdriver into the slot and shorting out the ignition.

Stew

 

[adidat]

I was under the impression that it was almost impossible to do on moder cars, I'm sure there will be a video on YouTube?

Adidat

 

[devonwoody]

Oddly enbough Stew, it was a Cortina, (the one with the football tail lamps. around 1965 ish)

 

[DIY Stew]

DW

I think your referring to a Mark 1 Cortina, I had a mark 2 Cortina (G reg) that's an old G reg, 1968/1969 if my memory serves my right, that was my first car.

Stew

 

[devonwoody]

DW

I think your referring to a Mark 1 Cortina, I had a mark 2 Cortina (G reg) that's an old G reg, 1968/1969 if my memory serves my right, that was my first car.

Stew

Mine was the Austin A30 small rear windscreen. Brakes never seemed to work very well when reversing car, it always travelled another 3 feet than when driving forwards.

 

[Eric The Viking]

I thought the MkII Escort was known in Liverpool and elsewhere as the "Takeaway". :roll:

 

[Tom K]

On a Mk1 Cortina all that was required was a length of wire from the battery to the ignition coil this powered up the ignition circuit. Many of those older vehicles had a button on the solenoid so didn't even need shorting out. I think that length of wire was the original "Hot wire" But as you could go to any service station and buy a set of keys it wasn't really required.

 

[Dibs-h]

In the US, on older cars, probably is relatively easy due to there being only a few'ish makes and I bet the ignition switch is a common part, so in theory once you know what wires do what, straight forward.

Here, for even a modern'ish car - one with no immobiliser, only wants the fuel pump relay energising, ECU wants a live and either short the starter (or bump start) and your off. About 5 mins with the bonnet open and under the steering wheel. Might not have indicators working tho! LOL

Dibs

 

[DIY Stew]

DW

You got me going now, I can't remember what I did yesterday, but I still remember my first car reg, STY 554G.

Any Ford key would open it but it was a bugga to start in the cold weather.

Stew

 

[Eric The Viking]

The land rover gave me a fright yesterday.

My handbrake cable has been a bit sticky in the cold weather, so I parked her up with the transfer box in low ratio diff-lock and first gear, but the handbrake off. It's a fairly level residential road so quite safe in that sense.

I won't do it again though. I forgot she was in gear, didn't push the clutch down, the engine started anyway on the first rev, and I nearly backended the vehicle parked in front!

What a twit!

But the 200TDi engine is just amazing though - it was well below freezing, and I don't think I even bothered with the glowplugs.

E.

 

[Tinbasher]

When I was working in Social Services, Bill a colleague of mine had the job of taking juvenile delinquents to the borstal. At a rest stop he locked his keys in the car and his prisoner said "don't worry I am being sent down for breaking into cars do you want me to help?" Bill, not looking forward to a long wait handcuffed to his prisoner, agreed.

At that point our crack car thief picked up a brick and smashed the drivers window!

 

[doctor Bob]

I had a mark 2 escort which would open and start with anything, lollipop stick, spoon, any key, wire.
I had it at agricultural college, everyone used to just borrow it ..... got a bit pissed off in the end as I could never find it.

 

[andersonec]

The land rover gave me a fright yesterday.

My handbrake cable has been a bit sticky in the cold weather, so I parked her up with the transfer box in low ratio diff-lock and first gear, but the handbrake off. It's a fairly level residential road so quite safe in that sense.

I won't do it again though. I forgot she was in gear, didn't push the clutch down, the engine started anyway on the first rev, and I nearly backended the vehicle parked in front!

What a twit!

But the 200TDi engine is just amazing though - it was well below freezing, and I don't think I even bothered with the glowplugs.

E.

It's always good practice to depress the clutch when starting you car, not only in-case you have left it in gear, it reduces the load on your starter motor by disengaging the gearbox and allows it to turn the motor over more easily, 'specially in the current weather conditions.

Andy

 

[adidat]

from when i worked at a farm i always depress the clutch to start out of habbit, as some tool would have left the 4x4 in gear!

 

[Myfordman]

My old Morris 1000 only had two fuses that were located on the bulkhead under the bonnet (with no bonnet lock)
one fuse was for all the lights and things that would be needed with the ignition off and the other fuse was for all the ignition switched loads.

Simply joining the two fuses together and pressing the under bonnet push button starter was all you needed to start the engine.

Dave

 

[devonwoody]

these days modern motorists dont have to worry about that old distributor and its little misfortunes (cannot think or spell the word I would liked to have used).

I remember a young lady who knocked at our door one morning and said she could not start her car, me, I just lifted up her bonnet ( :wink: ) unclipped the dis. cap and mended that nasty little wire.

 

[DIY Stew]

Used to amaze me how many people changed their distributor cap, rotor arm, points and condenser at the first sign of bad weather. The old carbon leads were also horrible things.

When we had an electrical problem on a coach which we couldn't fix we called in an auto-electrician, he was a lovely chap, bit excentric and drove an old Morris van with a starting handle, (for the younger ones reading this it was a handle which connected to the crankshaft pulley through a hole in the front bumper :lol: :lol: :lol: ) he used to joke and say even a flat battery wouldn't stop him getting to work.
In the winter he used to make a killing going out first thing starting people's cars, until one winters morning a chap rang him saying his car wouldn't start, off he goes to the chaps house, puts the jump leads on, engines turning over but failed to start, he does the usual, checking for a spark etc etc and he just can't get this car to start, in the end he lost his rag, and put a ball pein hammer through the windscreen!
Every penny he made that week he spent replacing the windscreen, the car was a Datsun 120Y, he hated foreign cars after that.

Stew

 

[Dibs-h]

...distributor cap, rotor arm, points and condenser ...

Stew

Wow! That's taking me back to my 1st car. :mrgreen:

Had a mate at work that used to lend me his dwell angle meter thingy. I think that was my only car with points\condersor.

Dibs

 

[DIY Stew]

...distributor cap, rotor arm, points and condenser ...

Stew

Wow! That's taking me back to my 1st car. :mrgreen:

Had a mate at work that used to lend me his dwell angle meter thingy. I think that was my only car with points\condersor.

Dibs

Dibs

If your in need of a Dwell Meter let me know, I still have one in the garage, it's not been used in years though, however I still have the instructions. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Stew