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Re: Kill Switches

To: WEmery7451@aol.com, fot@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Kill Switches
From: Tony Drews <tony@tonydrews.com>
Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 10:41:06 -0500
I run a GM one wire alternator.  My kill switch is on the non-ground side 
of the battery (positive), and I have the alternator run through the 
alternator posts of the kill switch.  I never shut the car off with the 
kill switch and have never had a tech inspector ask me to do so.  But, it 
will certainly kill everything.  It also makes sure that there's nothing 
hot in front of the kill switch when it's turned off - good for when 
working on wiring and stuff near exposed terminals.  It's a very simple way 
to wire the thing up, and I don't have anything that bleeds charge off of 
the battery when the switch is turned off.  The tech inspectors DO ask me 
to kill the brake lights with the kill switch.

- Tony Drews

At 10:23 AM 4/23/2005, WEmery7451@aol.com wrote:
>Dear FOT,
>
>I finally got around to going negative and installing an alternator on the
>TR-3.  I fired up the engine in the garage and turned down the throttle 
>linkage
>screw a little to keep it running, while I looked at the gages.  All of a
>sudden the engine started winding up and I tripped the kill switch.  The 
>engine
>just kept right on roaring.  In a panic I desperately screwed out the 
>throttle
>shaft screw and got the engine shut down.
>
>I then installed a Racer Parts Wholesale kill switch that I have had for some
>time.  It has alternator cutoff poles.  The arrangement that I have now is to
>break the battery ground cable and to break the one wire alternator lead.  I
>have heard that a lot of racers using alternators do not hook up and
>alternator shut down because it may blow out the alternator or the MSD.
>
>My plans are to not use the kill switch to shut down the engine unless it is
>Custard's Last Stand.  If I am in the car, I can stall the engine.  If the
>engine is turning slowly, the ignition switch shuts it off.  The biggest 
>threat
>is for some tech. inspector requiring me to demonstrate that the kill 
>switch is
>working.  I guess that I could protect the MSD by throwing down two switches
>to put the ignition into a conventional system, but the alternator could 
>still
>blow out.
>
>Any input or ideas would be appreciated.

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