Keeping Your Truck From Getting Stolen?

[Utah Dually]

I use my truck to tow my race car and you can imagine I need to spend some nights in a hotel or motel when traveling. It is getting to where thieves are stealing trucks and race rigs like they are going out of style. What is the best way to disable your truck so they can't steal it?

 

I saw a video on Youtube where a guy took a fuel pump fuse, blew it up, then when parking his car would put the blown fuse in place of the good one. Would something like this work on our trucks without throwing a bunch of codes? Any ideas would be helpful. 

[Me78569]

without throwing codes would be the hard part.  You would have to disable one of the triggers that the truck depends on.  

 

the VP44 can pull fuel so a simple lift pump switch wouldn't work.  

 

 

 

Maybe a simple fuel line cutoff solenoid?

[Killer223]

a good thief will get it., but a dead man switch somewhere that kept the ECM form turning on would be what i would look into.

[Mopar1973Man]

Fairly simple really. The fuel pump relay in the PDC is the power relay for the VP44. If you open the PDC up you can see the black ground lead for the relay. Just wire it into the cab on a SPST switch and mount the switch in a good hiding spot that isn't obvious. A single wire is really easy to tuck back in the main loom so there is no clue that that is the kill lead. The big trick is to mount the kill switch some where you can toggle without a passenger or other people looking can see you reach for. Like around your driver seat base maybe?

 

[Nekkedbob]

I was playing around with mine today and that will still through a code. I just pull the relay on mine when I park mine in questionable places but I have a scangage mounted on my dash so I just delete the code

[Mopar1973Man]

Not good enough. A third could use another relay like the horn to still start it. This why you need to make it harder to figure out. Missing relay is easy like pulling a fuse. What happens when everything is in place? Now the thief will more likely move on after he cleans out the cab like you ScanGauge.

[Buzzinhalfdozen]

What about routing the "start" signal wire from the ignition switch to a momentary switch. Like a button for the power seats. So turn the key, push a button on the power seat to complete the circuit. ...just to keep everything looking factory. 

[Mopar1973Man]

Again it needs to wire to complete the signal. Remember mine is only one wire looking for a ground path. It will crank till the battery is dead because the VP44 is not powered up. Single wire is really easy to hide where 2 wire of heavier gauge will be a bit tricky.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Mopar1973Man

[Nekkedbob]

This my be wrong but someone that steals vehicles most likely are not mechanics and if they are they more then likely worthless ones. A thief wants a vehicle that will start so they can get away as soon as possible and not to have to trouble shoot one that wont start.  As someone that "moved " many vehicles in his youth ( 60s and 70s) the vehicles were very easy  to do with a piece of wire and a screwdriver in just a few seconds. To tell the absolute truth if they want your truck enough they will get it, all you can hope for is to slow them down so they catch or give up and go on to a easier one 

[Mopar1973Man]

True story the only thing that saved my 1973 charger from being stolen is I had a set of gauge mount below my stereo in a wood box. The stole the entire wood box and yanked out the power leads to the amp gauge so the car went dead.

 

Still in all you got to make your defeat device very hidden. If they can figure it out its stolen. If its hidden good and can't be figured out the valuables of the cab will be stolen most likely. If they really want the truck they will load the entire truck on a flatbed and tow it away.

 

[Dieselfuture]

It would have to be some one that wants parts more likely and then ditch the rest, if a random guy is looking for a getaway car, more than likely it will be a honda or a toyota car since they have a good reliability reputation. I once heard on the news that most stolen vehicle is an honda accord, and as a metter of fackt my friend had his honda accord stolen and found 500ml away. It had hub caps and pinstripes added to it, and inside looked like someone lived in there. So in my mind a person that is looking to steal a diesel is more likely knows you and want's what you have or just wants what you have. I've had my cars broken in a few times, and just the idea of some useless fu.k going through my stuff is very upsetting and not rely sure what I would do if I catch someone doing it.  

[Mopar1973Man]

Maybe a good reason "Diesel" my dog goes with us everywhere. No one wants to attempt to deal with a smiling dobberman puncher. Then all the locals know I open carry a 9mm pistol not many people like the odds.

[dripley]

I thought Dobermans pinched. I did not know they punched.

[Mopar1973Man]

Early morning spelling error with a cellphone...

[Dieselfuture]

So what's the conclusion on this? What wire to tap to put a switch on so there is no affects or damage on ecm, vp, motor, etc. 

 

[JAG1]

put sticker on truck that says, 'Warning, Global Position Locator hidden on board'.

 

Move out to the country with all the other local rednecks with guns for neighbors.

 

Put hidden fuel shut off valves.

 

Or have a mock up doll of Hillary Clinton in the seat.

[Mopar1973Man]

1 hour ago, Dieselfuture said:

So what's the conclusion on this? What wire to tap to put a switch on so there is no affects or damage on ecm, vp, motor, etc. 

 

No. Harm. Just like pulling the fuel pump relay.

[BIG-BLACK-DODGE]

So how about just killing the starter? Can't turn it over can't start it.

That plus "the club" on the steering wheel as another deterant and last but not least a gps hidden on the truck. It is getting stupid here in Alberta Canada. I have heard of a few sledders putting gps's in the tow rigs and the trailers too. Apparently there's been a few severe beatings taking place after the fact...lol

 

The Fords get stolen every day it seems. 

There was a company i saw that had this anti-theft device that you install i to the cehicle and apparently it's impossible to steal. Over 100 "keys" so theives don't have much of a chance there. If u lose the key you can order one only through the company. If i find the link i'll post it.

It seems you hardly ever hear of Chevy's getting stollen as far as trucks are concerned.

i guess they are much harder to break into and steal..??

[KATOOM]

Quite a few years ago there was a lot of talk about how to create an ideal way to disable your own vehicle.....in a conspicuous manner.  Meaning, its pointless if you have an obvious switch or you have to go through some procedure every time.

 

Then a few people got ingenious and put together a proximity sensor system whereby you have a sensor device on your key ring and when you walk away the vehicle no longer runs.  But all function regains as soon as you're within the allotted radius.  No one would know no wiser, unless you let them.

 

This was all taking place probably around 8 - 10 years ago too which was well before all the new vehicles started using key fobs with factory proximity alarm systems so I couldn't tell you how well it worked back then, but I do remember reading some positive reviews about how well it worked.

 

Today the proximity systems are more than likely leaps and bounds better, and probably you could rig up something pretty functional.

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

the ash tray area inside and up under the top, cant see the switch and if anyone didnt know it was there they wouldnt suspect it as you cant see it from driver seat. 

 

open ashtray reach a finger up top inside and flip it.