Has anybody (everybody) used a toggle switch as a kill switch on a diesel engine. Attach the kill switch wire to the battery terminal on the ignition switch and Break the wire with a toggle switch. Of course the wire runs on to the kill switch. When the toggle is open you can start and run. When the toggle is closed the kill switch is activated.
Never a toggle but a N.O. button quite often when incorporating either a push, or pull solenoid to replace a manual cable setup. Usually a Pollak, or Cole-Hersee switch.
We have battery disconnects on most of our equipment. Typical Cat disconnect that keeps the "borrowers" on the job site that have Cat key but not a disconnect key nor the knowledge of the disconnects location. Do you need a kill switch for theft protection or another reason?
Agreed, need more information, what's the reason for said kill switch, what engine are we working with
What's the point? Ignition switch already serves that purpose.
Not mine. At least nothing ohms with off. I live out. Had a toggle and wanted to use it versus pull cable.
4 cylinder Mitsubishi. Just to kill engine when switch I had wouldn’t work and flip of switch versus pull cable. Maybe I should be worried about the borrowers, however I was just trying to use what I had to achieve an intended purpose, rather than pull cable. Just wanted to bounce it off some of the best minds in the business to avoid possible “fire in the hole”! Thanks!
Almost everything I own has mechanical fuel control so to install an electrical kill switch means I need to also instal an inline electric fuel cutoff valve right before my injector pump. The electrical valve would be open when energized and then spring close to stop fuel flow when the kill switch is activated by interrupting the voltage feed circuit. I’d also just connect it off the main battery disconnect switch so when I turn off the disconnect it would also ‘kill’ the engine. This is a normally closed valve setup. Is this what you’re trying to do?
So you have to pull a cable to shut off the engine? Wiring in a toggle switch will do absolutely nothing to stop the engine unless you also put something in the fuel system to cut off the fuel. The cable is attached to linkage on the fuel pump and physically moves the fuel pump internals to a position where they no longer pump fuel. Diesels aren't like gasoline engines where you can just turn off the spark, you have to shut down the fuel.
Bingo on above. Looks like we were typing at the same time. By the way- that’s how my old 5-ton military truck is setup with the Cummins 855 NHC-250. There’s a pull cable in the cab that cuts the fuel inside the injector pump but there’s also an electric solenoid valve right before the pump that also cuts the engine when going to ‘battery off’ on master switch. I understand the pull cable was used to kill the engine but allowed you to keep your lights, radio and other mission equipment powered.
Btw- thinking about it- that electric solenoid I mentioned may be mounted on the pump and actually operates the same fuel cutoff mechanism inside the IP. Hmm- now you got me curious on my own setup.
Well looks like I’ve unintentionally provoked some thought! The toggle switch I’ve installed activates the lever on the fuel solenoid and shuts off the fuel. I’ve just got one end of the wire connected to the solenoid, the toggle switch in line and the other end to the ignition switch. When i turn off the ignition, it kills everything except the engine. Because it is diesel, it keeps running until I do something on the fuel solenoid (or overload the engine to the point the fuel to speed ratio is compromised and the engine is stalled) that activates the lever. That’s what I’m doing with the toggle. The toggle, while shutting off the fuel feed, still doesn’t affect the other things the ignition switch “off” does. I could’ve made the trip to town and purchased an ignition switch that would’ve done both, however I chose to just install the toggle. I just wanted to be sure I hadn’t overlooked something along the “circuit”. Anywhere along the “hot wire” trail, when it comes in contact with the fuel solenoid source, the fuel part shuts down. Thanks to everyone for your input and thought provoking responses. Jbaker
I think you left that detail out of your first post. I would say then that someone may have incorrectly connected or disconnected the shutoff solenoid at one time. Posting what you have for a machine might allow someone to tell you if the shutoff solenoid is original and how its supposed to be wired.
Thanks!