11. DIY - Start Button & Kill Switch

As I prommised - here's a little DIY for installing a Start Button, Battery Cut-Off Switch and ignition Switches into your BMW E36. The car I'm working on is a earley European 325.  There are some chances that it's not completley like yours. And, by-the-way, I'm not responsible for any damage you make on your car.

My setup eliminates the key completley. I have two switches:

• ACC - the 1st position of the key
• IGNITION - the 2nd position of the key

I have a Start Button, and a Kill Switch.

To start the car, there's no need to set the ACC to on. Since I'm building a 'race' car, I don't have any music in the car. But if you plan on putting this in a daily driver, you could find this switch usefull, since it controls power distribution to your head unit.

Fasten your seatbelts! We're taking off!

What do we need?

1. On/Off Switch [x2]
2. Start Button [x1]
3. Kill Switch [x1]
4. Wire
5. Terminal connectors

Tools?

1. Wire cutters
2. Wire strippers
3. Wire crimpers
4. Isolation tape
5. Plasma torch

(yes, #5 is a joke)

Ok, so what's the procedure? First take off any plastic you have under the steering column. Then find the wires comming out of the ignition switch located on the left side of the column. (The ignition lock is on the right) Follow the wires until you come to a connector. It should be attached to the steering column with a plasic holder. Disconnect the connector, and then about half-way to the ignition switch cut the wires. (Make sure there are red, green, black+yellow & purple wires there).

Here's a drawing:

1. Ignition switch
2. Connector

Blue line marks the cut.

Ok, now, here's how the new components go in:

A - Start Button
B - ON/OFF Switches
C - Kill Switch

Be sure you isolate every connection! Stick the connector back where it was, and try it! :)

Probably, it would be a good idea to put a couple of circuit-breakers (fuses) in there... but, hey, it's up to you.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, do ask.

A couple of photos from my car:

Switches, wires, pliers... :)

Ah! Here are the connectors (after disconnecting)

This is the interesting bit.

Spaghetti, anyone?

In a day or two, I'll post a DIY for the dash panel that will hold my switches :)

A couple of cool things...

Start button for $33.11!


Kill switch for $14.95!

09. Electrics... ?!

I thought that playing with car electrics is fun. Well, that was, until I've decided to do a proper job.
In my older projects (Marlboro Tipo...), I've always connected the kill-switch between the car's battery and the power distribution box. That was fine, but there was no effect when I've killed the power. The car's engine continued to run. The only effect was that starting the car with no kill switch was impossible. Basicaly, I've used the kill switch as an anti-theft device, and not like a safety device. Well, to change this, and to eliminate the ignition lock, I've decided that I'll study my Beemers Electric Schematics before I run into the garage. So, Here's what I've came up with:

So, In the above picture, there's a Black/Yellow wire. I guess I'll connect it to the green one (on the picture below).

Ok, I marked the positions of components I'll install. Hey, This is just a plan, so don't rush into your garage with wire-cutters! :) I'll test this today, and I'll let you know the results! I'll take a picture or two...  

Hope this stuff works!

Note:

I took these electrics diagrams from the E36 service manual. You can download the manual (free) from our download page! If you like it, buy it! 

07. A few new toys

Just a little update:

We bought a nice racing Kill Switch, made by Hella. And we bought a red starter button. So, we'll be playing with electrics in the next few days! :)