Hot Wire A Car in Seven Steps

Holy smokes, I've always wanted to know how to do this. And now I do! You can too! What you'll need:



Full instructions after the jump.

Step1

Locate the ignition tumbler, the spot where you normally put your key. Remove the covers and panels around the tumbler.

Step2

Examine the ignition setup. There should be a panel with five to eight wires clipped to the rear of the tumbler. Remove the panel and try to manually turn the ignition switch using a screwdriver. If you can do this, then you are done! When you turn the ignition switch (usually with a key), it rotates a pin or lever on the back side of the tumbler. The panel is essentially a switch with four positions: off, accessories, full on and ignition. The different positions of the key correspond to each of these positions.

Step3

Research the color coding of the ignition wires for your specific car model. If you are not able to manually turn the ignition switch with a screwdriver, you will have to strip wires to hot-wire the car.

Step4

Locate the “on” positive and negative wires in the steering column. They should run up to the ignition tumbler and be color-coded.

Step5

Pull those wires from the ignition, strip a portion of each and twist them together. The car will now be on and ready for ignition. This is where you truly hot-wire a car. These wires carry a charge, which is why they are called “hot.”

Step6

Find the starter wires and pull them from the ignition tumbler as well. Strip the ends and touch these wires together briefly. This should activate the starter, firing up the car. If you have done everything properly, your car will now be running. Do not leave these wires touching each other once the car is running.

Step7

Cover up any exposed wires to avoid painful electric shocks. Drive away and have your ignition repaired or a new key made so you do not have to hot-wire the car regularly.