Hot-wiring is the process of bypassing a

motor vehicle A motor vehicle, also known as motorized vehicle or automotive vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on rails (such as trains or trams) and is used for the transportation of people or cargo. The ...

ignition Ignition may refer to: Science and technology * Firelighting, the human act of creating a fire for warmth, cooking and other uses * Combustion, an exothermic chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidant * Fusion ignition, the point at which a ...

switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

and thus starting it without the key. It is often utilized during a vehicle theft. However, a legitimate vehicle owner who has lost a vehicle key or starting a vehicle with inoperable ignition switch (e.g. in run-down old cars) may also implement this process.

Methods

Hot-wiring generally involves connecting the wires which complete the circuit when the key is the "on" or "ready" position (turning on the fuel pump, ignition system and other necessary components), then touching another wire that connects to the starter. The specific method of hot-wiring a vehicle is dependent on the particular vehicle's electrical

ignition system An ignition system generates a spark or heats an electrode to a high temperature to ignite a fuel-air mixture in spark ignition internal combustion engines, oil-fired and gas-fired boilers, rocket engines, etc. The widest application for spark i ...

. Remote start units access the same wires as conventional ignition methods. Listings of wire colors and locations and ignition system schematics may sometimes be found in Internet databases. Vehicles from the 1990s or older, which often have a

carbureted A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

engine, a

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...

, and a single

ignition coil An ignition coil (also called a spark coil) is an induction coil in an automobile's ignition system that transforms the battery's voltage to the thousands of volts needed to create an electric spark in the spark plugs to ignite the fuel. So ...

and distributor, can be hot-wired from the engine bay. Using standard

lock picking Lock picking is the practice of unlocking a lock by manipulating the components of the lock device without the original key. Although lock-picking can be associated with criminal intent, it is an essential skill for the legitimate profess ...

to start a vehicle is now usually ineffective, since most cars now use immobilisers or

transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...

key verification. Conversely, most types of motorcycles are often easier to hot-wire, especially

scooters Scooter may refer to: Vehicles Ground Human or gravity powered * Eccentric-hub scooter, propelled by a standing rider making a bouncing motion * Kick scooter, propelled by a standing rider pushing off the ground * Knee scooter, a mobility dev ...

and older naked bikes, which lack advanced security features beyond mechanical locks and conventional ignition switch. Thieves lacking the basic mechanical skills and knowledge of automotive electrical systems sometimes simply use physical force to bypass the ignition lock, smashing the key mechanism to reveal the rotation switch, which is operated by the key's tumbler.

References

{{Reflist Motor vehicle theft

Methods

See also

References