Ibro Cehic
Updated on June 29, 2023
Before we jump into all the different methods of bypassing the ignition switch, it’s important to mention that some cars cannot be started without a working ignition switch or a functioning key. You should also keep in mind that tampering with the ignition switch is only legal when done on your own vehicle if it’s an emergency.
To bypass an ignition switch, you can hot wire the starter motor wiring behind the ignition or hot wire the ignition relay. Alternatively, you can remove the key cylinder and turn the remaining stub with a screwdriver or hammer the screwdriver into the ignition switch, which will break it and allow you to turn the ignition on.
Hot Wire the Ignition Switch
Hot wiring the ignition switch is a method we have all seen in movies. You rip apart the lower steering column trim, rip out the ignition switch wires, and scrape them against one another; some sparks fly, and the engine fires right up. And while that does work on some cars, especially older ones, it won’t work on cars with immobilizers.
You also don’t want to rip apart the dashboard and cause any damage. Then there is the steering lock. The steering lock will only be disengaged if you turn the ignition switch on, so keep that in mind. The steering lock also locks up the steering once you turn it at least a quarter of a turn which can lead you to believe the car doesn’t have one until you start driving.
Modern cars also have more complicated ignition switch wiring, but there is one rule of thumb that might work for all cars. Otherwise, you will need to experiment or get a workshop manual for your specific model.
How to Hot Wire the Ignition Switch
Remove the Steering Column Trim
To get behind the ignition switch, you need to remove the plastic trim under the steering column. These are held in place with a couple of bolts and sometimes an additional few clips. To avoid causing any damage, it’s a good idea to dive into the driver’s footwell to get a better look at where all the bolts are.
Locate the Ignition Switch Wires
On the back of the ignition switch, you will find an electrical connector or the wires will be directly clipped onto the ignition switch terminals. Here you are looking for two brown wires or two red wires, depending on the car. And your goal is to connect these two wires together, so you’ll need to cut them off and remove the insulation.
Connecting these two wires will be like turning the ignition to crank the engine, and there could be some sparks as well as heating of the wires. Use gloves to connect them and only hold them together in short intervals of a couple of seconds until you start the engine. If your car has an immobilizer, keep the key near the ignition switch; otherwise, the engine will crank but won’t start.
Here is a quick video on how to hot-wire the ignition switch.
Hot Wire the Starter Relay
Another method of hot-wiring the ignition is to bypass the starter motor relay. This method is much less invasive, and it’s faster and easier, but you need access to the engine bay and an owner’s manual for your car. This method also gets a lot more complicated if you have a newer car because it could have a neutral safety switch or an immobilizer that cuts power to the starter motor instead of the ignition coil.
You also don’t want to use this method if your car has a steering lock that you can’t unlock with the key. Another complication is that there is no way of telling which relay terminal is battery positive and which is the starter motor positive without a workshop manual or without some experimentation.
In case you don’t have a workshop manual, look for a diagram online for your specific car. Otherwise, you will have to hot-wire the terminals randomly until you get it right. But we can’t guarantee you won’t cause any damage by doing so.
How to Hot Wire a Starter Relay
Locate the Starter Relay
The starter motor relay is always in the engine fuse box/relay box. You will find the relay box layout/diagram in your owner’s manual, and sometimes the layout is under the relay box cover. In the diagram, the relay you are looking for might say “IGN” in case there are no full explanations of the relay functions.
Hot Wire the Relay
After finding the relay, it’s time to remove it. The relay simply pulls out, but it can get stuck, so don’t let that confuse you. Once the relay is out, you want to use a piece of wire to connect the battery positive and the starter motor-positive terminals inside the relay box. That will crank the engine, and once it starts, there is no need to plug the relay back in until you fix the car.
You also want to make sure the car is in neutral or that someone presses the brake pedal or clutch and brake pedal if you have a manual transmission car while you hot-wire the terminals. And keep in mind that by hot wiring the terminals, you will essentially be cranking the engine, so be ready to pull the wires out once it fires up.
And here is a video of the whole process of bypassing the starter relay, but the relay location will be different between cars.
Remove the Key Cylinder
Removing the key cylinder to start the engine is likely the safest option on this list, although it can be time-consuming. But on the bright side, everything will be ready to install a new key cylinder if that’s what leads you to this article. By removing the cylinder, you will also bypass the steering lock, which none of the previous methods did.
But it won’t bypass the immobilizer, so you still need the key. And if you opt to get a new cylinder at this point, expect to pay between $50 and $150 for a new one depending on your car. If the car has an immobilizer, you will also have to take the code out of the old key and put it in the new one. The immobilizer code reader isn’t integrated into the cylinder, so there won’t be any complications regarding that.
How to Remove Key Cylinder
Remove the Lower and Upper Plastic Steering Column Trim
We already explained how to remove the lower steering column trim and the upper one just as easily. As a matter of fact, the upper trim is only held in place by the lower trim, which means both will come out once you remove the piece under the steering wheel.
Remove the Cylinder
The key cylinder is a separate piece from the steering lock mechanism and the ignition wiring. It plugs into the whole assembly, and to remove it, you need your key in some cases, but often it’s held in place with a couple of bolts. But if you can’t find any bolts, it means it’s clipped it. You then want to insert the key and turn it on (last position before starting the engine).
Then find a small pinhole on the underside of the cylinder. You need to push something thin into that pinhole, and once it’s all the way in, pull the key out, and the whole cylinder will come out together with it.
Turn the Engine On
Once everything is done, you want to use a screwdriver or whatever else works to turn the inside mechanism where the key cylinder used to sit. The inside will have a notch or something similar, making it pretty easy to turn on, and it works just like the original key. But again, if your car has an immobilizer, you need to keep the key near the ignition.
In this video, you can see how to remove and replace the ignition switch, but for what we need, you will use a screwdriver to turn the ignition on instead of replacing it.
Break the Key Cylinder With a Screwdriver
Jamming a screwdriver into the key cylinder is, so far, the crudest but also the easiest method. But it will completely destroy the original key cylinder, and it won’t work without a key if your car has an immobilizer. It also might not work on some newer locks and cars that have a push-start system. But it will disable the steering lock because it works in the same way a key does.
How to Turn the Ignition on With a Screw Driver
Hammer the Screwdriver Into the Ignition Cylinder
The method is pretty simple, you take a thin flat, head screwdriver and hammer it into the keyhole. The point here is to break the key locks inside so that the cylinder turns freely. If you do the method properly, it will only take a couple of swings, and then you turn the screwdriver just like the factory key. This will unlock the steering wheel, but it won’t disable the immobilizer, so you still need the original key near the ignition switch.
This method is pretty straightforward, but watching a video always helps.
Tampering With the Ignition Switch Can Be Illegal
Hot wiring your own vehicle, breaking the ignition with a screwdriver, or anything else that you please is perfectly legal. But depending on the laws in your state, a car with a defective ignition switch may be deemed unsafe for public use, so keep that in mind. If it’s an emergency, law enforcement will let you get away with it in most cases, but it rarely is when it’s your own car in question.
And even if there are no such laws in your state, a car without steering column trim, pulled ignition wires, or a screwdriver sticking out of the ignition will certainly raise eyebrows, so make sure you have all the proof that the vehicle is yours on hand. Lastly, if you think of taking a different route from what have described here, keep in mind that possession of special car theft tools is a felony by itself in most states.
What Gives Power to the Ignition Switch?
The ignition switch doesn’t really get power from the battery or any other source. The ignition switch closes the electrical circuit for the ECU and other auxiliaries, and it turns the starter motor relay on to crank the engine. That means all wires going to the ignition switch are signal wires.
Does the ECU Control Ignition?
The ECU control spark plug ignition using the ignition control module and inputs from the crankshaft position sensor, camshaft position sensor, O2 sensors, intake temperature sensor, MAF sensor, and other sensors. But in most older cars, the ECU doesn’t control the ignition switch, even if the car has an immobilizer.
Is Hot Wiring a Car Safe?
Hot wiring a car is not safe. If you choose to hot wire the ignition switch signal wires, you can easily get burned in the process, plus the hot wiring can make sparks which is a significant fire hazard in a car’s interior. And it gets substantially more dangerous if you leave the ignition wires exposed while driving.
Can Modern Cars Be Hot-Wired?
Almost no modern car can be hot-wired. Technically, you can hard wire a modern car, and it will crank the engine, but the immobilizer won’t allow the engine to fire up. And immobilizer systems are so prevalent today that when manufacturers don’t install them, we get a scandal like the one we have seen with Kia joyrides.
Can Teslas Be Hot-Wired?
Teslas and virtually all other modern EVs cannot be hot-wired. EVs don’t have a starter motor, and they don’t have a traditional ignition switch that allows you to rip out some wires or jam a screwdriver into them. EVs use keyless entry signals to start, and bypassing those modules is pretty much impossible.
Can Hot Wiring a Car Damage the Engine?
Hot wiring a car won’t damage the engine because you are doing nothing more than cranking it just like you would with a key and a working ignition switch assembly. But it can damage the starter motor solenoid if you don’t remove the wires fast enough once the engine fires up.
Can You Fix an Ignition Lock Cylinder?
Depending on what’s wrong with the ignition lock cylinder, a professional locksmith might be able to repair it. But because ignition locks are so delicate and difficult to work on, replacing it turns almost always turns out to be cheaper, even if you have to program the new keys.
Final Words
Of all the methods we have described today, we suggest you don’t use any of them unless you are in an emergency because they can be dangerous or can break your car.
Jamming a screwdriver is the easiest and most fool-proof method to start a car with a broken ignition switch. But as with all methods, you need the original key if the car has an immobilizer.
The second method is to remove the key cylinder and then start it with a screwdriver. And lastly, you can hot wire the ignition switch or the starter motor relay, but those two methods are the most dangerous, and unlike tampering with the ignition switch, they won’t bypass the steering lock.
Here are some articles that might interest you:
7 Reasons for No Power to Dash or Ignition
7 Ways To Test a Car Fuse With and Without a Multimeter
9 Bad Ignition Coil Symptoms – How To Tell When It’s Bad
7 Reasons Why Your Car May Sputter When Starting And How To Fix Them
