Well, I got my "04" discovery's head gasket changed without too much excitement (PS thanks for the call DiscoMike, I got your message late and actually just finished the job before I could e-mail you back) so now the wife is happy again. Now my "97" Disco feels left out and snapped the end of my key off in the ignition barrel, sitting at the gas pump. Long story short, had to get my car towed down the street to where I work (I live 65 miles away) while I hunt down a new ignition assembly (no locksmiths wanted to touch it). It is sitting in the middle of the parking lot at work, at a funny angle because it's wheels were locked and the tow truck driver had to basically bounce it off the back of the flatbed truck. I am getting heat to get it out of the middle of the parking lot so I want to bypass the ignition switch just to get it home. I opened up the ignition and have access to all wires. Has anyone did this? I just want to get it home and I have the title with me so it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

Any help???

Thanks,
Ryan

 

Man those are some lazy locksmiths. I remember back in college we were out drinking in canada and I broke my buddie's saab key off in his ignition at 2:00am. We got a locksmith over in a half hour and charged us $100 Canadian (back when the echange rate was 50%). I have no idea how to hotwire a car though, sorry.

 

I found this online so use at your own risk!
1. Open Hood
2. Locate the red coil wire. Both the plug and coil wires are located at the rear of almost all V-8 engines. Four-cylinder engines have them placed on the right side, near the center of the engine. Six-cylinder engines are the opposite: left side, near the center of the engine .
3. Locate the battery (it's the thing that looks like a battery).
4. Run a wire from the positive side of the battery (not negative!) to either the positive side of the coil, or the red wire that leads to the coil. This will give power to the dashboard, which is essential if you ever want it to start.
5.Locate the starter solenoid. On Fords, it is on the passenger-side fender well, near the battery. On GMs, it is on the starter under the steering wheel.
6. If under the steering wheel, enter the car without setting off any alarms. If it has standard transmission, make sure the car is in neutral and the parking brake is on.
7. Unlock the steering wheel by taking a flat blade screwdriver and placing it at the top center of the steering column. Push the screwdriver between the wheel and the column, then push the locking pin away from the wheel. Don't worry, you're allowed to be rough here. The locking pin will not break or set off any alarms. The solenoid should be underneath.
8. You will see a small wire at the top of the solenoid and the positive battery cable below. Cross the two different terminal that they are connected to with a screwdriver or pliers. This will crank the engine, giving you leave to drive. Congratulations.

Method 2

1. Enter car. Do not break into a car unless you own it and have documentation to prove it. Be aware that forced entry will set an intrusion alarm off if the vehicle is so equipped.
2. Determine if the steering column and gear selector can be overridden, if so equipped. Serious damage to the shifting mechanism and/or steering column will result in forcing these theft deterrant mechanisms in an attempt to override them.
3. Look under steering wheel. This may require taking an access cover off. These are usually held in place with concealed clips or #2 Phillips type screws. Remove if needed.
4. See if there is a clip or wiring harness connector in which you can gain access to the wires behind the ignition.
5. Look for the two wires that are the same, usually red and strip them and twist them together. One of these will be the primary power supply for the ignition switch, the other will be the connection for the vehicle's electrical circuits that are energised when the key is turn to the run position. Connecting these will provide electricity for the ignition components, so the engine is able to run when the starter is turned.
6. Strip about 1 inch of insulation from this pair of wires, and twist them tightly together. Wrap with electrician's tape if available, and do not allow them to short against metal vehicle components.
7. Get the ignition wire, brown in many cars, strip it about 1/2 inch, and touch the end of the stripped brown wire with the connected red wires.
8. Do not twist the brown wire to the reds, just touch the wires until ignition has been achieved.
9. Rev the engine enough so you don't stall and have to do this process again.

Method 3

This is the most effective method due to the fact that you don't need to bother keeping wires together, raising the hood, or unlocking the steering wheel. If you hotwire it with the wires only, your steering wheel WILL NOT TURN unless you break the steering lock. The "classic screwdriver method" where you put a screwdriver in the lock and twist doesn't work because you can't generate enough torque with your bare hands to make the lock pins break off without breaking the lock off of its mounting structure, thereby rendering the car useless. Use this method instead.

1. Gather materials: 1 flathead screwdriver with an insulated handle, 1 cordless drill and a small drill bit.
2. Take it from an expert: So, there is a flap at the end of the keyhole. Position the drill on the keyhole about 2/3 of the way up and drill in about the length of a key. This will destroy your lock pins and make the key switch able to be turned on and off without a key. Every pin has 2 sections, followed by a spring, so drill it more than once, removing the drill each time to allow the bits of the lock inside to fall into place.
3. Put the screwdriver in the same way you would put your key in, it doesn't have to go in deep because the pins are already broken.
4. Use it the same way you use your key, just turn it.
* Warning: this method will destroy your key switch and make it so anyone with a screwdriver or an exceptionally strong fingernail to steal your car.