There are many different ways to make a car break down on purpose. Perhaps, you want to stop a car from running to help keep it from being stolen. You probably want it to be such that the car acts like it’s broken but shouldn’t be permanently damaged in any way. Thus, it should be simple to undo after about 2 to 3 hours of diagnosis.
That’s a fair thing to do and this article suggests some common methods.
How to Make a Car Break Down on Purpose
Below are methods to break down your car on purpose:
1. Take out the spark plug leads
Open the hood and take one or more of the spark plug leads off. Sparks are ignited by the plugs, which burn fuel and start the engine.
Taking off the leads will separate the plug from the wire that goes to the spark plug. In that case, the engine might start or it might not, but the car won’t move.
2. Pull the fuse for the fuel pump
You can pull the fuse for the fuel pump to make a car break down on purpose. It will still have enough pressure to start the car and drive it a few miles before it completely dies.
There’s no damage and it’s easy to fix, but it’s hard to figure out what’s wrong, unlike if you pulled the big red power cable off the battery.
3. Remove the spark plugs
A more mysterious way to make a car break down on purpose is to take out one or more of the spark plugs and draw a thick line across the ceramic part of the plug with a lead pencil. Make sure to draw the line across the metal contact that the lead “clips” onto and the middle threaded part of the spark plug.
The spark is extinguished because the lead in the pencil line conducts electricity.
This makes no noise or sparks; the car will just stop running, and the owner will have a hard time figuring out why. If you don’t want to damage the car, this method is especially helpful.
4. Stop the outflow
A common practice is to put a potato in the tailpipe, however, the pressure from the exhaust will just blow the potato out. So you want to put the potato in the exhaust pipe.
No exhaust means no engine fire. Simple, cheap, effective, and easily reversible after the car breaks down. Also, a potato has no fingerprints.
It is not simple to clamp an exhaust pipe. You can use a racquetball or spray foam with closed cells. By creating back pressure and stopping the engine, it will make a car break down on purpose.
Alternatively, use closed-cell spray foam, the kind used to fix home insulation, instead of a potato. It grows and is made to stick to most things.
If you can spray it far enough into the exhaust pipe, especially to a bend in the pipe or the muffler, it probably won’t get blown out like the potato. And if you push it in far enough, it will probably be very hard, if not impossible, to get it out.
5. Filter blockage
Put a piece of cloth under the filter so that air cannot pass through it. Close the filter; it will look fine from the outside.
But when the air passage is blocked, the car won’t run.
A car won’t start if you do the same thing to the gas filter. Gum can be used to block the gas filter.
6. Spray water in the air intake
Use a garden hose to spray a lot of water into the air intake. The car might not run well as a result of the wet air filter. The worst thing that could happen is that the engine could lock up, so be careful with this method.
7. Gas line crimp
Another way to stop a car from running, but it can go bad. The engine will receive just enough oil to start but not run if the line under the car is broken.
Whatever you do, don’t destroy the engine. Also, don’t touch the gas tank because it could catch fire or cause the car to stop in the middle of the road, which could cause an accident.
8. Take the coolant
Well, you won’t steal it, but you’ll find a way to empty the cylinder. Simply open the cap to drain the tank.
The radiator can also be penetrated by a sharp object. The liquid will slowly leak as a result. Once the engine is running, however, the leak rate will increase more quickly. Low levels of coolant in the cylinder will overheat the engine, cause the warning lights to turn on, and eventually cause the engine to stall.
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