What is this thing in my Mustang?

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There could be a lot of things it could be. My first guess is it’s an aftermarket Viper security system. Depending on how it’s wired, it can cause some issues. I’ve seen these immobilize cars when the wiring gets messed up.

@Amari
I was thinking it might be an anti-theft engine kill switch. My wife’s van had one, and it caused a lot of problems before I figured it out.

The person who posted this, if it is a kill switch, there’s a way to test it. When the car is off and the alarm is set, just bump into the car—hard enough to shake it but not damage it. Then try starting the car. If it doesn’t start, it’s probably an engine kill switch. Mine deactivates when I lock and unlock the doors after activation.

@Amari
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im not sure but if you could tell me i would really appreciate it

@Raj
I agree, it looks like an old aftermarket alarm. I’d suggest taking it to a shop that installs alarms to get it professionally removed, just to be safe.

@Amari
I can confirm. I had one installed on my old SVT. The idiot who installed it put everything under the dash, so I never knew about it. The wiring went bad, and it shut down everything. I ended up spending a lot fixing it before I gave up and sold the car. The guy who bought it figured out there was a security system in the car.

TLDR: Avoid these security systems.

@Fletcher
What’s the point of these security systems?

Hux said:
@Fletcher
What’s the point of these security systems?

In my opinion, there’s no real benefit. Sure, if the system gets triggered, no one’s going to steal it. But if it fails, you can’t drive it either.

@Amari
I started looking at the wires, and I think it’s an aftermarket security system.

The government is definitely watching and listening to you!

Vega said:
The government is definitely watching and listening to you!

So is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Raj said:

Vega said:
The government is definitely watching and listening to you!

So is that a good thing or a bad thing?

It’s better than that—it’s free real estate.

@Ainsley
Better than that, we actually pay for a tracking device… I mean, our mobile phone service.

@Ainsley
Or even better, free real estate :joy:

Raj said:

Vega said:
The government is definitely watching and listening to you!

So is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Whatever you do, DO NOT clip the red wire.

Cyrus said:

One day, this will be real.

I think it’s some kind of anti-theft system. If that’s what it is, I highly recommend removing it carefully. I had a bad experience with one on my old Honda Prelude—it ended up blowing the main relay and caused some electrical damage.

Does it have an older third-party alarm system? It looks like the alarm indicator.

The V6 detail wasn’t really needed for solving this, though.