How to disable driving capacity of Mercury Sable 1998/99 ? Mom has dementia / Alzheimer's

Eyeball the starter. You should see one big thick wire (probably red) and a smaller wire (could be just about any color) coming from "somewhere else". If I were you, I'd disconnect the small wire - That's the "energize the solenoid" wire that actually makes things happen when the key is turned. Verify that it does indeed "kill the car" before considering the job done.

It *MAY* be connected with a "slip on" type connector. Disconnecting it should give you symptoms of a dead starter solenoid - Everything else on the car will work fine, but you'll get no click and no crank when the key is turned. If you go that route, you might seriously consider the concept of taping a note to the end of the wire in case a "good samaritan" tries to diagnose the problem and fix it for her without realizing that the vehicle is intentionally disabled.

Remove all the spark plug wires and take them home with you. It's not going anywhere without those.

And it's not something that can be fixed without a trip to an autoparts store for most people.

Disconnect the battery while you're under there.

My grandfather had some one cut him off and he ran into a curb. That was how he saw it anyway... nobody else was there. flattened the tire of the car. He parked it and started walking home and the cops saw him and drove him the rest of the way. Not sure what happened, but whatever it was it did no damage other than needing a new tire but he decided not to drive after that point.

Opps guess I should have read the whole thing....

Remove the ecu fuse.

I don't think it is a fair thing to do to your mom, but if I had to go this route, I would remove ECM fuse. It's much easier to do. Not sure if your car has it, but most of them do.

Go to a marina and see if they have anything for leaving batteries connected for boats that are sitting out of the water for the season. These things are industrial-strength switches of a sort that are wired in with one of the battery wires.

If you choose to do this, PLEASE mark which one goes where.

--scott

Well, yes, it is a family matter.

I don't know the situation, but she seems to be aware of the world if not in complete control. I would think that she would figure out very quickly that the car was disabled. Won't she be just as upset about having the car unplugged as having the keys taken away?

You could have some sort of switch installed by a mechanic that would interrupt the starter. I would suggest that it have a key lock to prevent your mother from setting the switch.

Not a good idea actually to give her access to the car with power windows and door locks actuated. She could lock the pets in a car and forget they were there. She could also lock herself in as well and not know how to get out. She would be better off if you totally disable the car and take the keys away.

FJ wrote: Mercury Sable 1998/99

My mom has medium stage Alzheimer's and I think she should not be driving, but she sometimes drives around the block when my nurse caregiver is with her. She has no license.

Taking the keys away from her would create a major emotional problem and I am all that she has in the world. Governmental agencies I have contacted say that it is a family matter.

I want to (secretly) disable the car from starting. It could not involve disconnecting the battery, so she could put the windows up and down and take the pets in or out of the car, but she could not actually drive it. Could I disconnect it at the starter wire? _____________________________________________________

Tough spot to be in. Sorry I don't have the answer. Thoughts:

If she has the ability to drive around the block, then she has the ability to see through your disconnection, and the same emotional problem could arise.

If you are her legal guardian you have assumed some responsibility for her actions, including liability for property damage or injuries to others (including the caregiver) if she operates the car.

If you are not her legal guardian, taking taking her car or her keys could be considered a criminal act. If she is a danger to herself or others, someone must take her keys, and her car should be sold to get it out of sight. If this is the case you must act now to gain legal status before something bad happens.

If a car suddenly takes off at full throttle, jumps the curb and slams into a dozen children at a lawn party, the driver is most likely to be an elderly person who thought he/she was stepping on the brake instead of the gas, and when the car accelerated, stepped harder on the gas, thinking it was the brake.

Keep contacting more government and private agencies such as HHS or the Alzheimer's foundation for more ideas.

No matter what you do, she may come to suspect your motives or to hate you. This is not her - it is the Alzheimers. This is where tough love comes in.

You may not be tough enough. Not everyone is. Get some help.

Good luck.

Rodan.

If her license is expired then how can she be (legally) insured? Or, mom, without a licence you're driving without insurance ... and that's just not smart. If what you say about the dementia is true, then someone should have power(s) of attorney to protect your mom and her assets. It's tough, I know, my mom suffered from dementia ... but someone has to take responsibility. I suggest don't start playing tricks on her, like disabling the starter.

You could pull the fuel pump relay. There should be a black plastic box, roughly the same shape as a shoe box, but scaled down with a lid that fits over the top with snaps on either side. Remove the lid and there will be plastic cubes in the bottom half and a diagram on the lid. Use the diagram to figure out which of the cubes is the switcher for the fuel pump, remove it and take it with you.

If you can find the right relay this will give you a very nice solution to the problem. All the accessories will still work as you wanted because the battery will still be connected. The car won't start because that relay is a switch that the computer uses to turn on the fuel pump: no gas, no go. Reinstalling the relay to make the car operational is also not too difficult because usually they are made to only fit into the car in the correct direction; you can't put it in backwards.

If you can't seem to find the right one or are unsure after poking around for a while, stop by an auto parts store during a slow time and one of there employees will usually be willing to walk out and to the lot and point out which one it is.

Matthew