91 rs 305 throttle body. NO START What works-- headlights, interior lights, starter(bench tested and getting 12.6V on the vehicle), 12.6ish on the battery and giving power to the junction box as well. DOES NOT WORK- My car... No dash lights, no turning over, no brake lights, no priming, no radio, no locks, etc. Sooo what have I done--> The car died while just running for awhile in my driveway over last winter so it wouldn't be a pain to start when it warmed up. Well it died and since has yet to run. I replaced a fusible link by the battery that was corroded. I thought it may be vats or the lame non-working aftermarket alarm(in which I removed). Buut the vats was bypassed before I bought the car and ran great for years. My second guess was that the aftermarket alarm put the car into a no-start situation(which is no longer in the car)? And from here i am confused as a motha. Thinking lock cylinder, a relay, ignition switch, starter relay, ECM?? AHHHH i'm about to get a can of gas and a match. Any help is great, thanks. PS In the vats, is the resistor supposed to be on the two white wires? Or is it on the right ones(purp n Black), and do the purple and black need to be plugged back in to the orange sleeve and connector? I assume it is right b/c it ran for years.

I dont know if your vats is connected right. I don't have that, but i would say if it ran for years in the same config then it should be right. As for no power there was a problem a guy had a while back. I remember that it was the large terminal on the starter wire. I think it was the 10 gauge wire anyways, check to make sure that the terminal is on the wire and that it has good connection. That is the point that the dash board and ignition gets it power from. I would start there, then trace from there to under the dash and ignition switch to see if i have the 12 volts necessary to start the fuel and starter. I would definitely start at the starter wires first.

Check the ignition wires under the column. Splice it then apply 12v too it. If the starter turns over than it's up more. I believe the wires are yellow. I'll do double check for you. That's the problem I had when I removed the alarm from my car.



Also rereading it says that your not getting a prime? I would check the fuse next to the battery that's in the fender in a little weather protecting box. It is a 10a fuse that supplys power to ALMOST everything in the car.

how to hotwire a car 101

STAY AWAY FROM YELLOW WIRES!!! IN an airbag car, every yellow wire is an airbag wire - and won't have anything to do with your problem. YOU DON'T WANT THAT SUCKA BLOWING UP IN YOUR FACE! {unless of course we get video clips of it happening, then by all means}

lol thats exactly what it is...

But to OP, I highly doubt its vats. Vats lets you turn over a car and everything comes on inside, it just doesn't start (cranks, but doesn't start)... I'd check ALL the fuses just to be sure, then go start checking underdash wires...

In other words the yellow wire coming from my speaker is an airbag wire?!?!?!

Believe it or not some yellow wires have other purposes. Just don't touch the ones that say inflatable restraint.

There IS an ignition yellow wire...

True there is a yellow ignition wire, but you shouldnt have to splice anything for testing purposes. Regardless, adding 12v to any yellow wire will do nothing until you bypass VATS

If anything along those lines, unplug the trans shifter and add 12v to the heavy purple wire. The IGN wire goes thru the starter kill relay then thru the shifter for P/N verification then out to the starter via the purple wire

VATS may prevent starting the car but it will not prevent interior lights and dash things from functioning. Those issues sound like a fusible link. He said he replaced a link at the junction block. Well there are two more down on the starter in a very inconvenient place and as youd suspect, they drive all interior and ECM related functions

If you have a yellow speaker wire, it's an add on - speaker wires have been standardized since God knows when (longer than my 44 year old self can remember), having green for one side, grey for the other, solids for positives, and striped with black for the negatives. I remember stock and aftermarket stereo systems in the late 70's following this speaker wire standardization.

I've owned a 1990 and a 1992, and both were completely stock when acquired, and both original GM owner's manuals, as well as Haynes and Chilton's - all state that the only solid yellow wires in the car from the factory, as mandated by government requirements, are for the airbag systems ONLY. It was purposely designed that way by government regulation when airbags were mandated as safety equipment in all US autos that the yellow wiring be exclusively reserved for any and all wiring having connection to the airbag systems.

Same as in the pic above - any and all connectors that are yellow in color are airbag exclusive wires as well, and all those connectors have extra locks in place on the connectors that have to be pulled out (like a grenade pin) before the connector can be seperated - in an attempt to make someone think twice before pulling apart connectors and wire harnesses before finding out what they are for.

But hey - cut all the yellow wires under the dash in an airbag equipped car that you like - I personally don't favor eating airbag, but whatever floats your boat. Just take video so I can have a good laugh!

I love this.

1991 Chevrolet Camaro Car Radio Wiring Diagram
Car Radio Battery Constant 12v+ Wire: Orange
Car Radio Accessory Switched 12v+ Wire: Yellow
Car Radio Ground Wire: Black
Car Radio Illumination Wire: Gray
Car Stereo Dimmer Wire: Light Brown
Car Stereo Antenna Trigger Wire: Pink
Car Stereo Amp Trigger Wire: N/A
Car Stereo Amplifier Location: N/A
Car Audio Front Speakers Size: 4″ x 6″
Car Audio Front Speakers Location: Dash
Left Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Tan
Left Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Gray
Right Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Light Green
Right Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Dark Green
Car Audio Rear Speakers Size: 6″ x 9″
Car Audio Rear Speakers Location: Side Panels
Left Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Brown
Left Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Yellow
Right Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Dark Blue
Right Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Light Blue


Look at the ignition wire underneath the column, it's an ignition wire as well.

Also I believe the headlight switch has a yellow wire hooked up too it. I hope an airbag won't blow when I turn my headlights on....


I've owned 2 91's and an 89. All have yellow ignition wires and they all have yellow speaker wires.

Now that I think about it I think there is a yellow accessory wire as well but don't hold me on that.

From what I understood, this started happening after he removed the alarm system...

Yellow wires are located all through the cars wiring. Yellow loom and connectors are reserved for SIR

NICE! Thanks everybody for the advice. So here's the deal. I worked on the ride yesterday and made some progress. It was a fusible link that corroded internally at the starter. So I cut it out and ran it straight to the starter for a quick fix just to see what happened. Now i have all lights that i didnt have before, but still no turnover or crank. The security light comes on when i try to start then goes off and does not come back on until i retry. Vats possibly?? Well it was bypassed and ran for years, but as i said before i gutted the aftermarket alarm that had a bunch of relays so i dont know if it was rigged to run a certain way and now it won't maybe bc i removed the alarm? When i turn the ignition this little black box clicks( i think starter relay) by the driver side left foot panel. So this is my dilemma. any advice is sweet.

im having the EXACT same problem any suggestions would be great

I know the electric door lock relay is located in that area (left kick panel). I'm not sure if thats whats clicking...

Na it's not the electric door lock box. i know what you are talking about though. what is clicking i beleive to be the starter relay(one large light brown wire, and one large yellow going in) also has two smaller wires.

me too

http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/el...need-some.html (Vats With Pics. Need some help. You 2 Lou!)

this is the other forum that might help. also, i think bypassing the starter relay might be our solution. not sure though yet.

Alright, bypassed the starter enable relay. Tan/white bridged to yellow/white and small black/yellow grounded, and still nothing. So pissed. I am gettin power to the purple wire and also the tan/white at the gear selector harness going into the park/nuetral safety switch when i try to start the car. From there i dont know what to do. where does the power from the gear selector/nutral safety switch run from there and should i replace it? im at a loss and any advise is great. thanks

well if i had an auto i would probally have an answer, i just broke down and took it to the shop, should be out in a day or so and il tell you the results. Its been there for three days and they dont know what the hell is wrong with it.
Good luck,

Yeah let me know what they find, I appreciate it. I bypassed the starter enable relay and have power everywhere but still no crank so I'm told in the other forum( a few posts above is a link) that it's a bad starter solenoid. Weird bc i had it bench tested and it worked? Thanks

op: my car just did this too. did you hear screeching or anything when the car died? I know it may sound dumb but the engine could have seized. my oil pump failed and since the oil gauge didn't work it killed the car. Try getting a breaker bar and turning the engine

Well i wasn't there when the car died, i was letting it run over the winter and it just died so it is possible? where would you use the breaker to turn the engine

Did you test the starter solenoid wire? Check for 12v when the key is turned to start. If no 12v then start moving backwards. Also, do you hear the fuel pump prime now?

Took it in to get bench tested before I put it back on and he said it was good? I dont hear a prime, at least i don't think so. I'm gonna mess with it today so I'll check back. Thanks

Lol that didn't answer your question, but i will check for 12v. In acc/on or actually cranking to start?

While cranking. Or in your case attempting to lol.

take a 5/8'' deep well socket and it goes on the very center bottom pulley

well after about two weeks in the shop, they replaced the starter and ignition tumbler thing. there was a loose wire in the ignition and the starter was froze up. I was so happy, got in it at the shop, and the battery was shot. sixty for a battery and 515 for everything else. all in all i am so happy right now. hope it helps!
good luck.

damn lol, i was too late. i had the same exact problem with my 92' rs. a wire broke in my tumbler (the white ones), so i cut those wires out and bypassed my vats after the connector using the black and purple wires. then it fired right up. next day it wouldnt start so i figured the connection wasnt good enough on the resistor and crimpped it on. still nothing..... after doing a battery load test, its results were BAD BATTERY. i changed the battery out and it fired right back up. so yeah you had a vats prob, and POSSIBLY a battery problem like me. but i think the shop ripped u off on the starter, new tumber, and (possibly) the battery. because you mentioned that you bench tested the starter and it worked!!! and if the vats was bypassed already, THE TUMBLER WIRES WERE DEAD lol. and if they did have a loose wire, then duh, thats the reason it got bypassed in the first place. the only problem u may have had was a dead battery!!!!! and possibly loose connection at BYPASS and just needed re-crimped. but thats IT

damn i coulda saved you some money if i had seen this thread earlier

I have a 91 camaro rs 305 tbi auto that will not crank i get dash lights The crank fuse has no power going to it so i ran a wire from the yellow ignition wire to the purple wire on the crank fuse so now i can get it to turn over the fuel pump comes on.When trying to start it that way the gauges jump all over the place and i plugged a code reader up to it and it say it cant read the codes could that be the computer or what any help would be awesome thanks and god bless