I need help, i just bought a 1992 camaro RS 3.1L V6. i got the car started and drove it home, borrowed a battery from a friend. I just bought a brand new battery and when i stick the key in the ignition anf turn it to accesories the dash light turn on like normal, the blinkers or headlight or any accesory sucks to much power and will only last a few seconds. when i try to fully start it the starter whines for about 2 seconds and the hole car looses power. take the key out and try again and nothing. Have to wait about 30 minutes to stick the key back in for the dash to get power. i read the key has a certain ohms level the VATS system recognizes but idk if this is a negitive terminal problem, VATS problem/key, or loose ignition wire. When i first got the car started i had to shake the steering wheel up and down and it would cut power or make it better so im thinking a short or cut wire in steering columb. someone please help this car is pissing me off. also when i try to jump it, the starter lasts about 3-4 seconds then kills all power.

 

You might have a bad ignition switch or the connection is loose. The switch is on the top of the column under the dash and will have a metal rod going from it to the key tumbler.

 

Thanks man. il order a new switch and see what a pain it will be to get in.

 

would it be worth replacing and buying a new starter and check the wires just to check that off the list?

 

Have you checked to see if your alternator is charging.?

 

You'll spend a lot of money buying parts unless you narrow down and hopefully pinpoint the problem first. Do as much testing and as little buying as possible.
It doesn't sound like there's much reason to suspect the starter. You mentioned even having problems with the blinkers. The starter draws more power than anything in the car so if there's an electrical system problem then the starter won't be able to work properly, but I doubt the starter has anything wrong with it.

With a brand new battery it should have plenty of capacity so it wouldn't be going dead in just a few seconds, unless it hasn't been getting charged. If you have a multimeter (good tool to have) then check the voltage at the battery, then after trying to start it, check it again to see if it's recovering. Voltage isn't exactly a measurement of charge but it can give you an idea. If you get it started and idling, then check the voltage again and see if it's charging. You should see over 14V (as much as 14.7V) if the alternator is charging it while idling and cold. That voltage drops down to the 13s as it warms up. If you start the engine and it's still sitting at 12.something or less, your alternator isn't charging. If you see the voltage continuing to drop steadily over time as it runs then it's definitely not charging - you can turn on the headlights/etc to speed up that process.
If you find it's not charging, make sure the alternator is hooked up correctly.

If you hook it up with jumper cables to a running car then you'll have a known good electrical source that's keeping itself charged. Does it make any difference if you do that?
To rule out your battery as a factor, another experiment would be to disconnect your own battery and just jumper your cables to the other car (without your battery connected to them).

I've never owned a car with VATS, but I don't think it kills all power to the car, I think it just disables fuel and/or spark to keep it from starting, so this doesn't sound like a VATS problem. I did work on a Cavalier once with a VATS-like issue and all electrical stayed on, it just wouldn't start until it was resolved.

Losing all power at the moment you crank the starter usually means a bad connection at the battery cables. The fix for that would be to take the cables off the battery and clean them up real good. However, if it cranks for 3-4 seconds and -then- loses all power, that's a different situation.

If shaking the column changes how it behaves, and you're sure it wasn't a coincidence, then it sounds like there's a problem in the column.

 

Armos, Im really glad you took the time to reply! Ive only got it started and driving that one time i drove it home less than a month ago! when i didnt have a battery i tried jumper cables from my friends truck straight on to my battery cables and thr accesroies got power but as soon as i tried to start it it would click one or two times then all power was lost. i was able to keep re-turning the key and getting power back letting it sit for a while and try starting it again, same thing, then i was shaking the columb and th starter was working properly for a few seconds then lost all power, after that i would have to wait 30 mins to an hour just for the accesories to get power again, i just took out the ignition switch and im going to buy new battery cables and have the alternator checked. the previous owner had the hood off of the car during a rain storm maybe that ****ed up the alternator, but it was a daily driver then he wrecked the front end so i bought it as a daily driver that i was doing body work on and turned out it needed electrical work.
i took off the dash to expose the wire harness, the wires that are connected to the starter switch connector looked burnt on the ends, the out sie of the wired looked dark brown/black like they have been exposed to excesive heat. my lock key cylander is extremly loose as well. im thinking now that it may have somthing to do either with the alternator like you said, or the starter switch, or a loose connection.
i was sitting in the car yesterday while the battery was connected and i adjusted the steering wheel all the way up and i heard a short behind the gauge ckuster it sounded like holding jumper cables together, i think a ground is shorting.