To begin this story, I have an '89 IROC with a 305 tpi, and an automatic transmission. Unfortunately for me, I've never heard the car run nor had any keys for it. I bought it assuming it was a recovered stolen that the person I bought it from (who never heard it run either) just didn't have the time to mess with (the original steering column had had the ignition popped--he replaced the steering column).

I did some research on the internet and found the method of bypassing VATS with a resistor. There were other methods of bypassing VATS that were mentioned vaguely with no specifics. The only other one that was specific was the one in which someone replaces the expensive and hard to reach TDM. I opted to try the resistor method. I bought resistors from radioshack and online, I installed them one at a time and waited four minutes between tries, but none of them worked. With each of the 15 tries however, came the sound of something distant and electronic coming on briefly (the fuel pump?), and the 'security' light would come on steadily for as long as the key was in the 'start' position.

I figured whichever resistor would turn out to be the right one was barely outside the tolerance level and reluctantly called a locksmith. He came out and tried his interrogator-tester device on my car, he made me a door key, and tried each of the 15 settings of his little gadget on the ignition, waiting four minutes between each try. The same thing as with the resistors, the sound of something electroning coming on and a steady 'security' light.

Since then, I have attached a toggle to the starter solenoid and gotten the car to turn over. Also, I verified that power was getting to the coil. Then I talked to some people who said that if I put the ignition in the 'on' position, got power to the injectors, and hit the toggle switch, the car should start. Can anyone verify this, and if so, can anyone also tell me how to get power to the injectors?

Or, can anyone explain one of those other methods of bypassing VATS that I could only find vague references to?

Thanks for your time and trouble...

 

Welcome Aboard!

If you're fortunate, Trickster or someone else can describe the differences between the early and later model VATS operation, and how they act differently. Or, you could search the archives and find the data.

Here is one such example:

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=282935

 

The VATS system on our cars remained the same up through the year 1999 and the early part of 2000. The only thing that changed with them was the location of the VATS control module. On the 3rd gen models it was located on the firewall under the defroster vents either on the drivers side or the passenger side depending on the year. On the 4th gen models, it was re-located to the side of the airbag canister on the passenger side. It still uses the same module and key codes on both generations. If you have tried all the 15 different variations of the code and the security light remains on, then you have got one of the following problems.

1. bad VATS control module.
2. bad wiring somewhere in the circuit to the module.
3. a problem with the ECM.