Hey all. I am helping a friend with his third gen (cute daughter) and for the first time in a while I'm stumped. I suspect it's the VATS module though.

89 305 TPI

Car will not start or even crank, and I have already:

1) Checked the solonoid and starter by jumping the terminals. Car turned over, but did not start as expected.
2) Battery has 12.5 volts
3) Starter relay does not click or vibrate. But has power going to it and is getting proper voltage. It had 2 large pink wires, and one small pink wire. It doesn't look like a relay but I'm sure that is it.
4) Security light when in "run" does not go off or flash. It is on constantly.
5) Used a 10ohm trim pot tuned down to 9.5 to match my pellet, to bypass VATS but it did not crank
6) jumped neutral safety switch the entire time. (unplugged connector at shifter and jumped)

The security light stays on with or without the vats plugs connected, so this plus all the above makes me think it's the vats module.

I got the car to start the other day by jumping the neutral switch, but when I came back to the guys house, this would not happen again. He said he tried to jump the switch "like I did" and it sparked at the switch plug and would not crank. I think this points to vats or "body module" being fried now.

I have removed ecm and vats module (or what im sure to be) so i can get to them easily.

The reverse lights do not come on either now, so that's odd as well.

Ithas to be the module or NSS, right? I'm up on fourth gens, but thirds stump me.

 

where is the relay?
Do you have a picture?

I might be buying an 89 TBI LO3, which seems to have a faulty starter relay, and knowing where the relay is might help

 

It's either under the drivers side kick panel, or it's around or behind the fuse panel.

It doesn't look like a "standard" relay, if you want to see a picture, go to advance auto parts site and look up "anti-theft" relay.

 

it sounds like a vat module. how did you bypass it? if the module can see the correct key the light will only be on for the 2 second test. if it's on in run then the module thinks the wrong key is in the car.

 

All that information, and more! is in the original post. Try it today, won't you?