My car is a 1991 camaro rs 3.1
okay so i know my way around a car pretty good and i am getting the no start no crank scenario. This all started when i first replaced my starter because the solenoid was going, then it seemed like every day my car would get less and less likely to start to the point of where it does not start at all now. I took a test light and tested traced the wires back from the starter i had nothing at the starter and nothing at the park neutral switch then nothing from the relay but power into the relay, so i replaced the starter enable relay, nothing , so then i read up on vats and the common problem is the lock cylinder and key so i replace both. and a new battery and get no crank no start. The starter is good because when i jump a terminal on the relay to ground the car would crank. The fuel pump is good because i hear it prime and all the power is fine. The strangest part was that a week or so ago when id sit there at keep trying to crank it , nothing would happen than all of a sudden one of those times it would start right up and run fine, but than it hasnt happened since. Please help me diagnose
----------
i also have no vats code showing

 

Good job at the troubleshooting. I see you did your homework.

So you grounded the black/yellow wire on the Starter Enable Relay and it cranked but still woudn't start? Try that again and spray something flammable (carb cleaner or so) into the intake first. If the engine fires up and dies, you're not injecting fuel. If the pump primes, you can assume (but only assume) that you have fuel in the rails. A fuel pressure test would be the best.

You can easily test whether the problem is in the ignition cylinder or its connections. Don't forget to remove the temporary ground from the relay.
Under the steering column, find the orange sheeth with two tiny white wires. Disconnect the small black connector. Take your ignition key, a clothes pin and two paperclips (you can purchase those at any McGyver store ). Insert the paperclips into the black connector (the part that goes into the dash, not into the steering column), put the key pellet between them and clamp it with the clothes pin. It will take a few tries but it's not that hard.
Now take another ignition key (doesn't even have to have the pellet) and crank the engine over. It should fire up.

If that helps, you will need to remove the steering wheel to get to the ignition cylinder (you can rent the puller for free at AutoZone). Often, you don't need a new cylinder but just one of the wires broke off or something. Which can be repaired (beats paying $100+ for new cylinder and keys).

Let us know what you find!
Lou

 

Sorry to ***** the thread, but I have a question for you Lou in regards to the clothespin/paperclip trick.

According to what your saying, I could locate the two wires in my harness with vats that go back to the vats module from the ignition switch....and splice a resister in between the two wires and my car will fire up.....providing it's the correct resister from the table below that goes with the vats module.



The reason why I ask is because I bought a harness / ecm from a 88 firebird TBI with vats to install in my 85 TA....and instead of trying to install the vats ignition switch, I want to just splice into the wire that sends the signal to the vats module with the correct resister.

seems like it would work

 

Yes, you can do that and you'll be just fine.
Provided that you have the original key that you can measure.
If you don't, you'd have to try all 15 combinations and see which one will fire up the car.

Lou

 

Thanks Lou, That's what I needed to know.

Any suggestion for a source for resisters? I may just get them from parts express....they are 38 cents each there.

 

It's up to you where you get them from. You'll need a wide assortment to test all 15 resistance values (you will need to combine a few).
I get mine in bulk usually so I can't help you with the source.

I wonder what JTIROC88 found out.

Lou