Hi all,

I have a 91 Z28 5.7 and originally an auto car (is now a TH350 3 speed auto for some reason)

Unfortunately some people were assisting cleaning out the house and they accidentaly threw away the keys to my (then dormant) Camaro!

Luckily, I have an extra door key and alarm keyfob, and I figured I could just have the dealer cut a new ignition key off the VIN.

The dealer told me they can cut the physical key, but have no record of what resistor value to use in it for the VATS system. They told me to check and see if there was any numbers on the VATS box (no idea where this is), or have the vehicle towed in to them.

I know there's a way to bypass VATS, is this the best route to go? Can I just remove the box and take it into a dealer? Any idea where on the vehicle it is?

Thanks for the help.

 

vats module is by your left foot under the dash by the fuse box.
and yes you can pull the vats module and take it to the dealer - or buy a key and get the new vats module to go with the key.

 

Sorry, completely wrong.
Unless you take the dash apart, you can't remove the VATS box. It is burried deep inside the dash (for security purposes, of course ) close to the middle.
I bet the "box" behind you're thinking about behind the left kick panel is the Starter Enable Relay, Tony.

You CAN, however, find out what key resistor value you had in your key. A simple search will reveal the right link (I don't have it, sorry). It involves buying a pack of a few resistors (from RadioShaft if must be) and a few minutes/hours of your time and some patience of course. Which sure beats paying $1300 for "VATS repair" by the stealership.
Once you have the right key resistance, you can tell the dealership to cut you the right key and you'll be on your way.

Hope this helps.
Lou

 

So, I found the chart cross referencing different resistance values to their "Codes" 1-15. Do I have the stealership cut one physical key so I can turn the ignition, then see what resistance makes VATS happy?

Thanks for the replies!

 

No need to mortgage your house for a key duplicate. You can go to a department store to have a copy made for a buck.

Lou

 

If you do go the route of trying all of the resistances, I have bookmarked all 15 of them on Digikey. Waaaaaay cheaper than Radioshack and they are also the exact values. Not close, like Radioshack would be. Let me know if you want the links.

 

Digikey?

 

It's an electronics parts supplier. digikey.com and then you can leave the search blank and click "go" and it will give you an index of all the categories of parts. Mouser is another good company.

 

MR.AWESOME! can you post that link I'm in the same boat with my 1992 rs. Except i bought it that way. lol got it cheap cuz it has no keys.

 

use one if these if your just looking to bypass it and dont want to try every resistor.
Each wrong code you will have to wait aprox. 6 minutes.(i forget exact time)

I think you can take your Vin # and proof of ownership to the dealer also and get a the right key.

$1300 is CRAZY for them to do it. You can buy the interigation box to read your vats code for $300.

 

Here you go.

402 Ohm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...=CMF402HFCT-ND
523 Ohm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...=CMF523HFCT-ND
681 Ohm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...=CMF681HFCT-ND
887 Ohm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...=CMF887HFCT-ND
1.13 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF1.13KHFCT-ND
1.47 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF1.47KHFCT-ND
1.87 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF1.87KHFCT-ND
2.37 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF2.37KHFCT-ND
3.01 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF3.01KHFCT-ND
3.74 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF3.74KHFCT-ND
4.75 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF4.75KHFCT-ND
6.04 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF6.04KHFCT-ND
7.50 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF7.50KHFCT-ND
9.53 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF9.53KHFCT-ND
11.8 KOhm- http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...MF11.8KHFCT-ND

 

i lost my keys too guys... are these the resistors im gonna need?? just buy em all and try em one at a time??