My steering wheel was lose and had an inch or more of play up and figured it's time to get it fixed. Brought the car to the shop to get the bolts tightened up in the column and everything was fine....but. The owner told me after he put the column back together, it would not start. It was not turning over or anything, just dead silence. He called me and asked if I had an aftermarket alarm, I said no, but have the VATS system. He tried several more times but still nothing. He left the car overnight and disconnected the battery. The next morning he came in and it started up.

I picked up the car and drove it a few miles and it suddenly cut off while on the highway. I pulled over and tried to re-start, I took 3-4 tries but finally fired up. I let it idle for a few minutes but it died again. I was able to re-start but after a miles it died again.

I was able to get home but was not happy ...What do you think is causing this?, i'm sure it's related to the steering column reair. I never had a problem before, car ran fine with no issues. I'm guessing they may have disconnected a wire or the ignition switch putting it back together.Let me know what you think.

BTW it's an 89, TPI, 5.0, recently tuned, new fuel pump, injectors.

 

The VATS wires on the lock cylinder are very small and fragile, maybe one of the wires broke off of the connector and and is making very little contact and losing all contact as you drive.

 

Yep. Sounds like the shop knock a wire loose that makes contact off & on. I'd take the car back. They obviously broke it, if everything was fine beforehand.

 

.....so would a lose wire to the VATS cause the car to cut off while driving???. Where do you suggest I have the shop check, the cylinder first or some where else on the column for the lose wire.

 

Is the security light in the dash coming on when it won't start? When VATS senses the wrong resistance it puts on the light, and starts counting down. After a few minutes it will let you try again, if it gets the wrong resistance again the timer resets and it starts over again.

Is the ignition switch adjusted right? Most of the wiring through the column isn't related to ignition since the actual switch is closer to the floor. You might want to just visually inspect the switch and the wiring for yourself.

I wouldn't recommend taking it back to the shop. Yes they probably screwed it up, but that illustrates that they're incompetent. Would you really want them potentially making it worse?

 

The shop is on vacation this coming week and I'm on vaca the next week...so basically I'm not able to drop it off for 2 weeks. In the mean time I have a few questions, if I do a VATS delete by putting in a Radio Shack resistor, will this solve my problem. I'm still a bit confused on the Vats system and how it works after start up.

If I can start the car, how can it shut off while I'm driving...I thought once it's started, the VATS is no longer "in play" and the car would function as normal...how does it still manage to shut off the injectors after the car is running??...is this caused by a lose wire in the cylinder?

DREW, not sure what you mean by the "ignition switch adjusted right", where and how can I tell if the switch is right...can you tell me where it is located.

Lastly, if I have a lose or broken wire in the cylinder, can I still do the VATS delete?

 

anyone...need help to get this running right. Should I go for the VATS bypass?. Please help with my prior questions..don't want to make this worse

 

ok, just got back from vaca and tried to start the car...it cranked but did not start. The security light goes on for two seconds and then goes away, I hear the fuel pump priming but it still won't start.

I found the Vats connector in the column and disconnected and tried to start, got no security light or crank, so that seems normal. I then tested the connector with key on and received the same resistence as the key..so that seems normal. So I guess there is no break at the cylinder

Now I'm stumped, what is causing it not to start?. I tried to start several times, I even smelled gas and still did not kick over.

What else should I be looking for?, everything was great before the repair.

 

Disconnecting the VATS would normally cause a guaranteed no-start, since it could no longer read the key.

You can play with everything all you want, but until the VATS module sees the correct resistance, the car will continue to not start.

Do the bypass & be done with it.

 

I'll give the bypass a shot. So first I disconnect the vats connection from cylinder to module, then cut the (white wires)connector that runs down the steering wheel column, get a resistor with the same value as the key, connect the resistor to the white wires of the connector, then plug connector and resistor into the module plug side....sound right???

 

No need to cut any wires.....

Just unplug it & use the correct resistor to jumper the 2 white wires "closed". VATS Resistor Bypass Mod

I reread your problem here. This mod will fix the bypass in a god VATS Module. If you have a wire that is possibly making bad contact & shorting out? It won't help your car.

If your car dies while running, I'd suspect a bad connection in the Run circuit. Possible the shop shorted the Run connection, because VATS only affects Start. If everything was good before they touched it? I'd really suspect that they did something wrong & pulled a wire that sometimes loses contact.

 

Your column can give you intermittent start, but nothing in there will kill the car while already running unless they messed up the rod going to your ignition switch at the base of the column and it's coming out of RUN. VATS only checks your car upon startup and will NOT kill the car while already running, it is completely inactive after the vehicle is started. Start it and unplug the connector at the base of the column going to the module for your own peace of mind, it will run fine. It's possible you still have a VATS problem, preventing you from starting it all the time. But it is not why the car is dying. I think you are probably chasing two problems and the bad timing of recent changes has you running in circles around only what was changed. It has happened to me more than once.

For the starting issue...

VATS Module - Just to get this out of the way... If you bypassed VATS at the base of the column and had the same problem, it has nothing to do with anything related to VATS in the column. It could still be the module in the dash (kind of common problem) or the wiring to it (not so common). Security light always starts up for 2 or 3 seconds with key at RUN, if it doesn't that is immediate problem indicator with the module. If light does come on for a couple secs when turned to RUN, then turns off. Normal. It never comes on again after the first time you try to start it, unless the key goes back to OFF, then to RUN again. Normal. These are indicators it is reading your key and it is the correct resistance. It should do this every time. If the light never comes on, doesn't illuminate when turned to RUN, or stays illuminated AFTER you have tried to start it, THEN there is a problem with VATS. It should check your key and illuminate the light again every time you turn the key to OFF and then back to RUN. If your light is doing all as it should, stop worrying about VATS, you are fine there.

Lock Cylinder - They may have installed the lock cylinder sector (the teeth that move the gear that moves the ignition rod) clocked incorrectly to the column gear. This can cause the key to be borderline in the RUN position while driving. The key hanging in it swinging around will pop it out of RUN. This would be easily noticed if you pay close attention to it but can be overlooked easily too.

Starting Relay - There is one behind the kick panel on the drivers side that may have failed. You should hear it audibly click when jumped. Check it with power for the click, and with a DVOM for continuity when activated.

Ignition Switch - Not the lock cylinder (where you put the key in). Check the switch itself at the base of the column. See if it will start everytime with the switch manually first. If so, you lucked out. Adjust the rod going up to the lock cylinder from that switch. It is probably bent, making it too short, or hanging up on some wiring that pulls it out of RUN. Watch it for full travel. If no/intermittent start still, check the switch for operation with a DVOM. If consistently good, but no 12 volts still... Move toward your fusebox from there and check all "hot" wire connections along the way for 12 volts. Go until you get something, then take one step back and look between the two points for any possible components. Then out to under the car and check the battery terminals first, then everything with power from the positive to the starter solenoid. Unhook the battery and check the fusible links at the starter for good, unbroken continuity with the DVOM while flexing them.

As for the dying problem...

If it is dying after driving, and then dying quicker and quicker after warmed up, it indicates a heat problem with electronic components more than likely being the culprit. I would get the Ignition Control Module tested at a parts store and put a Digital Voltmeter to the Ignition Coil to see if anything is shorted to ground or out of wack. If not, check the pickup coil in the distributor also. I'll bet it is one of these if VATS is not killing your car.

I hope you solve this, sometimes stacked problems can be a pain, especially if you have something in your head that is stuck as the problem. lol

 

Thanks for the comments, but I still can't get it started. I turn the key, security light goes on for 2-3 seconds then fades... seems normal so I can most likely rule out Vats. So I won't attempt the bypass cause that may not be the problem.

When I try to start I hear a click thud...won't even crank anymore...the battery is fully charged - WTF

I'm thinking the cylinder or relay has to be the problem. I was able to take a look underneath and see the wiring, I'm not sure if this is the starter relay but I located a black square about 3 inches wide with about 10 different color wires going into it. How do I check if it's working correctly??

Also, can I see the rod from underneath without ripping the column apart?. And where and what does the ignition switch look like?

 

ok car was towed to shop due to non start. They are still having problems getting it started.They ran the codes and got code 46 which is Vats related. I'm not sure if it's an old code from when they first put it back together and didn't start.

The car will have the security light go on for two seconds and then fade out, fuel pump primes and all seems to be working as should be but still not turning over. He checked spark at distributor and coil which is fine, injectors are spraying cause he can smell the gas, most likely flooded now!!

...I don't know at this point, should he follow the trail of code 46 or do you think it's something else??? Any ideas, please help, it's going on 3 weeks without my ride.

 

Disconnect battery. Wait 2 minutes (ensures clear ECM memory of codes). Reconnect battery. If the VATS code comes back? It is still a present problem & not just left over from before.

 

Stopped by this morning to talk to the shop, they disconnected the battery and cleared codes, connected battery and no codes showed...so must have been prior code still in there.

He turned the key and security light stayed on for two seconds and then faded...so again, it does not look Vats related.

When we tried to turn over, it would crank but not fire up. I'm guessing it's most likely flooded now cause we can smell gas...how do I clear flood mode, do I just hold the pedal down with key on??

Any other ideas...ignition module??, ECM?? , something related to steering column....I'm dying here!!!

 

well found the problem...it was the computer!!!!. I swapped it out, car started right up,runs like a champ.