i have a 1989 rs camaro 305 tbi. i cant bypass the vasts in my car. my key is so screwed up i can get a reading on a multi-reader and the dealership cant get a reading either. when the dealers ran my vin their computer showed that my car didnt have vats, but yet i have a vats key and steering column. the guy i bought it from had it bypassed the way it says to do it on here then some guy say the key and ripped it out. i know there was 12 or 14 different resistant but i dont know them to go make resisters. so if any one has some thoughts let me know

thanks

 

if there is no possible way you can read your key
you can have your eprom flashed... and disable VATS

 

thanks but sounds drastic. can you explain more on your idea?

 

It is a good idea to do searches before starting threads... most issues have been visited and dealt with many times. Here is the info you need:

https://www.thirdgen.org/vats_passkey_system

 

Go to a local shop that installs Remote Starters, Car Audio and such they should have a "VATS Pack" it has all 15 resistors that were used in the VATS system. You can also find this if you just search google. Once you have the VATS Pack it should just be plug and play till the car starts. Hope this helps.

 

thanks for giving me the link this shoulded help to solve the problem. just to clarify though the guy already had a orange wire cut, so all i will have to do in sodier the different resistor chips in one by one and test them to find the correct one right? also if i dont have the right resister will i still here the motor try to turn over because when i turn the key i dont here a thing the temp gauge jumps up and the secrity light comes on but i dont remember if it blinks at me afterwords

thanks

 

if #4 fails i guess i will have to try it your way or at least look in too it.

 

If you don't have the right resistor the motor will not turn over it kills the starter relay so all you will hear is the click of the system locking itself. You will need to wait 5 min for the system to unlock or you can pull the battery cable and it will reset.

 

I lost my key and had to get a lock company come out and make one. Since you have your key they won't have to remove you steering wheel and can check it for you. If the chip in the key is bad they have a machine called a vats key interrogator that they can use. they will use your key to turn the ignition. But the machine they use has wires that they put on each side off the key.He will try to start the car if it doesn't start, he will turn the switch to the next setting. After that he will push a 4 min timmer and try again. He will continue to do this until he finds the right key. The machine they use has all the Gm vats key no. in it.when he hits the right one the motor will turn and he will make a key for you.But all of your wires have to be connected for this to work. When he gets the right setting, ask what no. the key is. so if it needs replaced again it will be easy.This info is if you still want the vats to work buy the key. If you don't use the other methods stated above. Hope this helps.

 

the VATS does only prevent voltage to your starter.. you can use a remote starter trigger
turn on the ignition and go under the hood pull the trigger..
not good when you stall... but at least you can drive your car.. till you decide on resolving
your VATS resister <<<

 

Doesn't it kill the power to your fuel pump as well?

 

It blocks power to the injectors until the ECM gets the proper signal. If you manage to get it to crank, you won't get any fuel, and the car will not start.

 

it did not affect my FP, just the starter..

 

thank you too all who made a coment it all helps but i think i will just build the different resistors it will cost me about 15-20 dollars and a little time. the reason for me doing it this way is the motor is suppose to be froze up but i can turn it by hand so i relay don't know how bad it is, and why put extra money in to the vats problem if i have the patients to do it the long way. also i dont know if the starter is any good the car has been sitting for 2-3 years but it was put in the car in 2006 or 7 i think but i paid 250 for it so i know it was a basket case and i am sure i will have to find out other things for this car so i will be on here a bit

thanks again

 

This is wrong - VATS disables the starter circuit as well as the fuel injection - the fuel injection is sent a pulsed wave by the VATS module - there is no way of wiring around this. You can bypass the starter relay and turn the starter, but the car will not run without VATS properly bypassed.

 

ok time for more help. none of the resistors worked. in the link it said the security light will blink if wrong/no resistance is read but my light just comes on and stays on while the key is turned on and never blinks. so im ready for more ideas. should i take it to a dealer or someone else. im just about ready to part the thing out but i would love to get it running and drive it. the steering column was replaced but by previous owner if that means anything. also why does my temp gauge jump all the way up when i try to start car?

 

the temp gauge pinned... is normal when VATS is on...

 

http://www.mamotorworks.com/corvette...-1-54-863.html

Choose the value closest to your key and they send it with that resistance. It eliminates the chance of you screwing up the "building" of resistors.

It worked great for my car. Another good thing about it is that you can use it as a kill switch if you plan on leaving your car somewhere for a while, just unplug it.

 

Does you car have an after market alarm? I had a no crank situation due to the alarm that is on it. Some alarms have a ignition/starter kill.

 

It did, no ignition/kill switch though. Just an alarm/remote door locks.

 

kkingsrulee i cant order one of those because my key doesn't read on a multimeter and the dealership cant read it either and when they run my vin they tell me my car shouldn't have vats but it is for sure a 1989 camaro. but thanks for the thought

 

Hi fellow camaroians,
IVE HAD A 92 CAMARO FOR 5 YEARS NOW AND ONLY DROVE IT TWICE.PROBLEM BEING THE VAT KEY.NOW BEFORE WE GET THIS ALL CONFUSED WITH 1,000 ANSWERS ,IVE ALREADY DONT THAT.PROBLEM IS THE RED SIGNAL WHEN HOOKED ON DIGONASTIC MACHINE STILL READS VAT SYS DIS.HOW WOULD I ENABLE IT.
BYPAS HAS BEEN DONE AND IT WILL RUN ,JUST WONT FEED FUEL TO INJECTORS.DO I TAKE THE FUSE OUT AND WAIT FOR 10 MIN.? GUY AT REPAIR HAS READ AND TRYED TO HELP TO THE FULLEST WITH NO LUCK.STILL THE FUEL INJECTORS WONT RESPOND..
IVE REPLACED LOCK CYL AND THAT DIDNT GET IT SO A BYPAS WAS INSTALLED. JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF SOMEONES HOW I SHOULD RESET IT .BUT REMEMBER TAKIN BATTERY OFF DOESENT WORK..HOLDIN KEY ON 10 MINUTES DONT WORK..HOW ABOUT HOOKIN HOT WIRE TO INJECTORS OR SOMETHING..SHAME TO LET THIS CAR ROTT TO THE GROUND..I GOT 5 K IN IT. THANKS

 

Why the hell would you post in that big of font?

 

well kkingsrulee has a good idea but no matter where i take my key to have it read their machines cant read it. so does anyone else have ideas?

thanks for any help or ideas

 

Well, someone probably mentioned this earlier, but worst case scenario is that you can do this.

https://www.thirdgen.org/vats_passkey_system

Use that diagram and create 15 different resistors that meet the different specifications and just solder them in-line. It's not very expensive for the resistors, so at least it will be cheap. Just a little frustrating and time consuming.

 

kkingsrulee i have tried that and it didnt work. it says "light will flash during the cranking attempt, and will remain on during the 4-minute duration." my light doesn't do this. it stays on with the key and shut off with the key and i have tried all 15 of them. but the steering column was changed so a guy from tc told me it might be smething with the locking bar or cylinder. but im going to test were i have power and dont then when i retry it i think im going to but the vats pack it cheaper and probably more accurate

 

If you can't get a resistor to work the problem my be the vats module itself. If this is the case or you need to get or build a vats bypass module.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/v6/4...g-circuit.html

http://myplace.frontier.com/~vze7erz1/id1.html#vatsmod

Either choice will completely bypass the vats system and enable you to start the car.

 

Is it possible to ask the previous owner why he replaced the steering column with a different model year and what the symptoms were at that time?

Its hard to troubleshoot a problem when there are unknowns thrown into the mix.

Can you take a picture of the steering wheel/column and look for the actual VATS module to see if its plugged into anything? Does the steering wheel have an airbag or did he scramble up some parts together from different years?

1989 was the first year of Passkey in the camaro from the literature i've seen. 1990 the airbag was introduced.

Does your column look like this from underneath?


Personally, I would go to Moates.net and buy an adapter, the Burn2, and a couple SF512 chips and just disable the VATS completely in the chip itself. I have actually done this a couple times for a few buddies that have been stranded with a failing VATS system. I understand that a lot of people are unhappy with this method, but the correct resistance is key to bypassing that system. It would be interesting to know which ECM and chip that car has. I dont know a whole lot about the TBI cars and the programs from 89-91.

Good luck, trying to restore a car thats been sitting for 2-3 years is going to be a lot of work.

 

i will have to look and try to get a hold of the owner im thinking about just replacing the steering column again my self with one i know is right its just hard to find one. i know the vats wires are the same but i will have to look for the airbag connector. i was never told it was changed but the codes for the cars says it should have tilt cruse and delayed wipers but none of it is one the column so i figure it has been changed so i will get back to you and try to take pictures of my car and put them on here. do you know if that is possible by chance

 

Yes, you can attach the pictures using the Post Reply feature (dont use Quick Reply)

 

ok thank you another question for you.can i put a different steering column in. like from a firebird or transam. also can it be from a different year and does it have to be from a manual trans.

 

I would call a locksmith that deals with GM columns all the time, because they would probably be more knowledgeable about the swaps. I bought a chevy truck from an auction and it was missing the keys and the locksmith that helped me showed me how to use a steering wheel puller and lockspring compressor to open it up to get to the lock cylinder.

If you do find a steering column that is not from a manual car, I would check to see the legality of swapping the two. On most of the 5 speed columns I have seen, there is an extra lever that you need to depress to release the key, and I dont know why its there.

Also, if you get a column from a non passkey/vats car, then you will definitely need to reprogram the chip to disable the passkey/vats in the ECM, because the ECM will be looking for that signal and never receive it.

 

tell me more about disabling it because that is what i would like to do i think

 

It's really simple to build. I have no electronics experience and built one for the camaro.
Total cost for me was about 18.00 at Radio shack, but I'm in a small town. You might have access to a true electronics store where you might be able to get the stuff cheaper. The pc board I used from Radio Shack was about 1 1/2" square and was a good size for me to work with. You will also need some small wire 16 or 18 ga. in three colors (I used red, black, green). If you use radio shack for the parts get the smallest project box they have (It's 3 x 2 x 1). If you don't have one yet you will also need a soldering iron, solder and flux or at least access to.
If you decide to go this route let me know and I will put together a shopping list.
Don't let the thought of making a electronic component intimidate you.
The hardest part of this whole thing was dealing with the actual Vats box. I took mine out and used that harness to wire in the new box.

 

PM me and let me know if you want to build your own box and I will get a list of stuff you will need.
The hardest part of the whole thing was dealing with the actual Vats module which I removed and used that harness to wire in the new module.

 

Here's a thought.. Why not find a variable resistor from 1-20 ohm and adjust it until it starts?

 

well thanks for help im still in high school so it hard to get extra time to work on it between football, work, parents and school its self but i think me and my girlfriend are going to go work on it Friday. im going to pull out the starter and have it tested and also take a test light and make sure im getting juice to were it needs to be but i will remember to take the pictures.

 

For disabling VATS in the BIN (ECM program), you would need to mosey on over to the DIY Prom board and start reading up. My experience has been with TPI cars but a lot of the knowledge is transferable to the TBI realm.

The VATS disable is just a switch, its either on or off in the chip.


VATS Disable
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/diy-...able-chip.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...able-vats.html

General Topic about switches in MAF bins:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/diy-...32b-vs-6e.html

Some links for MAF tuning, i know its not TBI but some general topics:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/diy-...6e-tuning.html

VATS bypass module:
http://tpiparts.net/inc/sdetail/5186

 

DO NOT take out the starter - no need. Just get a nice guage wire, and run 12v from battery + to the starter at the terminal where the purple wire connects, if starter runs, it's NOT your problem.