Not many are likely to go back to vats, especially with the points for it to fail, and costs to repair it, using the small wire later to connect to a quality alarm is far more likely.

 

Right now I love my VATS. I refuse to mess with it especially since I still have a spare key that has never been used. If my ignition switch messes up, I'll just bite the bullet and fix it if I can. I'll just fix all the other steering column problems while I'm at it (loose bolts, cancel cam, multi function stem thingy). Just another adventure. If a man made it, a man can fix it. It gives me peace of mind knowing that it won't start without the right resistor.

 

I wouldnt put that much faith into it, to be quite honest in 1993, sure, but at this point it would take someone with the smallest bit of know how about all of 1 minute to disable it and leave with your car.

 

I disagree. I would think that back then there were more people that knew about it than now. I don't think it's all that easy to get around unless I'm missing something. If the thief brought a PROM chip with the VATS disabled then I could see him getting away fairly quickly. Outside that I don't know any quick way to disable it. Sure the relay is easy to bypass and get the starter cranking, but the injectors won't fire. I think it's more likely to stop a thief than any other off the shelf alarm system can manage to do.

 

I'm not going to get further into it to prevent the unlikely possibility of someone using what I know, but I'd bet you title for title, under 2 minutes, driving your car if you want to show just how much faith you have in it ?

 

I've didn't cut any wires to bypass my mine i just unplugged it from the column and got a new plug and soldered the resistors to the new plug, plugged it back to the VATS side. Also I have an AUTO-PAGE alarm the sounds and disables the ignition if the car is bumped hard let alone open the door or hatch. Not only that the remote on my key ring also beeps if I'm within 100-200 yards of my car.

 

Two different items being discussed here
Bypassing (cutting ) the starter relay and install resistors for VATS

 

The point is this case is retaining a now redundant item that serves no purpose.
If the OP was to ground the relay wire through a hidden switch then it would at least have some function

 

Two minutes to hack thru VATS huh? I'm not saying it can't be done, I even admit that swapping the PROM would be the easy way in my opinion. Go ahead and PM me about the weak link that I seem to be unaware. At any rate, I don't think you'd be driving my car away in two minutes. There are a good many things that can be done to prevent that if one is handy with electrons. I'm no expert on the VATS system I admit, but it seems better than most of the other security systems in that they all seem to rely on a starter interlock. I certainly don't see an advantage, security wise, in disabling the system vs. using it in conjunction with other methods.

Really though, PM me I'm seriously interested in any major flaws in the system.

 

I will just pull the relay and put a jumper wire

 

OP has a carb so VATS fuel cutoff function gone and by grounding the relay , the starter cutoff gone also.
Best security on a carb car is a hidden switch to ground from the Neg coil terminal,defeats usually trick of hot wiring
the coil direct to batt to bypass the Ign switch

 

In this particular case I agree. Without EFI, the VATS interlock relay just becomes another point of possible failure and it's easy to bypass. But in a working system, I'd keep using it as long as it wasn't getting flaky.

 

I need a new vats module for my car its a 91 camaro its 300 and some change at the dealer does anyone know where I can find one that will work in my car for less

 

Should really be a new topic but

What tests have you done to confirm the module is faulty?
Is more common for other parts of the VATS system to fail

Do you want to keep VATS?
If not, there are cheap ways as mentioned above to remove it.

If you want to keep VATS then only alternative to expensive new module is the junkyards.
Be aware if you change the VATS module you need the correct key to go with it. There is a 1 in 15 chance
your existing key matches the replacement module

 

Maybe it's only with a brand new module, but the module can "learn" the key the first time it is used. I don't know if there is any way to put a used module into learn mode so that it will accept your existing key. I'll look at my FSM in a little bit and see what I can find. For such a big book, it lack allot of detail about some things.

 

I had one of my cousins friends who works at reputable key place basically my car has two keys one that i thought was the key and another one under the dash with a chip in it my original key didnt have one and the person who sold it to me neglected to mention it any way now we discovered it because it wouldnt crank nor start nor would anything engage like the fuel pump and the chip is #6 so he told me considering all the symptoms he concluded that was the issue, he said maybe after having it disconnected from the battery while redoing my blown heads thats what could have happened .

 

yea thats what Ive been reading I would need a blank module so it could learn the key I have already id apreciate any feedback you guys could give me whatever it may be

 

How is the key under the dash connected, is it in a lock barrel ?

In any case putting the correct resistors for key# 6 into the VATS wiring would be 1st job
to confirm if the module is at fault ( or the key is not being read correctly )

 

Back to the topic,I did the relay bypass but when I removed the relay I noticed it wasnt the original one it was from HELLA and it was stuck after trying with screwdriver flat I removed it and the terminal 87 and 87A was burned

 

You seem very knowledgable after reading your posts, maybe you can help me on my 92 chevy rs automatic. I too have had problems with ignition and the vats. So I followed the advise of bypassing the vats by adding a resistor.And I also added a new tumble due to the fact it fell apart in my hands after removing. Here is my problem, I had it towed home, and the man pulled the actuator rod so he could get it into nuetral to tow, now I cant get it to do anything, when I turn the key on no nothing, if i pull the rod down, the key feels like it should when spring back action my accessories come on but the car will still not fire? Can anyone walk me through the steps of what to do, I'm low on cash, and am trying to do this on my own. This message was for senior member afremont.

 

What do you mean "when I turn the key on no nothing"? If no lights come on, or any indication of having a battery then I'd start with the battery and main cables. If you just mean that the engine wont crank (starter won't spin it over), but everything else seems ok (lights and radio work, etc) then it's probably your VATS. Your security light would be the tell-tale indicator whether the resistor bypass is working. It either flashes a few times and then goes out or it stays on. If it's staying on, then your resistor bypass sounds like it isn't working. Since I haven't had my column apart, I'm certainly no expert on how it all works inside mechanically.