Hi,

I recently purchased a 1992 Camaro Z28, pretty sweet ride. I drove it home and parked it and went out to start it the other day. I was able to crank over the motor but it wouldn't fire. I had a look and I see that the car has a SCS Fail-Safe aftermarket security system, and I can't find out anything about it. There is a small switch on the foot panel for On / Valet Service etc. I switched it to Valet and the car ran for 15 minutes and quit. Then it wouldn't start again, just cranks and cranks. The security LED doesn't flash and it makes no chirp sounds so I think the aftermarket system is dead or close to dead and is messing up the electronics. How in heck do I trouble shoot something like this?

Am I better to try and cut the system out and return just to pass-key security? In reading over the user manual it seems like this alarm system ties into a whole bunch of stuff on the car.

Any ideas? Thanks!

 

Old electronics tend to fail with age. Ran into a similar issue with the alarm in my RS. Nice alarm for the early-mid 90's, but zero info available now. After sitting in storage for years without a battery, as soon as I'd hook up the battery the alarm would start going off. Hit the button on the keyfob and the light would light up, but the alarm would just keep going. Ripped all that **** out, easily enough. Now I have to fix the no-start condition. I don't hear the fuel pump kick in, so now I get to troubleshoot it and figure out if the pump went bad from sitting or if the alarm had an ignition kill I need to eliminate.

In my case, I'm not in a real hurry to pay the back taxes and bring the plates current on a car I have little desire to drive. I've got enough other projects going that it's a very low priority to fix. I'd start by looking at the wiring and see if the alarm wiring hacked into the VATs system, or the starter/ignition circuits. Should be easy enough to see how the wiring may have been hacked, and return it back to normal.

 

Once you get it straightened out, a simple, hidden starter or fuel kill switch is all you need.

 

Well I chopped out the alarm system, they hadn't even taped the solder joints.

Still no spark, the security light isn't coming on and the motor cranks over I sprayed quick start in the intake but nothing...

Is there a guide to how to troubleshoot no spark? I drove the thing home from two hours away no problem

 

wiring mess

 

I will take a shot at this.
Since you gave it a shot of starting fluid and got nothing, I can assume you have no spark.
You could also still have no fuel.
What if you ran a separate wire with +12 volts to the distributor / ignition coil? Obviously, disconnect the current wire connected there first.
If the engine then runs, then you now know where the problem is and you can trace that circuit back.

 

Thanks for the tip, I will give it a go!

 

A quick update, I have 12v to the coil on the pink wire so I am waiting for an Ignition Module and new coil to swap those out. After that there is only the pickup coil left.

Hope that does it!

 

Pickup coils DO go bad.

 

yes and with my luck that is the part that will be bad But at least I will have replaced most of the ignition!