Hey all, this is a follow up from my last post about the VATS issue I had in my stock 88 GTA, 5.7L, Auto. I've already plugged in the resistor module to the VATS connector, which got the car running again. I wanted to now eliminate the start relay from the equation, since I think it might be going bad. Anyways, read the very informative post by @QwkTrip, and was going to follow method C in his post (to eliminate the start relay). However, I'm stumped about the location of my start relay. I removed the kick panel, and literally the only relay I could find in that area was the relay in picture 1 and 2. I didn't think that was it, so tested it. I unplugged it and turned the key, and the car still started just fine. So obviously that isn't my starter enable relay. Is there somewhere else in that location I need to look? I couldn't find anything else remotely resembling a relay in that area. Since the 88 GTA only had the VATS installed from Dec 87 onwards, and since my ignition cylinder VATS wire was also a different color than the standard orange/white, wondering if anyone might have insight into whether the starter enable relay is located elsewhere in the 88 GTAs? Thanks much!

Picture 1


Picture 2

 

Maybe try following that purple wire showing in the first photo (vertical run of wires on right side of picture). That might be the wire going to your starter motor.

Are you sure you have VATS? I don't know all the tips and tricks to identify if you do or don't without removing the whole dash from the car to look for the Passkey box. Maybe somebody else while chime in who does know.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'll look at the purple wire and see if it leads to the relay. Yes, my GTA does have VATS-it was made in April 88, and all GTA's only from Dec 7th 1987 got VATS. This was a cause of some confusion until I was able to get more info on the GTAs. The VATS actually crapped out on me, which is why I had to do the whole resistor thing. I ended up getting a module off eBay that had all resistors built in (attached pic). My key is also the usual pellet key. Once I added the resistor in, worked fine, and no more code 46. But since it was a weird phase in of the VATS on just the GTAs, even my ignition cylinder wire wasn't orange/white, but black/yellow, which you can see dangling in the back of the resistor module


.

 

That's good information. If you would, please share that in the VATS thread I created so people know to look for different things on the early version.

 

Sounds good, I'll make sure to do that!

 

I've got a little info the MIGHT help.

The relay in your earlier pics is for the power door locks.

I think that PURPLE wire in those early pics is for your Rear Defroster.

I have an 88 GTA ( Non-Vats ) and also have the 88 Shop manual. The Shop manual says the Starter Enable Relay is mounted: "Behind the LH side of the IP, left of the steering column". There is no diagram in the ELECTRONICS section or the COMPONENT VIEW section that actually shows it mounted.

The wiring schematic shows that there is a Dark GREEN / WHITE wire leading from the Enable Relay to the NSS on the shifter ( or Clutch Start if stick-shift) . The other wires shown leading to the Enable Relay are YELLOW ( Ignition ) and Dark GREEN ( Passkey Module ). You might get lucky and be able to spot a heavy guage Dark GREEN/WHITE wire and trace it to the Enable Relay.

Hope that helps in some way !

 

That looks to be a Vats Car!

I See the Orange Sleeving over the two White Wires that go to the Ignition Lock Cylinder:




The Relay will probably be further up under the Hush-Panel... not near the Kick-Panel.




As John said, That 10AWG Purple Wire will have a White Tracer and be for the Rear Defroster.

The VAT System Relay will have a Large Green and a Large Yellow Wire like in the Image above!

 

I have an 88' GTA with VATS and it was not located behind the rubber/tar paper but higher up and the relay was actually mounted to the body or something else, just remove the driver side hush panel and look for the thick green, thick yellow, small yellow and black wire as was mentioned and follow it to the relay. There is a picture of those wires further up in the thread.

It is tight in there but I disconnected the plug from the relay(I left the relay there), made a jumper with some thick gauge wire with a spade on each end and placed the ends where the large green and yellow wires go into the plug then used a little electrical tape to make sure it won’t move/fall out.

 

John in RI, that's very helpful! Thanks much-that's what I needed to know.

 

Yup, and the fact that my ignition cylinder to VATS wire which is dangling behind the resistor module in the 1st pic is not even orange with white wires but black with yellow wires threw me off quite a bit at first. Until I found that everything in the 88 is slightly different from the standardized locations 89 onwards. Just my luck.....

 

Interesting...

We (GM Engineers) would call that kind of change, a Mid-Production Update.
A very common thing to occur to a Product-Line (F-Car in this instance) that runs for a long span (10 Years) and must see Annual Updates.

The Vehicle Assembly Production Calendar does not match the Normal "January 1st is a new Year" Schedule...
It's actually more in-line with the Typical US School System Calendar: Sept being the start, and July being the End/ Change over.

This also differs from the New Car Sales Calendar.

 

This is the information I received that helped clarify the weirdness of the VATS being in an 88 F-body, since it's thought that they only came out in 89. Guess GM decided to phase in VATS only on the 88 GTA, and only on the GTAs made from Dec 87 onwards. I've attached the GM document here, which I received courtesy of The Trans Am GTA Source Page administrator. Very informative. I'll add this to the VATS thread by QwkTrip as well.