erictheviking

Hi all,
Had a key losing scare on the weekend. Is there anywhere in the UK I can get door keys and the VATS key cut? Just in case it ever happens again??

RMK

Neil,

Speak to Gordon as he looked into this once and found a supplier. I think he was quoted about £40 though! If you know the resistance you can order it in the U.S. and should then be able to get anywhere local to cut it. e-mail Gordon and he will give you the details. I'll drop him a link to this thread so he can pop on when he returns on Wednesday from his vacation.

thomas1976

erictheviking, I foun this on ebay

http://stores.ebay.com/beach-bum-keys78

erictheviking

Thanks people,

Good old Ebay, comes up with the goods every time. That's about £13 inc. shipping. Sounds good to me. I'm going to order some now just in case.

firedawg225

Diable the VATS. It simple take a the ohm reading of your key and make a resister setup of the same reading. unplug the VATS wire and then plug in the resisters. now you shouldn't need the VATS key anymore. Here is a help guide if you need it. https://www.thirdgen.org/vats

Dr G

Neil,

There are suppliers in the UK if you need the keys donw fast. There is one I spoke to that I saw in Classic American magazine. If you need the contact details then please let me know.

Best wishes,

erictheviking

Gordon,
That would be great if you could matey.

Dr G

Neil, my apologies for not getting back to you sooner. Things have been rather busy. Any progress with your car? Do you still have both your thirdgens? Is the turbo engine in either of them or working yet? Good luck with things!

Okay, I haven't dug out a copy of Classic American yet to find the company details of the place in the UK that do it. If I remember rightly though it was quite expensive at nearly £40 plus VAT and shipping per key. *****************************************************************
Edit:- Here are the details of the company. American Auto Services. Telephone No:- 02085618387.
********************************************************************


http://www.usautomotive.co.uk/tech/Anti-theft.asp
USAutomotive have this article about the keys and the values of the resistance vs the key number. So presumably they stock them and could sort you out with the correct blank to get cut locally. Their phone number is 01234 273155.

Here is the table.

Key Code Low Range Nominal Value High Range
1 386Ω 402Ω 438Ω
2 502Ω 523Ω 564Ω
3 654Ω 681Ω 728Ω
4 852Ω 887Ω 942Ω
5 1085Ω 1130Ω 1195Ω
6 1411Ω 1470Ω 1549Ω
7 1795Ω 1870Ω 1965Ω
8 2275Ω 2370Ω 2495Ω
9 2890Ω 3010Ω 3150Ω
10 3590Ω 3740Ω 3910Ω
11 4560Ω 4750Ω 4960Ω
12 5798Ω 6040Ω 6302Ω
13 7200Ω 7500Ω 7820Ω
14 9149Ω 9530Ω 9931Ω
15 11328Ω 11800Ω 12292Ω

Their are sellers of blank keys on ebay:-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GM-LO...mZ230034762949

Their info table is a little different:-


WHAT IS VATS?


Vats stands for Vehicle Anti Theft System. Lots of people refer to this type of key, as a " computer Chip key". This key or "Chip" has nothing to do with a computer, nor is it a chip. But because of the popularity of calling it a computer chip key, so will we. So that we don't confuse. The black chip on the blade of the key, is actually a resister. GM first started using the Vats key in 1986 on the Corvettes, then some of the Cadillacs, ect. GM uses 14 different resistors in their vats keys. Just looking at the keys you can't tell the difference.

How does the Vats System work?

Each vats key has it’s own unique cuts on the key to operate the lock. but the cuts alone will not allow the car to crank. This is called a mechanical key. Each car has a Vats module ( Brain ) under the dash that communicates to the starter, fuel pump, and the ignition lock. Each vats module is randomly given a # (value ) from the manufacturer.When the proper mechanical keys , with the proper vats chip (resistor value ) turns the ignition lock, the vats module reads the chip on the key . If it is the correct chip, the vats module will tell the starter and the fuel pump to operate. If the wrong chip is read , the vats module will tell starter and the fuel pump to shut down.

How to determine the Value of your key?

By chance you may know what vats key you now have. Most people do not. There are basically two ways to determine what vats key you have. Remember, there are 14 different probabilities. First, your key can be " read " in a vats tester. Most locksmith have these readers, and don't change anything to tell you. There is a way for you to read the key value yourself. If you have a Volt Meter you can test the OHMS ( The Value ) of the chip yourself. Just set your Volt meter to check OHMS, Take each lead and place it on each side of the " chip " on your key. A number will appear. Take that number on your volt meter and apply it to the OHMS chart below. Keep in mind that it may not be exact. Just pick the closest value to your reading. I do realize that some of you don't even know what a Volt Meter is, not to mention having one. So there is a great alternative for you. Just take your key to a Radio Shack, or your local Auto Mechanic. Ask them to do as I described above.




THIS CHART IS FOR ANY GM PRODUCT, BUICK, CADILLAC, CHEVROLET , AND PONTIAC THAT HAS A VATS KEY, SINGLE OR DOUBLE SIDED KEY.

VATS # OHMS

2———— 0.523

3———— 0.681

4————-0.887

5————-1.130

6————-1.470

7————-1.870

8————-2.370

9————-3.010

10————3.740

11————4.750

12————6.040

13————7.500

14————9.530

15————11.801


Various companies in the States will sell them mail order:-
http://www.doityourself.com/invt/u831792

Heres a locksmith company in the UK that list them on their website so perhaps they can source them:-
http://studios92.com/guide/locksmith.htm

Heres another US company who sell them:-
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/icat/vatkeyblanks

Hope that helps you or someone else out there!

Dmity Kiev

Or you can simply hand maid chip witch mill be generate 30HZ signal to ECM B6 pin (leg)

Danus

what does the vats key look like? cheers

RMK

Looks like this....





The resistor is the small black piece on the inserted part of the key.