I used to think my alarm was the culprit to my car not being able to start, so i ripped it out. Heres what is does ...

I put the key in, and turn it, and nothing. Like as if my clutch isn't depressed. Nothing turns, all the lights and everything work, so now I'm begining to think its my VATS. Maybe the computer is getting screwy, or the chip in the key is going bad.

Now, in a attemp of despiration, i tried to push start it. And when it should have kicked over it didn't. Does the VATS also disable the fuel pump too?????

Anybody have these problems? I feel like a jerk now that i tore out the alarm and it still does it. So like i said either
a) button on the clutch is bad (which i doubt it)
b) VATS itself
c) the key
d) Some outside force of evil has possesed my car making it not start when needed

 

Could be vats. When the car doesn't read the right reistance from the key it will diable the starter relay and not send a signal to the ecm, which in turn will not pulse the fuel injectors. End result is no fuel and no crank. You can overcome the no crank but still no fuel.

If the key is reading the wrong value you can simply find out by grounding the diagnostic terminal and looking for a code (46 or 45....which one slips me at the moment, but one of those two).

If no code... it could be something else altogehter, but if you still want to see if it is the vats, you can find the resistor wires at the base of the steering coloum (small black connector, with small guage wires in them, should either have a black plastic hose over it or an orange one). Test the resistance through those two wires with a Digital Multi-Meter while moving the lock cylander. The value should be the same as the resitance as the key.

That takes care of the normal key problems... anything else and you would need to do some more test, and it could wind up not being the vats at all.

Joker

 

Mine is screwey too, instead of spending $$$ to fix it I just put in an override starter button.

 

OK, thanx joker ... Ill try looking at that, and you explained a lot to me.

Pichulon, if I did what you did my car will probably be stolen. So, I want this to work the way its suposed to. Just getting sick of this thing.

~Tim

 

No cranking is the first thing that is noticed with a VATS problem, but an auxilery crank button will not help because ignition & fuel are also disabled. Most likely cause is the ignition lock cylinder is not reading the resistance of the key. To circumvent, measure the resistance of your key with a digital ohm meter. Then, go to Radio Shack & buy a resistor of like value. Disconnect the small black plug at the bottom of your steering column that has 2 yellow wires running from the cylinder lock. What ever wires that the 2 yellow wires plug into, those are the wires you jump across with the resistor. Car should now crank & start. If so, you successfully got the correct resistor that your VATS/ECM recognizes. Now, permanently connect the resistor to the 2 wires you jumped across.

 

Id be willing to put money down that your Clutch Safety Switch is bad. If its bad, the stater will not engage. I would check that before you start sinking money into other stuff.

 

one thing about VATS...if the computer goes bad in it you can tell very easily....when u key it up the SECURITY lite comes on blinks a few times (or stays on) then goes off....key your car up and if the security lite stays on then its the computer DEEP inside the dash....mine did this...it woult not crank but with a jump it would crank and start then if i turned it off and tried 10 seconds later it wouldnt crank...i drove 636 miles from new york to michigan without turning the car off lol when i went out to take it in the next morning to would do n e thing even with a jump....so i had my dad bump start me with our van and it started but it wouldnt run by itself i had to keep pumpin it to keep it runnin at less then 200 rpms and it sounds like it hada a nasty cam in it....i had to have it towed to a repair shop and it cost me 425 bucks to get it fixed....first the VATS shuts down the crank then the fuel

check the security light when u key it up and it it stays on get out your wallet if not the hopefully for your pocket its the key thats gone bad

 

As fcrazy said, when you key on, the dash security light should come on for 2 seconds and then turn off. If the security light stays on, the VATS system did not recognize the correct key resistance it was looking for. Then, the system stays shut down about 4-5 minutes through a timer system. This means if you tried to start the car with the wrong key resistance, it would be a waste of time to try to restart with the correct key resistance, until you waited 5 minutes from the last key on operation. What this means from a practical standpoint, you are obviously using the correct key, but the system does not recognize it. Why? The resistance of the key is off because of dirt/corrosion or the wipers in the lock cylinder is not allowing for an accurate "read" of your key resistance. If your security light is performing correctly as I earlier described, look to your clutch saftey switch as suggested in another post.

 

Ok, thanx guys ... Ill give those tests a try. And FJK, that 4-5 min delay explains a lot now.

I just want to get in my car and not worry if its gonna act up or not. I work in a bad neighboor hood and getting out at 10 pm, and sitting in a parking lot doesn't make me feel too good.

Ill check the resistance during the week.
~Tim