after letting a friend of mine put my car into storage he went home afterwards and in the process lost my keys. After that some a-hole broke into my car by breaking my window after attempting to pick the lock but instead they just busted the lock wide open. Now to my, questoin. After calling a few local GM dealerships around town I've come to find out that they quit holding records before 1990 thus they dont have any records to pull for my '89 iroc and are unable to make keys for me. I'm purchasing a lock and key set from a friend so that takes care of that. So now all I need is an ignition key. Does anyone have a clue on how i can get an ignition key made w/o having to buy a whole ignition and everything? Sorry to make all of you read a novel before understanding what my post is about. Thanks in advance for your replies in helping me.

 

Doe you car have vats? That is going to add a whole new dimension to the problem. If you pull the lock cylinder out of the column, you can take it to any locksmith, and they can cut you a key, but you still have the vats problem.......

 

i dont know if i do or not. can anyone answer that question for me?

 

did u old keys have a lil glass peice in them?

 

dont think so does anyone have a pic of the glass piece?

 

Not a thirdgen key, but definitely a VATS key.

http://img.cadillac.cz/radime/vats/cadillac-klice.jpg

 

ok yea thats what i have. now i called a local locksmith today and they asked me what it was for and if it had a chip. i told them an 89 camaro and yes it has a chip. now if they can make me one will it be compatible w/ the vats and how do they make it? is there a number to signify they key code or what?

 

There is no number anywhere. Unfortunately since the original is gone, you will need to putz with it.

Here is some background - The "Chip" is actually nothing more than an electronic component - a resistor. There are 15 values that it could be, your car is one of those 15 values. No way to find out besides either having a total set of 15 keys, and trying each one in turn until you get one that works - waiting the 3-5 minutes between each try for the system to reset. (and yes it gets frustrating, since if you try before the reset happens, the timer resets and you wait another 3-5 minutes, so you could have the right key inside, be impatient and never get the car to start)

You could also insert that resistance (a serious investment at the rat (radio) shack, and learning ohms law in the process, soldering resistors together and measuring until your within 1% of the value.

Put that inline with the two tiny orange wires that run down the steering column and use a non-VATS key. If your going to cut them, ensure you can get the resistor part right first, or your car is hosed.

There is a table somewhere with the 15 values, but I'm not going to post them - lest I make it easier for someone to steal my car LOL. Its available, google is your friend.

 

Of course you could always deprogram it out of the prom but then you dont have anymore security. Its funny because I have deprogrammed vats out of a few proms since I dont use it in tpi swaps. Of course I have to desolder the prom from the memcal and I usually replace it with a cheap flash prom and carrier that costs less than $5. But then you need a prom burner thats costs about $100 which I have laying around.

 

well after some google research ive learned that locksmiths have the VATS pack which consists of 15 diff. vats keys and he sits there trying to start the car w/ each one until it starts. thats why it costs $120

 

WOW @ that. $120 for 15 x 5 mins/key = 75 minutes of work (plus the minute to grind it) and a $2 key. Thats a buck sixty a minute. I need to be a locksmith.

 

im with you on that one. im in the wrong profession as well. but what is kind of freaky is that some thief could buy one of these kits and sit in your car one night and just try every key for an hour until it fires up and then drive away. i figured GM could make these cars a little harder to steal than that

 

Nods, but at least it makes it harder than "break the column", "undo the ignition", "Push forward to start car", "drive away" in 30 seconds flat.

 

well if i had the capacity to understand all the prom burning and stuff then id look into it but i have NO comprehension what so ever of prom burning and that sort of stuff. so the long way we go!!