ok I got a 1990 RS camaro with a 305 TBI and yes it has the VATS system. ok First we had a problem with the EGR valve but while diagnosing that the car died. My guess was the alarm the previous owner installed activated and won't let the car start, like, it wouldn't let energy get to the starter period. So a few days ago I found the alarm wires that intercepted the ignition to starter wires. So I cut the wires out and connected the ignition back to the starter wire and I turned the key and the starter started clicking but the battery was too dead for it to turn over, so then I did it a few more times and the clicking stopped. so i thought ... maybe it blew a fuse? well I put the battery charger on it and I let it charge. Then today I went to see if I could possibly get it to work today and I acutally found the ECM for the alarm and I disconnected it, I turned the key and the engine started to turn over, and I was like YAY, then I let the key go and I decided to try again and.... nothing, no click or nothing, no fuses were blown. but it just won't crank. The car sometimes cranks and sometimes it doesn't, I want to wash the car with gasoline and smoke a cigarette at the same time. and I don't even smoke. some one please tell me what could possibly be wrong with this car.

 

pack it with black powder blow it up and get a carbed 350

 

Thats a great I idea, I can't believe I didn't think about it before. Packing it with Black powder and blowing it up will be exactly what the car needs. It's just so simple.

ok so far I'm stumped with this car. can anyone help me on this? I mean sometimes the starter will crank and sometimes it won't.

 

ok I got under the car and got a screw driver and made a connection between the two main studs and it sparked but nothing happened. I did this on my other camaro and it made the starter turn. on this car nothing is going on. does that mean I have a bad starter?

 

Check the ground connections at both the battery and where it connects to the block, also clean the positive connections. Sounds like you have an intermittent ground issue. Not enough juice / no juice for starter

 

i agree with littlebagz. for a while I was had that problem old cutlass, and it turned out to be the ground

 

You do have the correct chip / key for this car? Do you have power to the lights, etc? No blown fuses? When you turn the key from acc to the start position, do the lights dim as if you have a drained batt.? Have you checked the start enable relay? How about the starter soenoid?

 

I have checked the start enable relay and it seems to work, I took off the cover and when I turn the key it seems to engage, I checked the ground on both the battery and the starter and everything seems fine, when I turn the key the volts go down past the 8, I know I'm low on battery but I charged it with my battery charger for like 2 hours til the point where the volts in the dash read 12 or 13 I forgot but nothing happens when I turn the key, I think it's the starter gone bad.