OK, I don't drive my IROC much..... Actually, hardly at all. So I get it out this weekend and we go driving around with my boys. I left her out of the garage last night and got up this morning and drove up to the convenience store about a mile from the house. I come back out and she won't start. Won't even TRY to start. No click, no nothing. Electrical all looks good, but still no crank. I can't even hear the starter selonoid even clicking. I put her in neutral and push it back a bit and try again, it is an automatic, so I figure maybe the neutral safety switch? No luck.

So....of course the cell phone is lying on the kitchen counter, no tools, nothing. I go up to the pay phone and try to remember calling card number, something.... Finally wake wife up and tell her to bring tool bag and jumper cables, I am sure she is very happy.... Anyway, go back to car and try again and boom, she cranks and runs great.

So...... I am fairly confident it isn't the battery - it is an Optima Gel cell Yellow top. I am also fairly confident it isn't the starter selonoid, it shouldn't have gotten hot in a mile of driving, plus I still run the OEM exhaust manifolds.

Do you have any thoughts? I am thinking maybe this was a bonding experience between us????
* Either she just wanted me to wake my wife up or wanted to show me she was boss by starting when SHE wanted to!

 

Do a search for "pass key bypass" and get rid of that crap.
If it isn't the problem now, it will be in the future.
(unless you're up for more "bonding experiences")

 

Thanks! I will be reading up on that today!

 

It did it again today, and one thing I noticed was that although the key will turn, no chimes, no nothing when you try to start. I waited about 10 minutes and it started right up.

VATS is going bye-bye, I think.

 

might be a wire off the ignition tumbler.

 

Keep an eye on the security light in your dash when you go to start it. If VATS is working correctly, it should light up for about 2-3 seconds, then go off. If it stays on, or doesn't light up at all, then you've probably got a VATS issue. I love my 89, but hated the VATS crap. Since I bypassed mine, it starts right up every single time.

 

One question..... Is it just a coincidence that I just put a new Optima battery in my car and it NEVER did this before that? Actually, the car sat for about 2 months with no battery before I bought the YellowTop Optima for it.

I can't see how, but I know the PassKey is very sensitive to the resistance measured across those pads on the key, right?