My friend pulled the bracket on the tranny to move the car because he didn't have the keys for it and needed to move it. He put it back in park and I got here with the keys, the ignition is completely locked. The car will not start in park or neutral, the key won't even move forward. Never had this problem before. What's wrong? It's a 1992 Camaro RS, 305tbi and the PassKey ignition is on it.

It has issues in the past that if you turned the wheel a little or took the key out and put it back it or moved it around in the ignition, it would turn and the car would start but it has never not started.

 

Mine locked up like that and it was the ignition switch. Not the cylinder you put the key in, but the plastic box thing with the rod comming out of it mounted on top of the steering column about half way to the firewall. A new one from GM didnt cost that much I dont think.

 

Still need all the help I can get. This car needs to be driven to have more work done on it. I went to Autozone, the only ignition cylinder replacements available on these cars that aren't used or bought through a dealer are non Passkey ignitions. Can I install that on my car without having issues with security? Do I have to bypass the security? This is a huge headache right now. I have the replacement switch and new cylinder, I'll start with the switch tonight. If that doesn't work I don't know what to do. Every GM familiarized mechanic I know has said "Oh God, you're f'd" when I tell them what's going on...

I've heard from a GM service tech guy that F-body steering columns seem to have an issue with locking up all of a sudden and the whole column would need to be rebuilt, new keys would have to be issued and the car would need to be reprogrammed and I would be charged over $1,500. I've also been told one one the pins could be bent in the cylinder and it's an easy fix. I've heard everything, bad nuetral safety sensor, it's getting frustrating. I'll be tearing apart the column today to find out more. I'll keep you all updated.

 

It was the cylinder that locked. Replaced it with a direct replacement, but it's a non PassKey one. The keys have no chip. The keys turn, the accessories work, but the starter won't work. The fuel pump starts up, but it won't start. Any ideas?

 

VATS bypass, the VATS keeps your injectors from firing.

 

It won't even crank over lol.

 

Because you dont have the original resistor key in the ignition. It kills the starter, and injectors, otherwise.

Search for "VATS bypass" or something similar. You will need to solder a resistor of the same resistance between 2 wires (not sure which ones, I dont have VATS).

Good Luck!

 

I was looking on autozone's website and the fine print on their switches say that the key is there to be used as a template to cut a new key (with a resistor for your car) from. I'm about to pull my broken switch and get an autozone one and have a locksmith use the autozone key as a template, if the info on their site is correct you shouldn't have to bypass anything doing it that way...

 

Try having a key cut for the new cylinder but using the resistance from the old key - ACE Hardware makes these all day long for $25.

If that doesn't work, then you'll have to bypass the VATS -

https://www.thirdgen.org/vats
https://www.thirdgen.org/vats_passkey_system