Hey everyone. I apologise if im posting this in the wrong spot but I hope someone on here can point me in the right direction because I'm pretty much lost at this point. I just got a 1988 firebird trans am GTA 5.7 tpi that has been sitting in a garage since 1998 I replaced the fuel tank and pump as they where shot. Replaced the spark plugs, spark plug wires, ignition coil, ICM and fuel filter. The car will only start for a moment with starting fluid then dies. I tested the injector harness with a noid light and all plugs flashed and tested good. Fuel pressure to the rail is good and the injectors ohmed out at 1) 19.8. 2)19.0. 3) 19.6. 4) 18.8. 5) 19.5. 6) 18.9. 7) 19.2. 8) 18.8 all cold. The injectors don't make any sort of ticking noise during starting as I've hear they are supposed to. I have also bypassed vats with a jumper wire at the starter relay orange to green and still nothing. Could all 8 injectors be clogged/bad from sitting for 26 years or is it something else? The fuel that I got out of the line was brown and smelled bad so that's what I'm leaning towards. Or is it vats and i just did the bypass wrong?. I appreciate any help.

 

Bypassing the PASSKEY VATS security system requires more than just bypassing the starter enable relay.

Best way to fix PASSKEY VATS system in order from best to worst.

1. Properly repair the PASSKEY VATS system so it works as intended.

2. Program it out of the chip in the ECM and bypass the starter enable relay.

3. Use a PASSKEY VATS Bypass Module and bypass the starter enable relay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/282700412289

Note: The Ebay auction for this part say 89+ 3rd gen F bodies. The GTA got PASSKEY VATS first with the 3rd gen F bodies in 1988 partway through the model year. This module will work with the 1988 GTA with PASSKEY VATS. This is the way I would bypass PASSKEY VATS if I couldn't do option #1 or #2.

4. Wire in the correct resistor to fool the PASSKEY VATS module into thinking the correct key is in the ignition.

 

So I need to get the resistors and install them in the ignition connector as well?

 

Awesome. Thanks Airwolfe for the tips. I'll give them a shot and post back later on if I have any luck with them. Does it sound to you like the vats is the problem? Or would you suspect the injectors?

 

https://www.facebook.com/30.Millionth.Pontiac/videos/1988-firebird-service-updates/5764896533619032

 

I found a 1989 Trans Am GTA ASC Convertible for my friend and he bought it a year or so back. We are just now getting around to working on it. Lots of other 3rd gen Firebird projects going on. It also sat for a while before being bought and after being bought. It's an L98 5.7 TPI car with automatic transmission, N10 dual cats, KC4 engine oil cooler, J65 4 wheel disc brakes, Borg Warner 9 bolt with limited slip 3.27 gears and PBR rear discs brakes, JG1 aluminum driveshaft, factory U1A CD player with steering wheel control delete and a NP5 leather wrapped 4 spoke steering wheel like in a Trans Am. It's Black with Black top and Black leather Ultima interior.

We in the same boat as you are. PASSKEY VATS problems. Rusted out fuel tank, hanger/sending unit, fuel filter, hoses, fuel pressure regulator, fuel injectors, fuel rail rebuild, junky 89+ Multec injectors, dry rotted valve stem seals blue smoking out exhaust, and on and on.

As for the fuel injectors in your 1988 GTA that has sat for 26 years working. I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.

 

After you got all the new parts in your car and before you bypassed the starter enable relay would your car...

#1 Not crank over?

#2 Crank over but not start?

#3 Crank over and start but die about 30 seconds later?

 

Before jumping the starter relay It would crank but not start. It didn't even sound like it wanted to start. But if you hit it with a shot of starter fluid it fired then died within 3 seconds. And after installing that jumper it still does the same thing.

 

OK this is going off memory form decades ago about how the PASSKEY VATS system works in 3rd gens. If I'm rusty on this subject or wrong I'm sure some of the guys here can correct my mistakes.

You put the correct ignition key with correct pellet resistor in the ignition, turn the key fully forward, the PASSKEY VATS module sees it is receiving the correct resistance value from the pellet resistor on the key, it enables the starter enable relay and send the frequency to the ECM, the car cranks and starts, the ECM sees the frequency from the PASSKEY VATS module and keeps the fuel injector drivers active and the car stays running until you turn it off. If the ECM doesn't see the correct frequency from the PASSKEY VATS module after 30 seconds it kills the fuel injector drivers and the engine dies.

The PASSKEY VATS module can fail so that it doesn't let the car crank or it does let it crank but doesn't send the frequency to the ECM and the car dies after about 30 seconds.

Sounds like the PASSKEY VATS system is working OK because the car can crank over but it doesn't seem as if it wants to start at all. Like the fuel injectors aren't squirting out any fuel.

 

I can tell you what I do when working on these TPI 3rd gens and which parts I would use.

My passion is 89+ 3rd gens, 89+ L98 and LT1/LT4 C4 Vettes, 90+ C4 ZR1 Vettes. I'm passionate about some other cars too. But some of these I mentioned have Rochester Products Multec fuel injectors. 89 to 92 F bodies, 92 LT1 Y bodies, and 90 to 93 Y body ZR1s. RP fixed the problems with Multec in 1993. So first thing I do is check and see if they still have the factory installed RP Multec injectors. If they do I know first thing that happens before I troubleshoot any problems. They GOT to go and have new Delphi fuel injectors installed. I don't even troubleshoot or test them. Straight to the garbage can they go.

Now your GTA being an 1988 model didn't come with RP Multecs. But the car has sat for 26 years. You can't trust nothing fuel related on this car. So I would treat it like a 89+ RP Multec car.

 

I can give you part numbers and links to site sponsors and Amazon for the parts I use. If you would like but you can buy them where ever you like.

 

I was thinking those injectors where shot because when I drained the fuel from the line it was all this brown, thick foul smelling fuel. I got some resistors on order for the vats just for temporary until I can get it repaired if that is the issue. but I'll try swapping the injectors and test that first. It it the Bosch 3 south bay injectors that you are talking about?

 

Now because your injectors aren't RP Multecs you can send them off and have them rebuilt if you want to. Or you can use the rebuilt Bosch III or the NEW Delphi injectors.

The factory injectors you have if they can be successfully rebuilt are a perfect match to your engine and the factory tune. So are the Delphi injectors. The Bosch III injectors are pretty damn close and will run good but would be perfect with a very slight change in the tune.

The Bosch III injectors are used compared to the Delphi injectors and they are much noisier than the Delphi injectors. Because these cars are batch fire all 8 injectors fire on each power stroke. So expect Tick, Tick, Tick with the Bosch III injectors.

The Delphi injectors are a lot of money and they are worth every nickel.

Your also going to need a bunch of other stuff too besides the injectors.

These TPI systems aren't that easy to take apart and put back together. It's very time consuming. Last thing you want to do is do it multiple times. So there will be a lot of "While I'm in there I might as well do these things too". You will spend forever just scraping gaskets off if this TPI system has never been apart.