All I can say is you are a lifesaver. Got an estimate that ranged as high as $1000. Went to Radio Shack both a 4.7K, 3.3K and a 1K resistor, soldered them together and it started like a charm. Many thanks. Hope you got your beer the next day. I'm drinking one to you now!
ONE: Thanks for the video. I will be doing this on my car. TWO: Way to smoke and work THREE: There are different tolerances on common resistors 5% and 10% FOUR: When I do this I will use a vari-zistor so I can disable my vehicle to confound would be thieves of a 1993 chevy cavalier 210k miles.
I want to thank you, we suddenly had this issue with our Deville & by coincidence was across from a GM service center when it happened. They quoted 466.00 with the possibility of 60.00 off if they did not have to reset the keys (which they thought would be unlikely, because usually they would need new keys also). After searching passkey,I found your video. My Mr. was able to get our car going in seconds. Sadly we had to pay for diagnostics at the GM dealer but that was all we had to pay for.
YoshiClan, OMG your amazing! I went to radio shack again and could not find any resistors to macth my key at 5.90k so I wire 2 resistors to equal the amount a little over, and guess WHAT!! My caddy is back running! YOUR are amazing! Thank you so much...I do not know what I would of done without your help! Ive called the caddy dealer and they kept telling me to bring the car in, and I did not want to give up, I manage to make it work..I'm so happy :) Thank You!!!
dude, this video helped ALOT. I have a 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse, and it is the SAME fix. if anyone wants to know, there are 15 VATS key variants. look that up, and find your match! Thanks again for the excellent video.
Worked great for me. Thanks for posting this video. No sense in spending money on the security system on my 92 deville that nobody is gonna try to steal. I got my resistors at radio shack for 99 cents.
Hey thanks just fixed daughters car. I bought the Directed Electronics 652T GM VATS Bypass Kit from Amazon for $2.69 and a butane pencile torch from Lowes for $20. Best quick fix ever.
I appreciate that video.. I've never ran into that problem with anybody's car in history.... At least I know how to answer the problems, and performing a bypass surgery to save lots of money... Good video..
had to figure this out all by myself 3 years ago with total sucess on my 1994 Buick Roadmaster.This video is exactly how I did it and is the most thorough info out there-GREAT JOB!
Just did your trick, many thanks your way, saved me a tow and repair bill. Thankfully I had my handy voltmeter in my trunk and did the full hack on the roadside, thank you so much for the great video
I've been doing work on my Cadi for the last few years myself. My VATS went on me last week and this job fixed it! Thank you so very much for putting out a simple and detailed video for us to use. :) Not everyone thinks to show the details and instead use shitty camera work with hard to hear instructions. xD You rock! Keep it running :)
I would have to say there is a short somewhere. The Anti-Theft wouldn't affect the radio or defroster. Its time to break out the multimeter or your test light and start picking and prodding. Start at the fuse block then remove the radio and defroster switch, and as I recall I believe there in the same general area on LeSabre's of that era. Leave the door alone, chances are the interior light is causing the radio to go nuts. I had this happen to me as well. Good Luck.
I did that for my 96 caprice, I used an adjustable resistor to get the right reading. It didn't fix my intermittent starter shut down problem (I had to disable a faulty relay in the module somewhere, dont remember...) but I left this wire thingy on so that the key pellet won't cause problems in the future. Simple and cheap fix that actually works.
In my specific case, the security light did blink. However, it doesnt blink anymore. I can actually hear the car's starter, and sometimes even some gas reaches the engine, however there is no spark. None of my remote keyless controls are recognized by the car either. I will try to give this procedure a shot. What do you think?
I know this post is old but I just had this issue with my 1999 Buick LeSaber. Thank you for the video it was extremely helpful because a shop fix of close to $500 on a car almost 20 years old is tough to justify, I will add that there is a fix with fewer steps, please let me explain. I was confused and only half understood about the resistance chip on the key and I was discouraged initially looking up fixes because they all included the voltage/ohm reader, which not being strong on electronics was extremely discouraging. So I finally watched through the videos and understood the problem completely, two ****ing wires that run to the ignition tumbler, and it is, yes a common problem with this system, it seems very rarely there is actually a problem with the VATS module, all my research showed this to be accurate. I have found that there is a process that requires the volt meter (if you take it to a locksmith they should have a tool that grabs the resistance) and there is a variance (usually) of only 15 different resistances that your key could have, a google search can bring up a chart that is listed 1 through 15 and its ohm rating and variance in -/+ resistance for that system. So finding the resistance is step one, step two I went to the Source electronics store and bought a pack of resistors with a wide variance and since I don't know how the stupid color ring markings work, my most time consuming task was matching a resistor manually with my reader to find one I needed ( key was #5: resistance read 1129 with a -/+ of 1085/1195, I used a resistor or 1180: brown, red, red, gold). After successfully determining the the resistor I need, I removed the panel under the dash attached to the fuse box and located the Orange wire which inside has two white wires and followed it to its base, to save having to cut anything I took my new resistor (which has an inch of lead on either end) and bent it and shoved both ends into the metal ends of each white wire which held it firmly. Boom! Car started! So I took it out, cut down the ends a little and folded them and reinserted into the ends of each white wire where they go into the terminal, which went in firm and secured it with electrical tape. It now runs and in the pack of resistors ($6.99 for 84, 42 of each resistance from 100- 300K) I took out the second identical resistor of which I used and secured it in my car, If I hit a bump hard enough to dislodge it (unlikely) I have the know how to take out three screws and slap another in. This was a quicker "redneck fix" that no one offered on any video and I understand that because the need to solder the wires is the ultimate "secure" fix, but I hate cutting wires on any harness in a car unless absolutely necessary and in my eyes as soon as I have to splice/solder anything, it is no longer a "quick" fix, this problem with a volt meter, a pack of resistors, and knowledge how to read the color markings could make this a literal five minute fix. I want to help as you all have and I will be posting this exact explanation to the top five posts about this in hopes to help the lazy and would love feedback from the authors of these videos and others, I will not make my own video as I have no channel and anyone searching probably wont find it, so I would like to ad this tidbit of my time saving experience as it is the fix I was looking for originally and isn't as overwhelming. I will add as I have seem many authors have, this is just an explanation and no one is telling you to bypass this system, nothing is better then a certified professional assisting in these repairs and I hope anyone reading read through till now because yes, be mindful of the airbag wire, even though you aren't cutting anything take out the fuse for the airbag, safety first. Thank you and again I hope I could add some extra help to a problem we will face for a few more years yet. Dustin
Thanks for the video..I have a 95 Eldorado and it's working.. the engine will start now and the security light no longer flashes while the car is running!
Sorry for my late reply... If you are having difficulty or minor starting issues after bypassing the lock cylinder then there is a good chance the vehicle anti theft module is dying on you... That is the only component left that can cause you a would of head aches and damage to your pocket book if it needs to be replaced. But don't give up hope, check out you by-pass wire first then move up to the module. A new module is roughly 300 dollars. Maybe less maybe more, depends on where you buy.
If the mechanic at your dealership told you the lock cylinder is done, then I agree with him as well. The reader inside the lock cylinder usually wears out before the resister pellet on your key. After years of inserting and removing the ignition key the pellet and the reader inside the cylinder are constantly making contact. If you bypass it the way I did then you will never have to worry about it again, and the 100 bucks could go to fuel or groceries. Also a new cylinder will wear out someday.
What if your key gets stuck in the position before start and won't turn back? 95 carlo with vats Security was blinking and would go out until the key was stuck in the position before start for over 30 minutes. Can you please help me?
This video work for me on my 1995 Cadillac Deville it wouldn't start for a couple of weeks cuz of the security system but then I tried this and it started like a Champ thanks your video was very helpful
If you loose your key, and you want to just switch out your ignition from one at a junk yard you can by pass this as well. There are only 15 different resistor measurents. Test each one of them down in that orange wire underneath the dash. One of the 15 different resistors will be garanteed to work if you know each individual measurement.
Thanks so much! You saved me a ton of money! I have two keys. One read 1.43k ohm, the other 1.46k ohm. I installed a 1.5k resistor and it worked great!
If the starter engages and you can hear your fuel pump running for at least 3-5 seconds there may not be any issue with the anti-theft. I personally would look at the ignition components first then if that doesn't get you anywhere then check with the anti-theft. With GM vehicles if the anti-theft goes bad or the module disables the car due to a wrong key being inserted into the lock cylinder, the anti-theft system will disable the starter, fuel pump and fuel injectors.
Good advice about AirBag!!! Yes, they have a capacitor that stores enough energy to ignite the charge - just waiting for any change in the circuit voltage to trigger it. No fuse = no change in the circuit (so long as you DO NOT cut into the circuit wires which can potentially cause the SIR capacitor to discharge (BANG) ) ====== For about five bucks, I got a whole variety of resistors. Can wire them in series to add up to the resistance you need.
These models all did that. Sometimes you would get the wait message and sometimes you won't. Either way if the security light is illuminated while the key is in the off position, you are still going to have to wait atleast three minutes for the light to go out. Also if it takes multiple tries to start the car, your resister pellet on your key could be worn out or there is a fault with the module.
THANK YOU! This was driving me nuts. Same issue on my 92 Deville, but I don't have the fully digital dash. Kept handing it off to my mechanic, and kept giving him my spare key. He couldn't recreate the problem. Further, my TPS sensor went at the same time, and triggered error code 30. I was thinking that the ECM went, since it's also covered under the same error code. We ruled out a bad ground since those were all cleaned about a year ago.
thanks for the video, love the way you laid it out in detail, the cost of these repairs has gone out of site, so it's great you can help us workin stiffs do it ourselves
The conduit wire from the lock cylinder that runs down the steering column should be the same color as mine... It would be orange. The wires coming from the module is a different story... I unfortunately don't have a service manual for your of Caprice of that year. The conduit will be easily identifiable, It has a unique shape apart from all the others, and as memory serves me right the conduit wire was orange on all Pass-Key II systems.
Often times the key doesn't wear out, but the tiny VATS-related wires in the ignition cylinder wear out. If this happens with the engine running, the Security light will come on and stay on, and VATS will go into fail-enable mode. The bypass fixes this as well.
Yours due to the fact your car is nearly a decade newer then mine, your conduit wire that comes from the steering column to the module may be black, but the style of the conduit is still the same and still contains two white wires inside.
"PROBLEM SOLVED" after days of trouble. SPRAYED CRC "Electronic Spray" ($3 at Walmart) into my "aging ignition." (Electronic spray will not hurt the "dusty old" ignition). Unbelievable! "1998" Chevy Cavalier 2.2L engine. Chevy wanted $300 for a reset. Had it towed several times and local mechanics tried everything. Found this $3 CRC spray solution in a forum. "Security light" kept coming on. Stalled in traffic. Had to wait to start again. Looked at all the "bypass solutions" and Amazon gadgets too. When it works for you remember to share and pay-it-forward.
I have a 95 Chevy caprice and it's the same orange wire, only that it's connected to purple and yellow wires. Not hard to miss. If you haven't gotten it fixed do as the vid says and you'll be back on the road... I am!
YOshiClan is the shit!!! I was so scared when GM told me it was a $550.00 fix!! I was crushed I wanted to hang up the phone and cry. My car is disabled and all we had left was our 1999 Buick Century...and it would not run due to the security! I followed these instructions and ALL i paid for was $3.50 for some good insulated electrical tape and I sacrificed a DVD player to pull the compositors. I found the security wire and linked the compositors to match the resistance of the key AND BAM BITCH
@focusonthegreen Yeah sometimes they will mysteriously start working again. I've had that happen to me as well. You swear its something out of the twilight zone at times.
90% of the time , the wires to the ign cylinder have broken ( they are very small gauge and break over time ) . A replacement cylinder can be bought for less than 60$ , read the resistor chip value on the existing key , get new keys of same value and cut to the key provided with the cylinder and install the cylinder. A lock smith will do this for under 200$
In your example here, the problem was not with the module, it was with the ignition switch. By replacing the resister feeding them on Jewel, proves there’s nothing wrong with the Montreal, big mission switch is not sending the correct resistance.
hey YOSHICLAN i just say thanks a lot !!!, i save a couple hundred dollars with your help, this works for me on the on the very first time i try, and now i am on may to the beer store, MUCHAS GRACIAS, SEñOR.
Hey thanks for your help, your video was so helpful i have a 1994 Buick La sabre and ended up fixing it while it was in the shop..Your video was so helpful thank you very much and God bless!!
Well if the security light stays out there may not be an issue with your anti theft. Your starter motor might be gone or the park/neutral safety switch might be at fault. I would start with that first then if that gets you nowhere take a dive into the theft system by starting off with turning the key on then off and wait 3-5 minutes. If that doesn't work you can by-pass the theft system the way I did in the video... And if that doesn't work... Contact me, Ill try and help you out the best I can!
Thanks for the video. There is a guy in town that changed his steering column on his 03 regal. Of course he does not have the original key, or it does not work, for the replacement column. Now he wants to sell the car. I can get a variable resistance box, called a decade box, to substitute for the resistor in circuit to test. Or is there a guide online to the correct resistance value for that chip-
I have a 91 Buick Park Ave, pretty sure this is my issue after changing the starter. I actually wired the starter (solenoid and starter) to a light switch, then to the battery. Car turns over perfectly, but dies in less than a second. Going to try this tomorrow.
You are not the first one with this problem. Back in the spring I had a '94 Town Car Signature here and the anti theft light would come on as soon as I opened the door and the buzzer inside would go off even with no key. I took the module out to start the car. Now if the starter rotates the engine then the anti theft isn't at fault- the anti theft module will disable the starter motor even on Ford vehicles. And starter wont operate in park sounds like you have a bad park/neutral safety switch
the Vidoe is for the older Resistor system but the newer GMs used an RFID chip in the key that is programed to the Cars computer. For GMs 98 to 2006 ish it is simple you use a good key to turn the Car on then tun it off and use the new unprogramed key and the car will learn the new key if every thing is working OK. For the Newer Keys not labeled PK3 you will have to contact a key seller (ebay) and find out what key your Saturn uses and the programing instructions if it can be done at home
so im doing this on a 1994 Pontiac fire bird my question is i have the right ohms win its not in car but win i put it in the car the ohms drop do i have to add more and just test it wile its in car
If you just want to by-pass the VATS then just duplicate the key without the resistor Cut the pellet out of the original key and solder it to the 2 white wires in the orange sheath. Your done.
I can guess if you paid 400 dollars plus, your mechanic may have replaced the VATS module and the lock cylinder. Not sure if the lock cylinder was replaced on your car or if you just got a new key cut with a new resister pellet. I can tell you this you have nothing to lose if you just bypass it. I took the difficult, least expensive route. You might be interested in saving your self time and a bad migraine if you just go to radio shack and get yourself resistors to complete this job -Good luck!
I have a 1995 ford f150 I bought that had been sitting a couple of years, the battery was dead when I bought it. After I bought it I put a battery in it I noticed that when I open the drivers door the theft light flashes, if I turn the key to on the engine will not turn over and the theft light stays on, if I shift the truck into neutral and turn the key the starter activates but the motor will not start.
Thanks for the heads-up. My 96 deville has same messages, but sometimes starts, sometimes don't. Gonna need to bypass theft system soon. Will your method work on 96 model year? Thanks.
I can't start the engine, since it was sitting there for a 3 months. I did the bypass and I managed to escape the theft system. but my problem is the engine not starting because it's probably hasn't been on in a long time. Any idea on how to get it starting?
I don't recommend to solder anything in a car. In cold weather beta-tin becomes alpha-tin, which is just gray powder (Maybe it can be called "tin plague" in English? Maybe not.). Soldering alloys are not panacea too. Temperature difference in cold and running car can achieve 100 degrees of Celsius, plus different coefficients of thermal expansion in different metals (copper and soldering tin-alloy) makes electric contact weak in time. You'd better use twisting and crimping.
read the OHMS value on the chip. Read the spare, too, hope it is near the same. Go to Radio Shack, by a resistor of the same value +/- 10%. locate a pair of yellow wires below steering column going into the harness. Cut wire with about 6 inch lead. Wires from steering will not be used. solder or secure resistor to the 6 inch lead. problem solved for under $2
wow... $500 to replace the VATS module... amazing... because when I actually did pay to get mine replaced it was only $220 after parts, labor and tax... however I will say that what he talks about doing actually does work but honestly it is a bit of a pain... I would not suggest doing this unless you are comfortable playing around with the wiring under your dash. Or... even better go out and purchase a bypass module for $59 and install it yourself... pretty easy.
wanted to add... the bypass that was talking about purchasing is apparently the nice model... you can get the standard one for $29 from CorvetteCentral.com
Hmm....just finished watching your video....your engine looks a lot like mine....I wonder if mine has some fusebox under the hood? Great info, man!👍 Got to check a few things out before I call the junkyard!
Can someone help me I have a 1996 corvette , the steering column is locked and I have no key it was lost , I do have this spare key that only opens the door but it has no resisters on the key can someone please help
I had bought a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu LT and I encountered an issue I never seen before. It started when I unlocked the door with the key by mistake. I tried to turn it over, but wouldn't start. Even my brother said to disconnect the battery about 30 minutes. All other lights go off, except for check engine. Even the 10 minute theory didn't work, but I just now tried ACC. Anything to fix the issue.
I did this on my 96 Seville SLS and it did work....for about two days. Car will not start now, my VATS display has gone away. Says everything is okay but continues to do nothing when I crank. Everything powers up, just no ignition
had that happen when putting in a command start. used cheap pos module for the key bypass and it messed up and then then security light went nuts.. had to disable power to it to get it to start with the key even!
Great video. I have done a lot of research on this bullshit system, and have seen this way for a lot of GM vehicles. I have a 2004 Buick Century, and just wanted to throw out some more info for any others with the same vehicle: The orange conduit referenced here is black in the 2004 Century. Ace Hardware (or any lock smith) should have a resistance measuring device. They will give you a "Vats 5" or the like. Just google that and it should tell you the Ohms to shoot for. Mine was a vats 5, and the resistance was 1130 Ohms. I had to build a resistor out of 2, given the weird resistance measurement, but once it was put together, it worked fine. I did a trial with alligator clips first, so that it was easy to test, then soldered everything and "tightened it up" before reassembling the dash panels.
Somebody help me out please. I had a mobile mechanic do a bypass on my 2001 Buick Century. Everything works fine, even the blank copy key. But I notice the secuiry light still comes on.Should disconnect the battery cables and reconnect themt to get rid of the lid, or does the light even matter at this point?
I have an 89 Eldorado. && This happened to me two months ago. && I lost my job. So first I did as the car said, hoping that it would work after the 3 minute wait, it didnt. I tried several times. So I figured if I unplugged the battery for an hour, it would reset the computer. Nothing, same thing. I was pissed.!!!! I just replaced the power steering pump in the car. I got one question, whered you get the wires you connected to the resistor.? Can I use speaker wire.?
I did this a couple of years ago, worked great. Now Its doing it again, (security light on, not turning on) Only does it every couple of days, I wait the 3 min and then it starts. Could there be another issue? Resistors bad? Please respond. Thanks
I have a 1995 caddi that looks just like yours and i tried to bypass the anti theft system on my car because it was doing all the things that your's was doing. But it wouldn't bypass it,at this point i have no idea what i'm doing wrong.the ohms on the meter was right , the resisters that i connected where right but light still stayed on .At this point i don't know what to do please help
I have a 92 Buick Lasabre.The car starts but when i close the door ,the radio quits and the defroster comes on .I turn off the defroster,the radio comes back on.Is this the vats system or a short in the door.Any help would be great.
I have a 98 deville and my dash says theft system problem. However I do not get the security light. All of the gears just flash and the engine wont turn over to start it. When i got a replacement key at the dealership the guy said it may not be the key it could quite possibly be the cylinder. That plus a new key would be about $100+ which isnt much but im unsure if i should try your awesome bypass workaround or just buy and install the new part. Any recommendations? Please help..
I have a Saturn Ion and the resistor cannot be seen on the key, so I guess its imbedded or something, where would this be and how do I fixed this since the resistor is not accessible?
Hi I have a chevy blazer and my security light is on, can i do the same job as yours to reset all the system? Please tell me which wires i need to cut, orange? Regards
Had to stay in my 2000 Impala for a while last night so I just left the key in the "on" position. The security light was on but I didn't pay attention to it. Then the car wouldn't start, but the security light was no longer on. Left it for the night and it still won't turn on today. What do you think I should do?
All I can say is you are a lifesaver. Got an estimate that ranged as high as $1000. Went to Radio Shack both a 4.7K, 3.3K and a 1K resistor, soldered them together and it started like a charm. Many thanks. Hope you got your beer the next day. I'm drinking one to you now!
ONE: Thanks for the video. I will be doing this on my car.
TWO: Way to smoke and work
THREE: There are different tolerances on common resistors 5% and 10%
FOUR: When I do this I will use a vari-zistor so I can disable my vehicle to confound would be thieves of a 1993 chevy cavalier 210k miles.
I want to thank you, we suddenly had this issue with our Deville & by coincidence was across from a GM service center when it happened. They quoted 466.00 with the possibility of 60.00 off if they did not have to reset the keys (which they thought would be unlikely, because usually they would need new keys also). After searching passkey,I found your video. My Mr. was able to get our car going in seconds. Sadly we had to pay for diagnostics at the GM dealer but that was all we had to pay for.
YoshiClan, OMG your amazing! I went to radio shack again and could not find any resistors to macth my key at 5.90k so I wire 2 resistors to equal the amount a little over, and guess WHAT!! My caddy is back running! YOUR are amazing! Thank you so much...I do not know what I would of done without your help! Ive called the caddy dealer and they kept telling me to bring the car in, and I did not want to give up, I manage to make it work..I'm so happy :) Thank You!!!
dude, this video helped ALOT. I have a 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse, and it is the SAME fix. if anyone wants to know, there are 15 VATS key variants. look that up, and find your match!
Thanks again for the excellent video.
Worked great for me. Thanks for posting this video. No sense in spending money on the security system on my 92 deville that nobody is gonna try to steal. I got my resistors at radio shack for 99 cents.
Awesome thanks for the help!!! Saved $500! Only spent $8 on resistors! It works!!!!
Hey thanks just fixed daughters car. I bought the Directed Electronics 652T GM VATS Bypass Kit from Amazon for $2.69 and a butane pencile torch from Lowes for $20. Best quick fix ever.
I appreciate that video.. I've never ran into that problem with anybody's car in history.... At least I know how to answer the problems, and performing a bypass surgery to save lots of money... Good video..
had to figure this out all by myself 3 years ago with total sucess on my 1994 Buick Roadmaster.This video is exactly how I did it and is the most thorough info out there-GREAT JOB!
Just did your trick, many thanks your way, saved me a tow and repair bill. Thankfully I had my handy voltmeter in my trunk and did the full hack on the roadside, thank you so much for the great video
Thank You so Much! Followed your directions and it worked perfectly. You saved me $600. Your a great guy for making this video.
Your voice sounds like Murphy's voice from the original Robocop films. Take that as a compliment.
I've been doing work on my Cadi for the last few years myself. My VATS went on me last week and this job fixed it!
Thank you so very much for putting out a simple and detailed video for us to use. :) Not everyone thinks to show the details and instead use shitty camera work with hard to hear instructions. xD You rock! Keep it running :)
I would have to say there is a short somewhere. The Anti-Theft wouldn't affect the radio or defroster. Its time to break out the multimeter or your test light and start picking and prodding. Start at the fuse block then remove the radio and defroster switch, and as I recall I believe there in the same general area on LeSabre's of that era. Leave the door alone, chances are the interior light is causing the radio to go nuts. I had this happen to me as well. Good Luck.
I did that for my 96 caprice, I used an adjustable resistor to get the right reading. It didn't fix my intermittent starter shut down problem (I had to disable a faulty relay in the module somewhere, dont remember...) but I left this wire thingy on so that the key pellet won't cause problems in the future. Simple and cheap fix that actually works.
YOU ARE THE MAN!!!! this really worked.... this GUY knows his stuff.... thanks alot man
In my specific case, the security light did blink. However, it doesnt blink anymore. I can actually hear the car's starter, and sometimes even some gas reaches the engine, however there is no spark. None of my remote keyless controls are recognized by the car either. I will try to give this procedure a shot. What do you think?
Love the story behind ur video. You also gained my respect showing how to do this with old pc parts
I LOVE this guy! Hes soo confident and direct. NO BS no fluff :) Awesome
Agreed. I loved it when he pulled the resistors from a computer board. He understands the principles behind what he is doing.
I know this post is old but I just had this issue with my 1999 Buick LeSaber. Thank you for the video it was extremely helpful because a shop fix of close to $500 on a car almost 20 years old is tough to justify, I will add that there is a fix with fewer steps, please let me explain. I was confused and only half understood about the resistance chip on the key and I was discouraged initially looking up fixes because they all included the voltage/ohm reader, which not being strong on electronics was extremely discouraging. So I finally watched through the videos and understood the problem completely, two ****ing wires that run to the ignition tumbler, and it is, yes a common problem with this system, it seems very rarely there is actually a problem with the VATS module, all my research showed this to be accurate. I have found that there is a process that requires the volt meter (if you take it to a locksmith they should have a tool that grabs the resistance) and there is a variance (usually) of only 15 different resistances that your key could have, a google search can bring up a chart that is listed 1 through 15 and its ohm rating and variance in -/+ resistance for that system. So finding the resistance is step one, step two I went to the Source electronics store and bought a pack of resistors with a wide variance and since I don't know how the stupid color ring markings work, my most time consuming task was matching a resistor manually with my reader to find one I needed ( key was #5: resistance read 1129 with a -/+ of 1085/1195, I used a resistor or 1180: brown, red, red, gold). After successfully determining the the resistor I need, I removed the panel under the dash attached to the fuse box and located the Orange wire which inside has two white wires and followed it to its base, to save having to cut anything I took my new resistor (which has an inch of lead on either end) and bent it and shoved both ends into the metal ends of each white wire which held it firmly. Boom! Car started! So I took it out, cut down the ends a little and folded them and reinserted into the ends of each white wire where they go into the terminal, which went in firm and secured it with electrical tape. It now runs and in the pack of resistors ($6.99 for 84, 42 of each resistance from 100- 300K) I took out the second identical resistor of which I used and secured it in my car, If I hit a bump hard enough to dislodge it (unlikely) I have the know how to take out three screws and slap another in. This was a quicker "redneck fix" that no one offered on any video and I understand that because the need to solder the wires is the ultimate "secure" fix, but I hate cutting wires on any harness in a car unless absolutely necessary and in my eyes as soon as I have to splice/solder anything, it is no longer a "quick" fix, this problem with a volt meter, a pack of resistors, and knowledge how to read the color markings could make this a literal five minute fix. I want to help as you all have and I will be posting this exact explanation to the top five posts about this in hopes to help the lazy and would love feedback from the authors of these videos and others, I will not make my own video as I have no channel and anyone searching probably wont find it, so I would like to ad this tidbit of my time saving experience as it is the fix I was looking for originally and isn't as overwhelming. I will add as I have seem many authors have, this is just an explanation and no one is telling you to bypass this system, nothing is better then a certified professional assisting in these repairs and I hope anyone reading read through till now because yes, be mindful of the airbag wire, even though you aren't cutting anything take out the fuse for the airbag, safety first. Thank you and again I hope I could add some extra help to a problem we will face for a few more years yet.
Dustin
Thanks for the video..I have a 95 Eldorado and it's working.. the engine will start now and the security light no longer flashes while the car is running!
Sorry for my late reply... If you are having difficulty or minor starting issues after bypassing the lock cylinder then there is a good chance the vehicle anti theft module is dying on you... That is the only component left that can cause you a would of head aches and damage to your pocket book if it needs to be replaced. But don't give up hope, check out you by-pass wire first then move up to the module. A new module is roughly 300 dollars. Maybe less maybe more, depends on where you buy.
Im trying this tomorrow on a 1995 Deville concours. I hope it works. You make it look easy!
If the mechanic at your dealership told you the lock cylinder is done, then I agree with him as well. The reader inside the lock cylinder usually wears out before the resister pellet on your key. After years of inserting and removing the ignition key the pellet and the reader inside the cylinder are constantly making contact. If you bypass it the way I did then you will never have to worry about it again, and the 100 bucks could go to fuel or groceries. Also a new cylinder will wear out someday.
What if your key gets stuck in the position before start and won't turn back? 95 carlo with vats Security was blinking and would go out until the key was stuck in the position before start for over 30 minutes.
Can you please help me?
This video work for me on my 1995 Cadillac Deville it wouldn't start for a couple of weeks cuz of the security system but then I tried this and it started like a Champ thanks your video was very helpful
If you loose your key, and you want to just switch out your ignition from one at a junk yard you can by pass this as well. There are only 15 different resistor measurents. Test each one of them down in that orange wire underneath the dash. One of the 15 different resistors will be garanteed to work if you know each individual measurement.
Thanks so much! You saved me a ton of money! I have two keys. One read 1.43k ohm, the other 1.46k ohm. I installed a 1.5k resistor and it worked great!
My car is a 99 Deville.
Thanks Bro I had the exact same problem, very in depth and detailed oresentation. You should be a Teacher. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing! I tried this on my c4 corvette and it worked!
If the starter engages and you can hear your fuel pump running for at least 3-5 seconds there may not be any issue with the anti-theft. I personally would look at the ignition components first then if that doesn't get you anywhere then check with the anti-theft. With GM vehicles if the anti-theft goes bad or the module disables the car due to a wrong key being inserted into the lock cylinder, the anti-theft system will disable the starter, fuel pump and fuel injectors.
Good advice about AirBag!!!
Yes, they have a capacitor that stores enough energy to ignite the charge - just waiting for any change in the circuit voltage to trigger it. No fuse = no change in the circuit (so long as you DO NOT cut into the circuit wires which can potentially cause the SIR capacitor to discharge (BANG) )
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For about five bucks, I got a whole variety of resistors.
Can wire them in series to add up to the resistance you need.
These models all did that. Sometimes you would get the wait message and sometimes you won't. Either way if the security light is illuminated while the key is in the off position, you are still going to have to wait atleast three minutes for the light to go out. Also if it takes multiple tries to start the car, your resister pellet on your key could be worn out or there is a fault with the module.
Yup, there is a 2 to 3 percent variance that is allowed ( either higher or lower ) and yours is a little to low.
Its straight forward, but if you run into problems feel free to contact me.
THANK YOU! This was driving me nuts. Same issue on my 92 Deville, but I don't have the fully digital dash. Kept handing it off to my mechanic, and kept giving him my spare key. He couldn't recreate the problem. Further, my TPS sensor went at the same time, and triggered error code 30. I was thinking that the ECM went, since it's also covered under the same error code. We ruled out a bad ground since those were all cleaned about a year ago.
thanks for the video, love the way you laid it out in detail, the cost of these repairs has gone out of site, so it's great you can help us workin stiffs do it ourselves
InstaBlaster...
The conduit wire from the lock cylinder that runs down the steering column should be the same color as mine... It would be orange. The wires coming from the module is a different story... I unfortunately don't have a service manual for your of Caprice of that year. The conduit will be easily identifiable, It has a unique shape apart from all the others, and as memory serves me right the conduit wire was orange on all Pass-Key II systems.
Often times the key doesn't wear out, but the tiny VATS-related wires in the ignition cylinder wear out. If this happens with the engine running, the Security light will come on and stay on, and VATS will go into fail-enable mode. The bypass fixes this as well.
Yours due to the fact your car is nearly a decade newer then mine, your conduit wire that comes from the steering column to the module may be black, but the style of the conduit is still the same and still contains two white wires inside.
I'm glad this video helped you. Keep that Buick on the road!
Hey, Its Wolf-Pup you know anything about aftermarket push button atart
Like your style as soon as i finish my smoke i'll get a beer and go change mine, thanks.
"PROBLEM SOLVED" after days of trouble. SPRAYED CRC "Electronic Spray" ($3 at Walmart) into my "aging ignition." (Electronic spray will not hurt the "dusty old" ignition). Unbelievable! "1998" Chevy Cavalier 2.2L engine. Chevy wanted $300 for a reset. Had it towed several times and local mechanics tried everything. Found this $3 CRC spray solution in a forum. "Security light" kept coming on. Stalled in traffic. Had to wait to start again. Looked at all the "bypass solutions" and Amazon gadgets too. When it works for you remember to share and pay-it-forward.
I have a 95 Chevy caprice and it's the same orange wire, only that it's connected to purple and yellow wires.
Not hard to miss.
If you haven't gotten it fixed do as the vid says and you'll be back on the road...
I am!
YOshiClan is the shit!!! I was so scared when GM told me it was a $550.00 fix!! I was crushed I wanted to hang up the phone and cry. My car is disabled and all we had left was our 1999 Buick Century...and it would not run due to the security! I followed these instructions and ALL i paid for was $3.50 for some good insulated electrical tape and I sacrificed a DVD player to pull the compositors. I found the security wire and linked the compositors to match the resistance of the key AND BAM BITCH
@focusonthegreen Yeah sometimes they will mysteriously start working again. I've had that happen to me as well. You swear its something out of the twilight zone at times.
90% of the time , the wires to the ign cylinder have broken ( they are very small gauge and break over time ) . A replacement cylinder can be bought for less than 60$ , read the resistor chip value on the existing key , get new keys of same value and cut to the key provided with the cylinder and install the cylinder. A lock smith will do this for under 200$
In your example here, the problem was not with the module, it was with the ignition switch. By replacing the resister feeding them on Jewel, proves there’s nothing wrong with the Montreal, big mission switch is not sending the correct resistance.
hey YOSHICLAN i just say thanks a lot !!!, i save a couple hundred dollars with your help, this works for me on the on the very first time i try, and now i am on may to the beer store, MUCHAS GRACIAS, SEñOR.
You were totaly right. The VATS is not my problem. I'm not getting a sparkle, even though I have checked the cables and fuses. What's your opinion?
Finally you are the man been trying to figure out for months awesome video
Hey thanks for your help, your video was so helpful i have a 1994 Buick La sabre and ended up fixing it while it was in the shop..Your video was so helpful thank you very much and God bless!!
forgot to mention. It is for a 1998 catty devile
Well if the security light stays out there may not be an issue with your anti theft. Your starter motor might be gone or the park/neutral safety switch might be at fault. I would start with that first then if that gets you nowhere take a dive into the theft system by starting off with turning the key on then off and wait 3-5 minutes. If that doesn't work you can by-pass the theft system the way I did in the video... And if that doesn't work... Contact me, Ill try and help you out the best I can!
Hey i just got me 96 seville with that problem what do you dio if you don't have the original key i have the new one that came with the column
help
Thanks for the video. There is a guy in town that changed his steering column on his 03 regal. Of course he does not have the original key, or it does not work, for the replacement column. Now he wants to sell the car. I can get a variable resistance box, called a decade box, to substitute for the resistor in circuit to test. Or is there a guide online to the correct resistance value for that chip-
i have an 01 sonoma an my key does not have a chip on it how do i find out the olms my vat system repuireds
I have a 91 Buick Park Ave, pretty sure this is my issue after changing the starter. I actually wired the starter (solenoid and starter) to a light switch, then to the battery. Car turns over perfectly, but dies in less than a second. Going to try this tomorrow.
You are not the first one with this problem. Back in the spring I had a '94 Town Car Signature here and the anti theft light would come on as soon as I opened the door and the buzzer inside would go off even with no key. I took the module out to start the car. Now if the starter rotates the engine then the anti theft isn't at fault- the anti theft module will disable the starter motor even on Ford vehicles. And starter wont operate in park sounds like you have a bad park/neutral safety switch
the Vidoe is for the older Resistor system but the newer GMs used an RFID chip in the key that is programed to the Cars computer. For GMs 98 to 2006 ish it is simple you use a good key to turn the Car on then tun it off and use the new unprogramed key and the car will learn the new key if every thing is working OK. For the Newer Keys not labeled PK3 you will have to contact a key seller (ebay) and find out what key your Saturn uses and the programing instructions if it can be done at home
93 z28, i did the bipass and it worked. now it wont turn over and battery is good. the secrity lite goes off as well. what do u think.
so im doing this on a 1994 Pontiac fire bird my question is i have the right ohms win its not in car but win i put it in the car the ohms drop do i have to add more and just test it wile its in car
If you just want to by-pass the VATS then just duplicate the key without the resistor Cut the pellet out of the original key and solder it to the 2 white wires in the orange sheath. Your done.
measure resistance and use resistors with 5% difference allowed + or - and your fucking golden
I can guess if you paid 400 dollars plus, your mechanic may have replaced the VATS module and the lock cylinder. Not sure if the lock cylinder was replaced on your car or if you just got a new key cut with a new resister pellet. I can tell you this you have nothing to lose if you just bypass it. I took the difficult, least expensive route. You might be interested in saving your self time and a bad migraine if you just go to radio shack and get yourself resistors to complete this job -Good luck!
I have a 1995 ford f150 I bought that had been sitting a couple of years, the battery was dead when I bought it. After I bought it I put a battery in it I noticed that when I open the drivers door the theft light flashes, if I turn the key to on the engine will not turn over and the theft light stays on, if I shift the truck into neutral and turn the key the starter activates but the motor will not start.
Thanks for this, worked on my 94 trans am
Thanks so much for this video! It finally got my old Cadillac running again :)
Thanks for the heads-up. My 96 deville has same messages, but sometimes starts, sometimes don't. Gonna need to bypass theft system soon. Will your method work on 96 model year? Thanks.
I can't start the engine, since it was sitting there for a 3 months.
I did the bypass and I managed to escape the theft system. but my problem is the engine not starting because it's probably hasn't been on in a long time.
Any idea on how to get it starting?
so there you go.....happy motoring! I love it. thanks bro
Was your Pops in the PET CEMETARY MOVIE?
I don't recommend to solder anything in a car. In cold weather beta-tin becomes alpha-tin, which is just gray powder (Maybe it can be called "tin plague" in English? Maybe not.). Soldering alloys are not panacea too. Temperature difference in cold and running car can achieve 100 degrees of Celsius, plus different coefficients of thermal expansion in different metals (copper and soldering tin-alloy) makes electric contact weak in time. You'd better use twisting and crimping.
Great explanation! Resourceful fellow, my kind of guy!
read the OHMS value on the chip. Read the spare, too, hope it is near the same. Go to Radio Shack, by a resistor of the same value +/- 10%. locate a pair of yellow wires below steering column going into the harness. Cut wire with about 6 inch lead. Wires from steering will not be used. solder or secure resistor to the 6 inch lead. problem solved for under $2
instead of all that work can i just soldier old key resistor on orange wire
Does the starter motor engage or no? Is the security light on?
prolly 1black, 1white, 1yellow. black to yello with the jumper and resistor. grand am, malibu, alero. prolly 2 late since posted 2 weeks ago.
wow... $500 to replace the VATS module... amazing... because when I actually did pay to get mine replaced it was only $220 after parts, labor and tax... however I will say that what he talks about doing actually does work but honestly it is a bit of a pain... I would not suggest doing this unless you are comfortable playing around with the wiring under your dash. Or... even better go out and purchase a bypass module for $59 and install it yourself... pretty easy.
wanted to add... the bypass that was talking about purchasing is apparently the nice model... you can get the standard one for $29 from CorvetteCentral.com
Hmm....just finished watching your video....your engine looks a lot like mine....I wonder if mine has some fusebox under the hood? Great info, man!👍 Got to check a few things out before I call the junkyard!
everything in and out is brand new and ran right, but it continues to not start, ive checked the relays and the grounds but nothing seems to help it
Thanks, glad you got the DeVille running again!
I DID THE BYPASS ON MY 96 IMPALA AND NOW WHEN I OPEN THE DOORS THE INTERIOR LIGHT DONT COME ON IS THIS DUE TO THE BYPASS?
do you think that is the same chip for a deville 1992?
Can someone help me
I have a 1996 corvette , the steering column is locked and I have no key it was lost , I do have this spare key that only opens the door but it has no resisters on the key can someone please help
I had bought a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu LT and I encountered an issue I never seen before. It started when I unlocked the door with the key by mistake. I tried to turn it over, but wouldn't start. Even my brother said to disconnect the battery about 30 minutes. All other lights go off, except for check engine. Even the 10 minute theory didn't work, but I just now tried ACC. Anything to fix the issue.
I did this on my 96 Seville SLS and it did work....for about two days. Car will not start now, my VATS display has gone away. Says everything is okay but continues to do nothing when I crank. Everything powers up, just no ignition
had that happen when putting in a command start. used cheap pos module for the key bypass and it messed up and then then security light went nuts.. had to disable power to it to get it to start with the key even!
Great video. I have done a lot of research on this bullshit system, and have seen this way for a lot of GM vehicles. I have a 2004 Buick Century, and just wanted to throw out some more info for any others with the same vehicle: The orange conduit referenced here is black in the 2004 Century. Ace Hardware (or any lock smith) should have a resistance measuring device. They will give you a "Vats 5" or the like. Just google that and it should tell you the Ohms to shoot for. Mine was a vats 5, and the resistance was 1130 Ohms. I had to build a resistor out of 2, given the weird resistance measurement, but once it was put together, it worked fine. I did a trial with alligator clips first, so that it was easy to test, then soldered everything and "tightened it up" before reassembling the dash panels.
Somebody help me out please. I had a mobile mechanic do a bypass on my 2001 Buick Century. Everything works fine, even the blank copy key. But I notice the secuiry light still comes on.Should disconnect the battery cables and reconnect themt to get rid of the lid, or does the light even matter at this point?
I have an 89 Eldorado. && This happened to me two months ago. && I lost my job. So first I did as the car said, hoping that it would work after the 3 minute wait, it didnt. I tried several times. So I figured if I unplugged the battery for an hour, it would reset the computer. Nothing, same thing. I was pissed.!!!! I just replaced the power steering pump in the car. I got one question, whered you get the wires you connected to the resistor.? Can I use speaker wire.?
I did this a couple of years ago, worked great. Now Its doing it again, (security light on, not turning on) Only does it every couple of days, I wait the 3 min and then it starts. Could there be another issue? Resistors bad? Please respond. Thanks
what happened to your Cadillac DeVille
I have a 1995 caddi that looks just like yours and i tried to bypass the anti theft system on my car because it was doing all the things that your's was doing. But it wouldn't bypass it,at this point i have no idea what i'm doing wrong.the ohms on the meter was right , the resisters that i connected where right but light still stayed on .At this point i don't know what to do please help
were did u get the resisters from I have the same car in have the same problem but I installed a smart lock switch so well it still work
will this work on a 2004 pontiac gran am?
I have a 92 Buick Lasabre.The car starts but when i close the door ,the radio quits and the defroster comes on .I turn off the defroster,the radio comes back on.Is this the vats system or a short in the door.Any help would be great.
I have a 98 deville and my dash says theft system problem. However I do not get the security light. All of the gears just flash and the engine wont turn over to start it. When i got a replacement key at the dealership the guy said it may not be the key it could quite possibly be the cylinder. That plus a new key would be about $100+ which isnt much but im unsure if i should try your awesome bypass workaround or just buy and install the new part. Any recommendations? Please help..
I have a Saturn Ion and the resistor cannot be seen on the key, so I guess its imbedded or something, where would this be and how do I fixed this since the resistor is not accessible?
Hi
I have a chevy blazer and my security light is on, can i do the same job as yours to reset all the system?
Please tell me which wires i need to cut, orange?
Regards
Had to stay in my 2000 Impala for a while last night so I just left the key in the "on" position. The security light was on but I didn't pay attention to it. Then the car wouldn't start, but the security light was no longer on. Left it for the night and it still won't turn on today. What do you think I should do?
I have a 98 Cadillac Deville, how do I know which wire to cut? Will it be orange like yours?