How would the car react if the pellet on the key was to go bad? Is this very common at all or has anyone had this happen?

Thanks
Travis

 

BTW my key reads .682k Ohms. Is that a normal reading?

 

Shoebox has a list of pellet values on his site. Are sure you're in Ohmes and not kilo ohms? .68 doesn't sound right to me, but check his site and see. If your key has gone bad, there is a pretty easy way to bypass the it, just do a search for VATS bypass" or just get a new key.

 

Oh, didn't see that k. Sounds about right.

 

Alright...thanks

 

If those "pellets" go bad, you will have troubles starting your car. It is common, although not everybody has a problem with it. If the VATS module doesn't see the right resistance, then it disables the start circuit, and it cuts power to the fuel pump. You can hard-wire in a resistor and bypass the key circuit if you start having problems with the key down the road.

 

I believe the more common failure mode is worn contacts within the ignition switch. These are the contacts that measure your resistor pellet.

 

When I discovered that I couldn't locate my exta set of keys, I stopped by the local key shop to get an extra set. That's when I discovered that the ignition key was "special" $25.00 special.

Why in the world would they create such a system? Seems that the odds of someone just jumping in your car a taking off with ease (especially if the doors are locked) would be rare compared to losing your keys and trying find someone to fix up with a replacement.

I about fell over when I learned of the special nature of the key.

 

I had to get a new key for my grand prix (pk3), it was 62.00 so the 22.00 i payed for my camaro was like a breath of fresh air