Well i was cleaning my car the other day and i got in to start it and it wouldnt start. It had a steady security light when i tried. I disconected the battery with no luck and then some of the ignition fuses with no luck. Then i tried like 30 min later and it just fired up.

So today i was washing it and i get in to start it up and it doesnt start again. So I disconnect the battery and fuses again and it still wont start. And if i either lock the car from the inside or with the remote, the alarm goes off in about 2 sec.

I have tried cleaning the key and the cylinder with no luck.

Im guessing its the VATS and i need to bypass it but i would just like to make sure. Any help would be appreciated.

 

The VATS system will still allow the car to start. It will only run for about 5sec, but it will start. Could be your opti.

 

Well i got the key tested at the dealer and at Ace hardware and it is a 9 on this chart.
http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#pass_key

But when i measure it i only get about 1988 ohms of resistance on both of my keys. One is newer. I also measured a new, uncut key at Ace and it was about the same.

Ive got 1k and 1.5k resistors so i think im just going to do the VATS bypass mod with the 1.5k resistor.

Anybody else have and input.

 

You say the dealer and Ace read the key in the range of pellet 9 and you read it as something different. Then you are going to use a resistor that is a different pellet range from either of those reading. How is that going to work?

 

What resistor should i use then.

Should i use a 3k resistor since that is what the chart says or a 2k since thats what my key is. I went to radio shack and the dont know what the hell they are doing and they have a limited selection of resistors.

I did the 1.5k resistor useing this guide.
http://shbox.com/1/vats_bypass.jpg

And now i have a flashing security light and still no start, but my alarm doesnt go off when i lock it with the remote or useing the power locks.

 

Based on the measurement of the key pellet, you use a resistor or combination of resistors that best matches to the range of resistance for that pellet.

 

Alright i switch the 1.5k resistor with a 2.2k resistor. I measured both the resistor and my key and they are almost the same resistance, within 8 ohms. And my car still will not start.

Im getting frustrated. Its 100º out and im out there trying to get my damn car running. I have tryed pulling ignition fuses and disconnecting the battery but nothing will work.

Im still getting a flashing security light. Does anybody know what the problem is?

 

Does anybody know why my car wont start? Anybody had any similar experiences? I need this thing running now. Please help.

 

Well after alot of research, it looks like my ignition key cylinder is going out. Does this sound right?

How big of a job is it to replace? And does anybody have any tutorials?

 

Did you disconnect the connector going to the key switch when you put the resistor in? If not, it would not work. You must also be sure when you put the resistor in the end of the connector that you put it in the correct connector going to the PCM. If you put on the end of wire going to the switch, it obviously won't work. But that should have been impossible if you didn't cut the wires since the connector end from the switch is male. The connector end going to the PCM is female.

If your problem were only the VATs the resistor method would have worked.

I wouldn't buy any parts until I figured that out.

 

To verify that the key cylinder is the problem, you measure the resistance from the end of the cylinder harness with the key in the cylinder. If that is close to your measurement of the pellet on the key, itself, then the cylinder and it's wiring is not your problem. This is all in the info on my website.
The key cylinder seems to be 90% of all problems, but that does not mean it always is.

 

Alright so I replaced the ignition key cylinder and took the resistor out and put everything back to the it was stock. I got a VATS key made of the key that came with the cylinder, now the new VATS key i got made does not turn but the one i got with the cylinder does, but doesnt start.

My question is with the new cylinder do i still need a VATS key with the same resistance as my old key and cylinder.

I got the cylinder at Advance Auto Parts for like $55 cause i needed one quick, if that matters.

 

UPDATE.

When i try to start my car the ABS relay in the under hood fuse box clicks once. It does this every time i try to start it but my car still wont start. I found this out by trying to start it without this relay, so i know its this one.

Im wondering if this clicking means that i have a bad relay or something.

Does everybody elses ABS relay click when you start your car?

 

Yes. The new key profile should fit the new cylinder (so it will turn) and the pellet needs to be of the same resistance as the old key (to match your VATS module).

If you did not prove your old key cylinder was faulty, you just wasted your money.

 

Well i tested my old cylinder and it was about 200-300 ohms of resistance under what the key was, so hopefully that is the cause of my problems.