My mechanic (I'm trying to find auto repair for super-dummies = me)

says my 1992 Firebird 6 cly. 3.2 - the ignition switch fried the anti-theft module. He out in another ignition switch but says I have to get the anti-theft and all other switches to match from the dealer = $600 , that I just can't afford now.

I see by searching that something can be done to by-pass this by people who know what they're doing.

Can anyone confirm if this factory stuff can be by-passed - if so how ( in plain English - I just don't understand the abbreviations) :

which parts (proper names so I can find locally or inter-net and just what ever help a kind soul is will ing to give to a dummy like me.

I really need to get this car running to save other drivers in the family.

Recent rains flooded other cars and the Bank of Mom & Dad is bankrupt.

Really - thanks for any help you can give or where to look in archives.

 

I don't think I have ever seen a bad module. Normally the wires break at the lock cylinder. The actual ignition switch has little to do with the anti-theft. What was the orignal problem with the car? Was the security light coming on and staying on? Or was it coming on breifly then going out? Or not coming on at all? Did the car crank and not start?

 

My son had the car, so I'm assuming he just tried to turn it on and it wouldn't start.

As far as I know there was no problem or indication before except that the turn signal lever broke off - I could still flip the lever at the column and get them to work.

I wouldn't think that has anything to do with it.

I'm tryiing to remember if there was a prob with ignition - like having to try a couple times twisting the key to get it to start.

It's been out of my hands for several months and how I drive is not how he drives so I don't know how well he treated her.

20+ still have to learn to be gentle with older cars or fix them themselves.

Easy to talk - I can't fix it.
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I should have mentioned - the mechanic says he can get the car to crank but it woun't start. O course he thinks the a-theft module is preventing this.

Can that be by-passed?

 

you can measure the resistance of the pellet in the key & get a resistor that closely matches the pellet & wire the resistor into the car side of the antitheft harness under the dash to bypass the lock cylinder.

there is more info on the VATS system here,
https://www.thirdgen.org/vats
and here,
https://www.thirdgen.org/vats_passkey_system

if you do replace the lock cylinder, be certain you get a A/C Delco lock cylinder, the aftermarket lock cylinders are junk & don't last very long.

 

If you can find out what the security light is doing it would help in telling if you need to bypass it or not and how. Mike

Yep I am 26 and still drive all my cars hard. But know how to fix them.

 

Here's another writeup on bypassing VATS/Passkey systems - WITH PICTURES!

How to bypass the VATS system.pdf

 

I found the article here on the VATS system Diagnosis & Bypass -

by Andy89RS : my mechanic has done what the article said and I now have a working car. He says it fires up everytime.

Now the poor guy could use help on his 89 Camaro - his problem is he doesn't have the key with the chip to measure the resistence and he says he just didn't feel like going through 16 resistors right now to find the one that works.

Well thanks to all who helped.

 

If his 89 is a V6 he just needs to bypass the starter relay. If it is a V8 it needs the resistor bypass method. Or a custom prom with vats disabled.

 

hi i have a 92 firebird with a 305 tbi well i have a similar problem only, itll do it sometimes while im driving, per say wonly when i come to a stop under 1400 rpms itll shut down no warning just blah dead and it wont restart till it feels like it, other times it wont even start to begin with. i have used starter fluid i know i know i know bad move....to start it on emergency basis and i can get it to start and itll stay running so long as its above around 1400 rpm, i also get a code 53 which could be a couple things but i know its not the over charge problem cause the voltage gauge always stays steady when it dies....should i try to bypass the pass-key security? i really need to get this car going my wife is tired of driveing her infiniti down oil rig location roads...haha anyways thanks in advance for the help if anyone has had this problem send me a message sometime as im on a rig so it can be 10 days before i read forums so i might miss out on the help i need thanks ~jerry~

 

Hey Jerry had that happen ta me for a lil while recently.Turned out my batt was actually the culpret.It seems that at times and with some systems if the batt voltage gets much below 13 or 12 volts the whole elec system shuts down.I had everything checked got the 53 code ect.Then the shop actually popped the lids to my batt and I had 4 out of 6 cells so low ya could see the top of the plates.Well the gang got a buncha laffs because batt maintance 101 is basic stuff.It seems the same thing happened to one the guys wife too thats why he thought of it.To sum up the explination he said that when it gets that low the batt actually becomes a drain with the headlights ect on as well and it actually just about shuts the car down like havin a giant CB linier amp and keying up.(he explained it with cb because thats what i do for everyone out here for fun).seems at an idle the alt isn dischargin as much hence havin ta keep yer foot in it.The 53 security code is due to the drop in voltage across the board which would of corse change the referance voltage and reading of resistance thru the key.If theres les voltage going into it there will be less coming out the other side and the key would read as a higher value.(close enuff guys?)All i know is once we picked up the new batt no more issues (unless I'm playin the new system at full blast).

 

ok well i bought a new battery, new alternater....and everythign was fine for a while then driving down the road at "cough" 3am "cough' sudden death syndrome no warning or anythign just died. well i got home finnaly. came back two days later and still wont start. i know its a bad idea but the only way i can get it to start is a shot of starter fluid to the breather. security lights comes on for about 3 seconds when i turn the key foward but then goes off. only that code 53 i havent changed the egr valve or silinoid yet maybe thats what the problem is....but the valve is working cause i move it with a screwdriver whiel the car is running and itll act weird then goes back to normal when i take out the screwdriver.....is there really a way to bypass the securty with a wire from the gear selector in the center console to a wire in the dash??

 

ok Jerry hope the stuff i sent ya in messenger helps all da info was from this forum it's just the pm system in here is slower than messenger.Good luck gtg ta work will check see if ya figure it out.Still think it's more of an ignition issue than security but still new ta this computer controlled car stuff.My preferance personally has always been pree 79 with no brain boxes.If ya have spark gas and air ya run.Good luck...Bill

 

ok guys....i was prepared to tear every wire out if my bird.....then i just sat and looked hood off mind you i was ready to do this...under my airfilter houseing there is your ignition coil....two plugs four wires. aprently my ""viper"" car alarm is an aftermarket, well a blue wire wraped with black tape had been splied into the white wire on my coil...got to looking...hmm thats odd my filter houseing is missing the black paint 16TH of and ich from my filter houseing....hmm thats odd touch them...ouych? yea a bit of a shock its a hot wire, grabed a screw driver, thought ok this may burn it all up but here goes....mwahaha touched the ignition wire to my filter houseing and BAM BOOM ZAP as batman would say....sudden death of my car....got some shrink tubing and covered it all up THE PROPER way and i just got done doing 110 with no dieing problems at all.....sometimes it sthe simple stuff.......~Jerry~

 

Good job and congrats Jerry.Yea sumtimes it's the simple s*** that stares ya in da face that ya miss.I HATE it when I over think stuff.Con grats again and happy rippin.