well my car is driving me nuts!!! sometimes when it rains it won't start... it acts like the ecu isn't reading the key???... i turn the key and all the gauges move like it wants to crank but nothing happens. it used to only do it everynow and then but ihave just installed my headers and i am afraid i smaked something around the starter but i don't know what???... is there anything there that i would have hit outside the car??? also i think i am going to hardwire the clutch switch... i have 13 4e size feet and when the shoes are wet and i am not carefull i have slipped off the clutch pedal and kicked all that stuff underthere. ooppss!!!
well any ideas would be nice since the search is still down!! thanks

 

What happens with the SECURITY lamp when the engine doesn't start? You've monitored the gauges, so what about the lamp?

 

i can't check it till i get home for lunch... i had to drive the wifes car today... but i also measured the resistance in the key and it just so happens that i have a resistor here at work that is the same

 

If you can get into the harness connector at the base of the column, that might be worth a try.

If the resistor replacement works, you likely have a connection issue at the lock cylinder. Have you tried cleaning the lock cylinder contacts with alcohol on a cotton swab?

 

i will clean them if you tell me where they are...???

 

the security light did not come on so i guess its not reading the key... but the infl airbag light came on... this means the key correct?

 

How's your car battery? Do you have a car alarm? If the battery dies, or is dying and is too weak to provide the starting current, you won't start. I'd check your battery first.

 

ok its not the battery cause it has happend b4 intermittantly... itll do it then it won't for 2 months then it'll do it again it is that stupid vats system

 

can anybody tell me which wires they are that i need to splice?

 

I just did this 3 days ago so it's still fresh in my mind.In the tech article it says that the wires under the column are yellow but my 91 Formula had 2 tiny gray wires in an orange sheith.Worked great with .512 ohms

 

ok but which one did you splice also i cut the pink number 10 wire in that black clip because the wire coming from the fuse was pink and my electic chart said it was a pink one???...

 

ok i have an orange sheath but it has two white wires... one with a black stripe and one without and the go into a black clip and the wires coming out are 1 grey and 1 purple i think... is this it? i wasn't sure because the yellow tape for the yellow airbag wire were also wrapped around this. i just want to drive my car but i can't till i get this done!!! aaahhhhh mine is also a 522 not a 512 i work with an electrician and he gave me the right resistor... well thanks for all the info and hopefully i'll get this thing done tommorow!!!

 

sorry i finally got a chance to manual search this morning and saw all the posts about not posting about vats so if anyone wants to email me with the info its
diamond_doc@yahoo.com

 

well i did the resistor thing and it still did not start. the security light on the dash has yet to come on... is there a constant under the hood for the vats that may not be getting juice?? i could check the voltage at the fusebox to see if i got juice but thatz at work... also is there some kind of reset for the system if i unplug the battery and plug it back in?

 

We only prohibit posts with instructions on how to bypass a VATS system. Normal repair and diagnostics are perfectly valid topics.

If you have a voltmeter, check the supply power to the key connector at the base of the column. IIRC, there should be 5VDC on one of the leads, and possibly both if the key resistor is used as a pull-down device.

 

could the clutch switch not allow the security lamp to come on?

 

If I'm correct, the SECURITY lamp in teh I/P should come on as soon as the ignition is turned on, regardless of the clutch or neutral safety circuits. Is the lamp on the dash burned out, perhaps?

 

even so i finally did the bypass in the right place but... still nothing so now i am told to check the fuel pump fuse due to the fact that when i turn the key it does not buzz or pump... i think i usually hear it but i have a bad memory and can't remember if it does or not now i have to locate the fuse since the search is down can anyone tell me its location since the haynes book is very vague...

 

well i did the bypass and its in the right place but it still doesn't start... also the clutch switch has been tempoarily shorted so i can ixnay on that so that leaves the fuel pump as i was told by someone on this site but i am not sure where the fuse is for it also doesn't it buzz or humm when you turn on the key??

 

sorry about the double post my computer did not shw it the first time so i reposted.

also as i said earlier i installed headers and a y pipe and i may have knocked something loose... i had to move the wires from the starter around to squeeze my hands in there also there seems to be a few wires running off a black thing i have a brain fart and can't remember what its called but you put a wire going in and you can add wires to it to run something else kind of like a distribution block. also there is a sensor on the drivers side head that i knocked loose and it looks like the plug installs sideways on it?? its a long skinny black plug.
and i also broke what i think is the temp sending unit on the pass side. it is in between the 2 center spark plugs or just behind one of them??? but i was able to shove it back in. anyhelp will be appreciated!!

 

well the fuel pump fuse was good... i also pulled out the relay. i wasn't sure which one it was so i pulled them both.
also i think i put a blown bulb where the security light goes cause i needed one in the rpm side... i think???
if so then something else is causing my fuel pump not to pump. the oil pressure sending unit also has lots of nice fresh leaked oil all over the connector... would this cause the fp not to pump? the only thing that concerns me is that the starter doesn't even try to start it doesn't even click but i did have to move the wires on it abit to get my hands up in there... maybe i hit something???

 

You really should repair the lamp first, since that is your only diagnostic for the VATS. The lack of a fuel pump and inability to crank certainly point toward the VATS locking out the systems.

 

well i had the battery tested it was good also i took the starter off and took it to autozone and it was only at100 amps the computer said max was 145 so i bought a new solinoid and replaced the old one. oh also i had a buddy come over yesterday and he climbed under the car and hot started it the car turned over but i guess it had no fuel so he said the solenoid could be bad but i took it back after i replaced it and it was just over 100 amps...??? also i have the gauge cluster right here as we speak... i am also not seeing a security light in this thing??? i pulled the bulbs out and i don't see a security or ignition one???.
also i forgot to mention when it rains hard my roof leaks and floods the back floor boards i just traced the fuel pump wires and they run in between the rear seats under the carpet to the floor where they are definatly wet.. that could be a possibility cause it rained after i started installing the hgeaders... it seems like it always freakin rains when i want to work on my car!!! just like it is right now! also is there any kind of reset for the vats like if i unplug the battery do i need to do anything for the vats ? hey i found the security one... i will go attenpt to reinstall it and see if it works...

 

92,

The only "reset" to the VATS system is time. If the system detects and attempted start with the wrong security key, it will "lock down" for a few minutes. After a few minutes, the systems resets and another start attempt can be made.

If you cannot get the fuel pump to operate, you really need to get your hands around a meter. The fuse, relay, wiring, and pump are all suspect. Since you've found the rear seat connector for the pump, you can test the pump resistance from there. Disconnect the connector. You should be able to read 30 or less ohms across the power terminals on the pump side of the connection. If that's the case, you should also be able to read 12VDC on the supply terminals on the other connector.

 

well good news and bad news... well i changed the bulb and the security light has still yet to come on so i switched around several bulb to find out if it is working and it never came on... but i also wanted to check the fuel pump operation and the stupid haynes book shows you which one to energize the fuel pump in that little aldl connector but the one in my car had no slot where the one in the pic in the book did.??? but i guess b4 i do that i need to test the resistor i placed... it matches my key so i don't know why it would not work??? well i may try to move the resistor to a diffrent location.