I placed this same problem on the C4 General Section. There were some good comments over there, but I thought I might try here for a tecxhnical response.


I went out this AM to drive the car to work. I have been driving it regularly for the last 60 days as it has been getting fixed from the accident. The only items remaining are painting the hood, and a bit of petty alignment issues. The car is a 1988 coupe, std, w/~65K miles. Previous damage was limited to fwd of the front suspension, and has pretty much all been replaced.

When I stuck the key in the ignition, all of the lights come on in the run position, but when going to start, the starter does not crank. The security light flashes as you continue to push the run position. The clutch is in. I had GM check the resistor pellet in the key. All appears to be in order, and I had GM cut another key (as I only had one). The new key works no better than the old key.

The GM guy said the next step would be to replace the actual ignition lock. The replacement lock is supplied with a keyed blank (no resistor pellet), and keys are purchased and cut to match the keyed blank. Cost of the ignition module is ~$65, with each key costing ~$35. This means that the new key is juat a waste (I hate throwing away money).

Should the security light blink when cranking? I thought it chould not flash, but I checked on my '87, and it flashes when the starter is cranked. Does this sound like a resistor reader issue in the ignition lock? What about the actual VATS module? Clutch safety switch issue? Is there a quick way to ensure that the starter solenoid is not an issue?

Any help would be appreciated.
Aaron

 

If it was the solenoid you would hear a click under the hood. If you do thats it you can jump the solenoid to start the car if you were stuck some where but if your home and its a click your hearing thats it. However sounds like it could be a vats problem. Jeff

 

Your problem is the same as over in C4 gen and the solution will also be the same. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there is no special place on your left rear tire that you can kick and make your car start! Re-read my solution I posted in C4 gen.

 

jfb - give him the link to your solution. I'm sure he'll appreciate your help!

 

If it is VATS - which mine was - And your not worried about someone stealing your 16 year old car - go to moates.net and order a chip and adapter with the VATS programmed out. I did it and it works awesome.

It was $49 with shipping.

 

jfb,
I read your solution over in the other section and very much appreciated your reply. Your information was both informative and helpful. I have my problem narrowed down to the clutch switch.

There is a receipt in the car that indicated the clutch was replaced about 4 months prior to the accident. The clutch is almost all the way on the floor (very different from my other cars where the clutch release is somewhere from 40-50% depressed). I had noticed that I had to push really hard to get the car to crank at times. Would this be a misadjustment of the clutch switch? Are there slotted mounting holes? Do I bend the wire between the pedal and the clutch switch? I also think that I may need to bleed the clutch set-up to get the pedal up to decent height, before I damge the shift forks or synchros.

I was able to get the car to crank by jumpering the connector, but do not wish to put it back together this way.

On a positive note, the 2nd key was not a waste of $34. Woohoo!

Thanks for all of the help,
Aaron

 

I had my clutch replaced and the pedal goes to the floor to disengage. Years before that I had my clutch safety switch fail open circuit and I wanted to replace the switch but I could not get my hand into the opening to do so and I don't have a large hand. I made a jumper with a short piece of wire and a spade lug on each end and jumped the socket. The clutch safety switch doesn't need adjustment because it activates when the clutch pedal is depressed only a small distance, so your large movement should activate the switch. You likely have a defective switch. I sympathize with your desire to replace the switch and can only offer my moral support for the difficulty in replacement!
One thing you might check is the bushing on the pin on the clutch pedal, it might be split, mine was. This bushing goes on the pin that the clutch rod and the clevis on the end of the rod goes over. A split bushing causes the clutch rod to move off at an angle, increasing the clutch pedal effort and increasing the stroke to disengage.