Help. I turn the Key and Nothing. It has power. The radio and everything works. What gives?

Signed

Stranded at work

 

Turn the headlights on. Are they bright? Then try to start the car while watching the headlights. Do they dim heavily. Check your key. Clean the resistor with alcohol, wait 10 minutes and try to start the car again.

 

I went back outside and locked the doors and waited. Then the damn thing started. Weird.

 

Not weird, VATS.

 

Yes, that same thing happened to me a few days ago. It was the VATS acting stupid. I sat in the car waiting for 5 minutes before attempting again. It started up. Been fine so far.

 

VATS measures the resistance of the pellet in your ign key. If it doesn't agree within 5% of the value it will not close the start enable relay and your starter will not crank. It also tells the ECM to not exercise the injectors so the car cannot be push started. The ECM upon determining that the VATS disallowed a crank, will not a crank for 6 minutes.
Most likely your pellet contacts are worn, or the contacts in the ignition switch tumbler are no longer making reliable connection to the pellet. Also, there is a clutch safety switch which forces you to depress the clutch in order for the starter to work (gear selector switch if automatic). The next time you can't crank, jump the clutch safety switch and measure the voltage on the jumper. The voltage should be 12v with the ign sw in crank position. If not, then VATS isn't closing the start enable relay. You can check the ign tumbler contacts by removing the hush panel above the driver's feet and find the two wires from behind the steering column going to a 2 pin connector. Unplug the connector, insert your ign key and measure the resistance across the wires from the steering column. It should measure the same as your pellet. If over 13k ohms, you need a new ign tumbler or key. You can temporarily bypass VATS by clipping a fixed resistor across the 2 wires going into the wiring harness (goes to the VATS module) the same value as your pellet. You can use a 1/4 watt 5% resistor from Radio Shack. Don't permanently bypass VATS because 99% of thefts are done by bashing the column and jumping the ignition.

 

Exactly. Which is precisely why its a PITA. It will probably continue being a PITA, and theese annoying occurrences will begin to increase after a certain time.

I had VATS bypassed by having it rendered impotent by reprogramming to the (ECM) chip. Ever since, my VATS-related starting problems disappeared.

I for one don't subscribe to the necessity of the maintaining the factory anti-theft system in our "old" C4's.

 

I agree with better ways for anti-theft........"rendered impotent", I like that, sounds like some surgical operation after 40

 

thanks been there did that too......but it was before age 40

 

All it takes is to get the key wet

 

Are you saying that a damp key will allow the car to start if there is a VATS problem, or that a wet key can cause the problem?

Does a wet key fix it, or cause it?

 

Wetting the pellet won't do anything FOR the contacts in the ign tumbler, but it will do something TO it, corrosion and more problems not less.
I drive my 87 everyday and about 6 years ago it wouldn't crank after church. I bypassed VATS and had a new ign tumbler installed and they come with new contacts for VATS and I haven't had any trouble since. You permanently bypass VATS and your vette may one day dissapear. The person I bought my 87 from bought a new 90 and one day after work they found their drivers window broken out and the steering column busted, but the 90 vette hadn't budged an inch.
When your headlight burns out, do you epoxy a flashlight onto the hood? Keep your car in good repair.

 

I have also had this starting problem
I will try the bypass after all I always leave the keys in it anyways
hope someday it will be gone :}
but I do want a new one real bad