I am having a problem getting my 89 Vette started. The car had been sitting for a few years before bought it. I am not getting any pulse signal to the injectors. I was told to buy a product that will bypass the Passkey system, (before 89 it was called the vats system). Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rocky

 

you can do a search here for bypassing vats and get your info, for a by-pass setup - corvette central has a unit $50 that allows for no-start, by-pass and vats...

 

Check to make sure the security light is off. If it's off and/or the car cranks, it's not the Vats. Check the fuses (Yeah, I know, but you have to ask!). I'm assuming you checked for voltage at the injector, and check for continuity to the computer. Also measure resistance across each injector to make sure one isn't shorted/open. Each side's four injectors are connected in parralel and fire as one. Make sure you have good fuel pressure at the rail and the pump is coming on, long sits will KILL a fuel pump with todays oxygenated fuels.

 

If your starter motor cranks the engine, then VATS is not likely involved. VATS measures the resistance of the pellet in your ignition key and if it agrees with the stored value, it closes the start enable relay allowing the starter motor to crank and it tells the ECM to pulse the injectors. The injectors have 2 fuses which you should check first. It is possible that the VATS module is failing to signal the ECM and that wire should be checked for a signal. Also, The distributor supplies reference pulses to the ECM which tells the ECM when the injector pulse should occur and that output should also be checked. Last, the ECM could be at fault as it has a circuit that pulses the injectors.

 

My 96 sometimes will show the passive keyless entry light, it comes on while I am driving. When I turn the engine off and remove the key and reinsert the key the light goes off? And the other day I turned the key to start and the starter would not turn over so I waited 5 minutes and no problems. I turned off the system last year when the key fob clip broke(GM wants $150.00 for a new fob) and the battery would fall out. Is there a Vats bypass for a 96?

 

Yes, about $35 from the Corvette specialty stores. Or you can spend about $1 for a pack of 1/4 watt resistors from Radio Shack. The best thing to do is to keep your Corvette in good repair instead of bypassing things that stop working. If you bypass VATS, your vette will be a candidate for an easy steal. 99% of cars are stolen by bashing the column and jumping the ignition. The person I bought my 87 from took delivery of a 90 vette. One day they came out of work to find their vette with a busted window and bashed column, but the car hadn't moved an inch.
What you need instead of a bypass is a new ignition lock which will have new contacts that make connection to your pellet.
If your left headlight burns out are you going to epoxy a flashlight onto the hood?

 

Thanks for the information, A quick fix until I can afford to have it repaired. I just had my LT4 rebuilt, still in shock on the price of GM parts.

 

Pull the hush panel above the drivers feet and find the 2 wires from above the steering column that go to a 2 pin connector and wires from the wiring harness. Unplug the connector and insert your ign key. Measure the resistance across the wires from the steering column, it should measure the same as the pellet. If over 13k ohms, you need a new ign lock. If your problem is intermittent, you might measure the correct resistance. If you connect a resistor the same value as the pellet across the 2 wires from the wiring harness, VATS will believe that the correct pellet is in the ign and allow the engine to start. I advise you also check the clutch safety switch (gear selector sw if auto). Unplug the clutch safety sw when it won't crank and jump the sw and try again. If you measure the voltage to ground on the jumper , you should see 12v with the ign sw in crank position. If not, then VATS is not closing the start enable relay. You can also check the starter solenoid by jumping 12v to the safe sw jumper. The starter must crank.

 

-- When you insert your ignition key and attempt to start the car, will the car not even attempt to crank over? Does the "Security" light flash during any time you're attempting to start the car?
The simple solution is to first clean off the chip on your key or try another key for the same car. If that also doesn't work, then follow my instructions for a fast, simple, and relatively inexpensive repair.
**NOTE** After performing the following procedure, your vehicle's factory starter interrupter (VATS) will be disabled. A thief will be able to steal your car much easier than if the VATS system were enabled.
First off, here's an explanation of the VATS system (which I culled from a locksmith selling VATS blanks on eBay.)
WHAT IS VATS?

Vats stands for Vehicle Anti Theft System. Lots of people refer to this type of key, as a " computer Chip key". This key or "Chip" has nothing to do with a computer, nor is it a chip. But because of the popularity of calling it a computer chip key, so will we. So that we don’t confuse. The black chip on the blade of the key, is actually a resistor. GM first started using the Vats key in 1986 on the Corvetts, then some of the Cadillacs, ect. GM uses 15 different resistors in their VATS keys. Just by looking at the keys you can’t tell the difference.

How does the VATS System work?

Each VATS key has it’s own unique cuts on the key to operate the lock. but the cuts alone will not allow the car to crank. This is called a mechanical key. Each car has a VATS module (Brain) under the dash that communicates to the starter, fuel pump, and the ignition lock. Each VATS module is randomly given a # (value) from the manufacturer. When the proper mechanical keys, along with the proper VATS chip (resistor value) turns the ignition lock, the VATS module reads the chip on the key . If it is the correct chip, the VATS module will tell the starter and the fuel pump to operate. If the wrong chip is read, the VATS module will tell the starter and the fuel pump to shut down.

How to determine the Value of your key:

By chance you may know what VATS key you now have. Most people do not. There are basically two ways to determine what VATS key you have. Remember, there are 15 differrent possibilities. First, your key can be "read" in a VATS tester. Most locksmiths have these readers, and don’t change anything to tell you. There is another way for you to read the key value yourself. If you have a Volt Meter you can test the OHMS (resistance value) of the chip yourself. Just set your Volt meter to check OHMS, take each lead and place it on each side of the "chip" on your key. A number will appear. Take that number on your volt meter and apply it to the OHMS chart below. Keep in mind that it may not be exact. Just pick the closest value to your reading.
This chart is for any GM product, Buick, Cadillac, Oldsombile, Chevrolet, and Pontiac that has a VATS key (single or double-sided.)

VATS # (K)OHMS (Set your meter to the 20k ohm setting)

1———— 0.402
2———— 0.523
3———— 0.681
4————-0.887
5————-1.130
6————-1.470
7————-1.870
8————-2.370
9————-3.010
10————3.740
11————4.750
12————6.040
13————7.500
14————9.530
15————11.801

Tools and supplies needed:
Soldering Iron
Wire Cutters/Strippers/Crimper
Voltmeter/Ohmmeter (DMM)
Approx. 8 inches of 16 ga. wire (speaker wire works great)
"Bullet-Style" solderless connectors
Heat Shrink Tubing
Resistors of varying values (totalling the resistance measured across the key's "pellet")
Alright, let's begin the madness:
1. Take your DMM, set it to measure Ohms (use the 20k setting.) Measure the resistance across the pellet of the ignition key. Place one probe on the silver part of one side of the pellet, and the other probe on the other side. Write this value down.
2. Purchase a resistor or resistors that add up to the value measured in step 1. Radio Shack is a great place to go for the resistors, heat shrink tubing, and the "bullet-style" solderless connectors.
3. Take the 16 ga. wire and cut into 2 four-inch pieces.
4. Strip off approx 1/16" of insulation off each side of both wire pieces.
5. Put your resistors together in series (or if you're lucky and have a chip that has a resistance that matches a single resistor) and solder one wire to one end of the resistor(s) and the other wire to the other side.
Example: You measure 11.72 on the 20k (k meaning kilo or 1,000) scale. The closest match is 11.801 which is a #15 "chip." Always remember that resistors have a tolerance of 2%, meaning the resistance value of the "pellet" can be either 2% higher or 2% lower than 11.801 k ohms (11.72 falls in tolerance range.) You will want to aim for 11,801 ohms. So when you go to Radio Shack you want to pick up a 10,000 ohm (10k,) a 1,000 ohm (1k,) and an 800 ohm resistors to wire together in series to achieve the 11.801k ohm value.
Here's an example of how you'd connect the above mentioned resistors in "series"
wire------10k ohm------I------1k ohm------I------800 ohm------wire
6. Measure the resistance across the 2 wires now that the resistors are soldered to them. Be absolutely sure the value matches that of the resistor pellet in the ignition key (within 2% up or down.)
7. Cut a length of heat-shrink tubing to cover up the resistors, allowing a small bit to hang over onto each of the 2 wires. Use a lighter or heat gun to shrink the tubing.
8. On one of the wires, crimp on a male bullet connector, and on the other wire crimp on a female bullet connector.

Remove the under-dash kick panel.
11. Look for an orange wire running down the steering column. This wire should have a "rubbery" feel to it, and it is the only orange wire running from the column.
**WARNING** Do not tamper with any of the wires near the column wrapped in yellow harness tape or any yellow wire. These wires are for the airbag. Tampering with any of these wires could result in the airbag discharging.
12. Cut this wire (there are 2 small wires inside) and strip back the insulation on the wires on the opposite side of the steering column.
13. Install a male bullet connector to one of the 2 wires, and a female on the other.
14. Plug in your "resistor pack" that you made by mating the male and female bullet connectors.
15. Attempt to start the car. If your problem was with the VATS reader in the ignition lock cylinder, this will start the car.
If this won't start the car, then the problem is in the VATS module. If the VATS module is bad, remove the resistor pack. Strip the insulation off the other side of the main wire cut (running from the column) and place a male connector on one wire and a female on the other. Plug the 2 halves back together to restore the function of the VATS reader.

 

Thanks, I assume this is the same for a 96. For the last two weeks all is OK, weird. The Passavie Keyless light started coming on after the Corvette shop rebuilt the engine. I have the two Red GM shop repair manuals for the 96, I will read about the VATS and check ohms. Thanks again.
Louis

 

Thanks, you and JFB spent a lot of time to help. I hope I can return the favor. You guys Rock. I posted this on another forum and No one bother to answer.

 

Thanks to all who responded. I now have a "game plan" to try and find the problem. I will let everyone know when the problem is resolved.

Rocky

 

Also, check your starter enable relay. I bypassed mine by using this method that I got from Gordon Killebrew:

Corvette VATS fix from Gordon Killebrew:

Ground Wire from Relay to CCM:

Remove Driver Side kick panel and look to the Left of the column for 3 Relays. Look for the Relay with 2 Heavy Gauge Yellow wires, 1 Purple Wire (starter) and 1 Black with Yellow Stripe wire. Ground the Black with Yellow Stripe wire to the Instrument Panel.


I did this 8 months ago and it has never failed since.

 

http://members.shaw.ca/agent86/Vats%20Electrical.pdf

 

[QUOTE=jfb;1558591558]If your starter motor cranks the engine, then VATS is not likely involved. VATS measures the resistance of the pellet in your ignition key and if it agrees with the stored value, it closes the start enable relay allowing the starter motor to crank and it tells the ECM to pulse the injectors. The injectors have 2 fuses which you should check first. It is possible that the VATS module is failing to signal the ECM and that wire should be checked for a signal. Also, The distributor supplies reference pulses to the ECM which tells the ECM when the injector pulse should occur and that output should also be checked. Last, the ECM could be at fault as it has a circuit that pulses the injectors.[/QUOT

Where are the injector fuses located on my 89 Vette?

Thanks

 

In the main fuse block on pass side of dash.
http://members.shaw.ca/agent86/Fuse%20Block.pdf