anyone been through this; 96 lt4, turn key, nothing. battery good, jumped starter and it works, changed starter relay, still nothing. what's next?

 

Does the starter relay click when you turn the ignition key to the START position? If not, then you might have a VATS issue.

 

nothing from starter at all, any way to test VATS? test ignition switch?

 

sorry, the relay does not make a clicking noise.

 

Clutch safety switch? I've seen them break.

 

i'll check it tonight, thanks!

 

bi-passed the switch, still nothing, no clicking at all, fuel pump does kick on. i did notice gauge lights do not work??? related maybe???

 

Oh... I typed the last paragraph here, then went back to refresh my memory on what year we are dealing with, and noticed the "no gauge lights data point. I'd check fuses, fuseable links and the ignition switch
before digging for more obscure problems like VATS. .....

So, the original thought was:

OK, If I'd have thought it through, I'd have also suggested checking for voltage and ground at the switch. So, if you don't mind, crawl back under the dash and back probe the switch connector and check for voltage coming into the switch when the ignition key is turned to start. For this check, use a good ground point, not the other side of the safety switch (don't depress the cluch pedal for this test). If you get 12~14 volts at the safety switch, then it is a good bet that everything down to the switch is behaving correctly (battery, fuses, ignition switch contacts, wiring). Assuming you find voltage, check for low resistance between a good ground point and the other side of the safety switch. Turn the ignition switch to "start" for this test also. Infinite resistance (no evidence of continuity) suggests a problem down stream if the safety switch. Anyhow, let me know what you find and I will look at my 94 FSM when I get home and trace out the whole "start circuit". I think there is probably little or no difference from 94 to 96.

 

When you turn the key, does the security light come on in the dash on the left. If it does, then you have a VATS event. If the security light is not lit, then the problem is elsewhere.

 

It's VATS.

You have a 96?

If so, you can delete that completely, best I know. I have a 95 and Ed H'nstuff......

 

security light sometimes stays on even with key out until i dis/reconnect battery... does sound more like VATS, I'll get to play with it more Wednesday and run Bob's test also. FYI all fuses checked out....
probably be looking for some VATS options.

 

I went through a similar problem on my '90 a few months ago - the security light would stay on and some of the other cluster indicators would light very dimly. VATS interrupted the starter... Drove me crazy. I found the primary fan relay was warm to the touch - had water in it and was back feeding from the hot at all times fan motor side to the relay coil side and through the gages fuses to the vats. I pulled the relay and the car started.
Just something to check...

 

needle in a haystack is the technical term, it could be a number of things, i'll keep digging, i hate to bi-pass anything but this may be the only choice. thanks for your info.

 

Clean the ignition key resistor pellet contacts.
Try holding the key in the ignition switch at different positions to see if the Security lite goes out.

If the ignition lock cylinder is worn, such that the key moves around alot, then time to replace the lock cylinder.

I know there are many threads on here about how to bypass VATS which you could do to isolate the problem.

Good luck.

 

This is how things work normally. When the key is out and the door is closed, the security light is out. When you open the door, the security light flashes.

When you turn the key to ON, the security light should be out providing there is no VATS event.

If there is a VATS event and the key is turned to ON, the security light will light up steady and stay on. If you turn the key to OFF, the security light should go out (which is the beginning of the time to let VATS reset).

If you at that point turn the key back to the ON position in a few seconds (or before VATS resets), the security light will go back on steady and you have started the VATS reset from the beginning again.

Although the FSM says 2 minutes to reset VATS, experience by others show that it can vary. I would definitely give it a good 3 minutes and some say 5, opinions vary.

But my main point is when you have a VATS event and the security light is lit steady with the key to ON, when you turn it off and pull the key out, the security light should go out. If it does not, that sounds like a problem to me and the CCM directly controls VATS and the security light.

Although I agree with cleaning the key pellet and internal contacts of the cylinder, this is a different issue from the information I have explained above. I have found to clean the contacts on the lock cylinder, using a wood Q-tip works best. It is a bit thinner than the regular ones and has a long stick.

 

you should put a meter on the starter solenoid before doing anything.. this could be a simple dirty connection, bad ground, battery. etc

 

THANKS, i'll be digging back into it Sunday afternoon, let ya'll know i find.

 

I think i slept through auto electric class. after checking and rechecking everything, i found that the new resistor i installed was no good... replaced it and WA_LA started right up. now i may need help putting everything back together, anyone know a good chiropractor?
thanks to all for your time and advice.