Don Christensen

My wife's 89 Formula 350 has an intermittent starting problem.

It will start and run great perhaps nine or ten times in a row, and then she turns the key, lights come on. but the engine will not turn over. A half hour later it will start fine. She is ticked!!!!!

It happened once in a place I could troubleshoot it, and there is definitely no power going to the starter or the fuel pump. Unfortunately, it began working again before I could trace it to the component level.

I have replaced the starter anyway, as several people suggested, but to no avail.

I am willing to try any ideas at this point. In fact, I am willing to pull the VATS system if someone will tell me how to delete it or wire around it.

Thanks in advance - Don

89Warbird

You can get a custom chip made that deletes the VATS or you can get a chip for an 87 car. 87's didn't have VATS.

Don Christensen

Now, how do I get a custom chip?

Thanks - Don

2vmodular

two parts to vats system:
pcm disable of fuel supply
starter interrupt relay

replacing the ecm prom will get fuel fuel flowing to the engine. but the starter will still not crank when the ignition key is turned to the start position.

92RSB4C

Under the dash is a connector w/ 2 wires on it leading up to the steering column. You can got to the junk yard and find the male end of the connector and cut it off. Then, w/ a resistance meter, measure your key resistance. Go to an electronics store and buy the resistor of same value. Soder it in to the connector and plug it in where the dash wire was. It will work. Mine starts all the time.

2vmodular

if vats is permanetly bypassed, the car is considerably easier to steal.

some theives can gain entry to a locked car and "hotwire" a gm column in less than two minutes. all with nothing more than a dent puller or flat bladed screwdriver.

89Warbird

You can get custom chips from many sources. The maker should also help you to understand how to bypass VATS. And yes a good alarm with kill switch is a good investment.

mat89RS

Wo Wo Wo .... no need to bypass anything if it's starting sometimes.... just clean up the key with some good metal cleaner and this should solve your problem , if it doesn't well then you need to find what's wrong .... I would bet ya it's the wire that goes from the vats up the the "Starter Enable Relay" located in the driver side kick panel.


check that out cause there's no need to bypass the the key for nothing...if your VATS deffective well then even if you bypass it you'll still have the same trouble ...

92RSB4C

My car would do the same thing as his. Once I bypassed the VATS, it started every time.

mat89RS

You just confirmed what I said, If you bypass the vats , it means that there was a problem with the key connectors, or the barril or the wires ....not the module ...bypassing the relay will help you get rid off bad connections, that's it ...

Hot_weelz

what the heck is a vat? I'm having the same problem!!

Don Christensen

Vehicle Anti Theft System. It uses a resistor-impregnated key that must not only fit the lock, but it must also have the right proper one of 15 possible resistance values in the key.

If the key has the correct resistor, it starts. If the resistor is of the wrong value, then the starter and fuel pump do not get voltage.

It is a great system, when it works.