1991 RS 305

I'm using a 95 LT1 for my swap. I've been reading about problems people are having with the VATS system when doing a engine swap.

From what I know if your car has VATS, your key will have a chip in it. So I went back to the parts car at work that the engine came out of. Key didn't have a chip in it, infact the ignition Key that was used honestly looked like the GM round door key. I always thought the square key was always the ignition on GM's. The key turned in the ignition any everything. I'll ask my boss if he knows anything about it tomorrow.

I know the engine had been out of the car and rebuilt not to long back, don't know why that would effect it but maybe they had problems.

Did the caprices from 95 have VATS?

Thanks, Matt

mat89RS

Well that's strange, the owner of the car probably installed a steering column that didn't have VATS and the probably bypassed the module.

I would go back to that donor car and tear the dash up to find the VATS module, it will be written on it, "Passkey II", 16 wires and dark gray

Trans Am#5

It may be a 9c1 Caprice....police, etc. Those cars did use the round key for everything...doors, trunk, glove and ignition. If you are going to use the PCM for that particular car, you should not have any issues with VATS. That is what I used with a '94 Vette lt1 and had no vats problems at all to deal with.

1991 RS 305

Talked to my boss, he knew nothing about VATS. The donor car was a cop car, I found another Ex-Cop car at my work and it also had the round key. So hopefully I won't even have to deal with the VATS.

Thanks for the input, Matt.

Speartech

The 95 cop cars still have VATS active in the PCM, so you'll have the same problem evryone else has.

They set the VATS module up to always provide the 50Hz signal with the key on (just like buying a cheap aftermarket VATS circuit).

If you have access to the car, get the VATS module.
Don't cut the white/black wire and you'll see how the factory did it!

1991 RS 305

Where will it be, I would assume drivers side, should I be looking from under the dash? The car should still be there tomorrow. It's sitting on a flat bed waiting to go to the scrap yard, but it been sitting there for a couple days now.

Where will this VATS module plug into? Should I follow the wires as far as I can to see where they end up. I would assume that I can splice it into the same harnesses that I am splicing into my 91 RS... if that makes any sense... you know the 3 main harnesses that come throught the firewall with tons of wires that I now need to splice into my 91.

Thanks again, Matt

Speartech

If the interior is not disassembled, the easiest way is to open the drivers door all the way, unscrew the fuse block on the side of the dash, move it out of the way, and you'll see the VATS module up in there. It's about 4" x 6" black plastic with the dark green connector.

Go as far back as you can to cut the connector and wiring out.
On your car you'll use the orange, pink, black, and dk. blue wires. If you are careful removing the white/black wire from the 9C1, you'll see why you don't need to cut it. It's a loopback wire, so the VATS module reads it as a zero ohm key pellet, and it's always installed. That's why there is no actual pellet in the key of a 9C1 car.

1991 RS 305

Thanks a million!!!

1991 RS 305

Got to work today and heard the flat bed firing up, ran over and has like 2 mins to look for the Vats module, I could see in there pretty good and I saw nothing that looked like I was told.

Does the caprice cop car for sure have vats, because if it defonalty does I'll go to the junk yard and take another good look behind the dash.

I could have just missed it, I was kinda rushed.

Thanks.

Trans Am#5

If it does in fact have one, then I don't understand how I got mine to fire up without it. I used a '95 PCM with the stock programming on a '94 Vette Lt1 and t56. When I hooked everything up, it fired right up...didn't run well, but that was becasue of all the codes being stored...ie: 4l60e, a/c,etc. After I reflashed the PCM with an F-body flash, then I of course had to disable VATS in the programming.

Speartech

Oh, there's probably a reason. Always is.

Give me the VIN from your 95 PCM and I'll look and see if VATS is active or not.

I've worked on lots of them and reprogrammed even more, and I've never seen a factory LT1 flash file that didn't have VATS turned on.

John

Trans Am#5

Here's a pic of it...I can't get to it anymore as it's buried under the passenger side dash speaker.

1991 RS 305

I talked to Jim Hall over at TPiS, He seemed to think that the 95 9C1 had VATS.

Speartech, if I get you thoese numbers can you tell me if mine is active?

Thanks, Matt

Speartech

Yes. Get the VIN and I can check it, or you can send the PCM and I can check it.

Since we are authorized to do factory programming, I can stick the VIN in a PCM here and then read it out to see if VATS is on or off.

I'll say this, if VATS is off, it will be the first one I've ever seen!

1991 RS 305

Allright, I got the vin and a couple numbers off the computer.

VIN: 1G1BL52P3SR186132

Off the comp: SERV NO: 16188051 BMFC
*86BMFCK15178DJH6*
16209381

ok, hopefully this will help!

Thanks, Matt

Speartech

That vehicle does in fact have VATS turned on.

FYI, it also has a 3.08 rear end and a 130 MPH fuel shutoff.