Passlock System

[lboggie36]

is there anyone know how to disable the pk3 system in a 04 venture and if so please give me info?

[bringit1605]

i was told at one of these forums ( i dont think it was this one) to contact cac@chevrolet.com and complain. has anyone else done this? i sent them the same email everyday for 4 or 5 days and recieved a response. I am wondering if what i recieved was a typical response or if they might actually do something.

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by bringit1605

i was told at one of these forums ( i dont think it was this one) to contact cac@chevrolet.com and complain. has anyone else done this? i sent them the same email everyday for 4 or 5 days and recieved a response. I am wondering if what i recieved was a typical response or if they might actually do something.

Try the 800 customer service no in your owners manual.
Also your dealer service department may be able to help.
They will not go for a disable but may have some ideas on how to fix it.
Good luck
MT

[juleeanna_05]

will it work with a 1998 oldmobile cutlass?

[ponchonutty]

Originally Posted by bringit1605

the electrical cleaner did a lot of good. well temporary. it has worked ever since, but i feel that i will have to have it replaced. but what is this black chip on the keys they are talking about, does that signify anything about the theft system not reading my key right?

If you have a black chip in your keys (you can see a little pellet in the shaft, close to the head) you have the oldest version of the PK system. That pellet you see is actually just a resistor. There's only like 15 different values they used. When you insert the key, 2 fingers touch that pellet. One on one side and one on the other. Then the BCM reads the code.

One of the common failures is gunk in the ignition so squirting anything sometimes can work. Mostly just compressed air is all you need. The most common problem is the wires inside the column break. For that you either need to replace the ignition lock or bypass the system using a resistor with the matching resistance.

[ponchonutty]

Originally Posted by lboggie36

is there anyone know how to disable the pk3 system in a 04 venture and if so please give me info?

I haven't figured out anything as of yet. That system uses a transponder setup so there's no mechanical parts to bypass. The most common problem with that is the decoder ring that's around the ignition fails. Replacing that is usually all that is needed.

[ponchonutty]

Originally Posted by juleeanna_05

will it work with a 1998 oldmobile cutlass?

Yes, you have the PK2 system so doing the trick of cutting the yellow wire and putting a resistor between that and the ground will work.

[ebilartninja]

Originally Posted by ponchonutty

Yes, you have the PK2 system so doing the trick of cutting the yellow wire and putting a resistor between that and the ground will work.

Will cutting the yellow wire and putting the resistor between work for Passlock 1 also? And what if you can't get the car started at all? What is a normal range of resistance? We were considering just started at the minimum resistance and going up, because we can't really get the car to stay cranked due to the passlock killing the fuel.

EDIT: BTw this is for 97 Grand am GT

[ponchonutty]

Nope, sorry. I haven't been able to try to bypass the PK1 systems. They are really wierd in the wiring. I know back years ago they were a major PITA to bypass for remote starters. I had a call on one about 6 weeks ago and I tried for about 2 hours to bypass it but couldn't get it to work. Not sure if it was me or the car. I don't think I was getting the bulb check wire to work properly. Read this link and it'll help you out. http://www.directeddealers.com/manua...tion_Guide.pdf You can take this info and try it out.

[ebilartninja]

Originally Posted by ponchonutty

Nope, sorry. I haven't been able to try to bypass the PK1 systems. They are really wierd in the wiring. I know back years ago they were a major PITA to bypass for remote starters. I had a call on one about 6 weeks ago and I tried for about 2 hours to bypass it but couldn't get it to work. Not sure if it was me or the car. I don't think I was getting the bulb check wire to work properly. Read this link and it'll help you out. http://www.directeddealers.com/manua...tion_Guide.pdf You can take this info and try it out.

Ah, well, appreciate your response. I'm not really looking to install a remote starter, but if I can't get this dang thing to crank any other way I guess I'll have no choice.

[ponchonutty]

well, you can't install a remote starter either unless this thing works at least 75% of the time because you'll need to get the resistance right. I meant to read and study that diagram to understand how the system works and may be how to bypass it.

[ebilartninja]

Originally Posted by ponchonutty

well, you can't install a remote starter either unless this thing works at least 75% of the time because you'll need to get the resistance right. I meant to read and study that diagram to understand how the system works and may be how to bypass it.

(this is sorta copy/pasted from here)
Well my roommate and I fooled around with it today, and we finally got it to crank! Several times. It wouldn't start EVERY time, though. In fact more times than not it wouldn't start at all, it would turn over and then just die. The THEFT SYS light was of course on. The only thing we did different was use a different key. The key we were trying the past couple days wasn't the one I've been using the past year or so, but once we went back to using that key it cranked every so often. We did get a reading, finally, 7.95 kW. We had tried many times before to get one but it turns out his ohmmeter was fuxxed. Hahaha. So we went and bought a new one and finally got that reading. We tried soldering the resistors together to that resistance and put them in there and the car would crank every so often, really no different than when it wasn't there.

Anyway since I CAN eventually get it to crank now, and can get a reading, would I be able to get the remote start? I guess I could call ahead of time and let the installer know the situation, or maybe try to install it myself. Anyone know how much the parts/labor run ?

[ponchonutty]

Nope, most shops won't touch it unless it'll start and run on its own. Labor and such I'm sure it'll be 2x more because of the known issues.

[Rhuby]

I've had the "theft system" problem for years with my 99 chevy malibu. I found this forum while searching for a solution to my problem- saw a solution, mulled it over for a few weeks, got stuck in parking lots in the 100 degree weather 3 times in one day, and the next day I did the fix.

Clipped the yellow wire with the car running, turned the car off, soldered a 3 dollar on/off switch from the Shack, left it in the "off" position, I've been a happy guy ever since.

The funny thing is, I heard on the radio just today a guy calling in with this exact problem. The shop guys immediately knew exactly what he was talking about and said, oh yeah, that's a GM thing, don't they have a recall on that yet, we see this all the time! Then they proceeded to recommend replacing the ingnition switch and lock cylinder. Now, I looked into doing that myself and it was about $300-350 so imagine what it would cost a shop to do it.

Anyway, point being, the swith thing works great. I've even turned the passlock system on and off to see if I did the wiring right- works like a charm. A million thanks to all who have help save me hundreds of dollars and the possible safety of my family.

As a side note, taking out the ignition assembly wasn't quite as easy as they say in the pictures posted in this thread. In the 99 Malibu LS there's a plastic bracket that lies between the ignition and the radio. I had to pull the radio out and the instrument panel as well to lift the ignition up and out. I've had to do this before so I was aware of the procedure- just thought I'd warn others who are wondering why they can't pull their ignition switch out through the radio slot.

Does this mean I'm also a member of the Anti-passlock Club too? Raycorri, you're my hero- really. Thanks.

[ladybug130]

had problem once i think you should disable, too many times will lock your trans. for good. 300-480 bucks to replace i know my mechanic told me and i even called chevy dealerships they offered the same advice.