'97 "Security" light is always on - why?

I recently (mid November) replaced the intake manifold gaskets on my 97 Cutlass Sierra Supreme. Ever since I did that the "security" light on the dashboard has been on (not flashing, just constant on). Wondering if it has something to do with me disconnecting most of the electrical connections and sensors in the wiring harness in the top of the motor? That was also the first time I'd disconnected the battery since I bought the car last summer.

I'm not sure this light being on is causing me problems or not? The car has had intermittent starting problems in the past 2 weeks - I replaced the starter solenoid on Saturday which appears to have fixed that problem but I should reserve judgement until it's had a week's worth of reliable starts. It's still possible that there is a VATS or ignition switch issue.

So what do I need to do to get this warning to go away? Does it need to be reset by a dealer? Can autozone do it? Or is a repair of some sort needed?
Thanks
Robert

Does your key have a resistor chip in the ignition key?

Vehicle been scanned for "B" codes? Does your vehicle have CTD(content theft deterrant)?

Does your key have a resistor chip in the ignition key?

Vehicle been scanned for "B" codes? Does your vehicle have CTD(content theft deterrant)?

Thanks for the response Tech II.

Yes, my key has a resistor. All the keys I have for the car are only a couple of months old. The old keys that came with the car were bent and cracked - I was wondering if the new keys could be the problem?

I have not had the car scanned - maybe I need to take it to Autozone to do that. I don't know if the car has CTD?

The car failed to start on first attempt last night (all dash lights come on - nothing happens, no cranking) - it started after a few minutes. That's the same problem I've been having lately. I searched around on the forums last night and got some useful info, especially off the Lumina forum (I'm assuming the security / electrics are similar if not identical?)

So it doesn't look like the starter solenoid was the problem after all - sounds like the ignition switch or ignition lock? What's my next step? Replace ignition lock? Bypass the security system with a resistor? (I found the procedure in the Lumina forum).

If the car does not crank intermittantly, you will have to use this procedure when starting the vehicle:

Turn the key to on(don't crank vehicle).....observe your SECURITY light.....does it go out after 3 seconds? If it doesn't, and then doesn't crank with the key in the crank position, you have a PassKey problem....as you have found on the internet, the usual problem is a broken wire to the lock cylinder(this is the circuit that reads the resistance of the key).....it can be bypassed with a resistor of equal value to the resistance of the key......but BEFORE doing that, that circuit should be checked with an ohm meter first.....you open the circuit under the dash at the connector, attach ohm meter to the half going up the column, and read resistance as the key is continually turned from off to crank and back several times....resistance should equal that of the key, and should be constant as you turn the key....if it goes OL at any time while turning, the wiring is your problem....

If the SECURITY light goes out, and then doesn't turn over when key is turned to the crank position, you have to check the purple wire to the solenoid for power when the key is in the crank position, using a test light.....If it doesn't light, then the circuit has to be checked out....could be a bad starter enable relay or P/N switch....try starting in Neutral?

Thanks again Tech II. The security light stays on - never goes out - I'll try measuring the resistance like you suggest. Not sure which wire to work on though - I'll search around here for wire colors - that Lumina forum had details.

If it were a broken wire wouldn't the car not start at all? After my research last night I thought it might be bad contacts between the key resistor and the contacts inside the key cylinder?

There are two white wires that come off the lock cylinder.......they come down the steering column sheathed in an orange covering.....then they go to a black two wire connector......

What could have happened, is the break could have happened AFTER the vehicle started, which is kind of a "fail-safe" or backup mode....this keeps the light on, and allows you to start the vehicle.....

Sometimes the insulation doesn't break, but the wire inside does.....this can cause an intermittent problem where there is contact and there isn't....

That's why you disconnect the black two wire connector coming out from the steering column under the dash(you'll have to remove the hush panel on the driver's side to see it).......and you must take the ohm reading while continuously turning the the key from off to crank and back several times(don't worry, the car won't accidently crank with the two white wire, black connector disconnected).....if it goes OL or infinite on your gage, that is your problem.....

Two solutions.....replace the lock cylinder which is a pain in the ass......or get a resistor of equal value to your key, and attach it to the half of the black connector that is going away from the column......

There should be a code like P1629 set, if there is a PassKey problem.....

What could have happened, is the break could have happened AFTER the vehicle started, which is kind of a "fail-safe" or backup mode....this keeps the light on, and allows you to start the vehicle.....



Ah - gotcha! That makes sense. I'll check for continuity in the circuit first then.

The car wouldn't start at all this evening - figured something had finally come apart in there completely. The security light was flashing where it had always been on solid before. I tried to start it about every 5 minutes for half an hour with no success. I got the spare key and tried it - started right up and the security light went off for the first time in months. I tried to measure resistance across the resitor on the bad key but got an open circuit every time - the spare key gave me the expected reading. So apparently the key has been slowly failing - I assume the resistor had a crack forming in the middle somewhere that was intermittently causing problems. The bad key was only 2 months old but I got it off ebay so maybe wasn't the best quality - it's certainly not GM. I got 3 other keys from the same place so will know to check that first in future.

I'm happy I figured out what's going on but pretty frustrated that it was something so simple.

Thanks for all the input Tech II - At least I understand the security system a lot better now.

I have never seen a resistor fail in a GM key.....there is a possibility the the contacts in the lock cylinder get dirty, but that is very rare.....

Hate to say this too you, but those "flexing" wires are a potential time bomb...at least you know how to test test them if you have a future problem....

I have never seen a resistor fail in a GM key.....there is a possibility the the contacts in the lock cylinder get dirty, but that is very rare.....

Hate to say this too you, but those "flexing" wires are a potential time bomb...at least you know how to test test them if you have a future problem....

Believe it or not this is the second resistor I've seen fail - the first one apparently failed due to the previous owner using the key as a bottle opener - in that case the resistor looked mangled - I couldn't get a resistance reading off of that one either.

I paid $5 each for the new replacement keys from an eBay vendor - I wonder if the screaming deal was due to them failing quality control or something? Time will tell if the others go bad too.

I tried to do a kind of post mortem on the bad key - as I dug away at the resistor it crumbled - they are very brittle so I can see how it would crack. Never did find the crack as it was disintigrating on me as I dug into it.

So do the wires flex because of the wheel tilt being adjusted? If so I may just find a good position and leave it where it's at from now on.

No the tilt has nothing to do with it....

Actually, that harness is anchored in there....between the point where it is anchored, and where the wires enter the lock cylinder, is only about 2".....so as you rotate the key, that 2" piece of wire flexes as the cylinder rotates, and that's where it eventually breaks.....

It's quite involved, replacing the lock cylinder, and sending the harness attached to it down the steering column....much easier to bypass it when it breaks with a resistor.....

The spare key just failed on me too!!! Before you say "impossible" I think I figured out why.

When I got these key blanks they were badly made (seconds? failed QC?) and the plastic surrounding the resistor was poorly molded and partially covered the resistor - knowing that a good contact was necessary I took a razor knife and cut away the excess plastic that was getting in the way of a good connection. I think I must have scored around the resistor badly enough that it weakened it and either caused a crack or as in this latest case actually caused one side of the resistor to break off and expose the internal white (semiconductor??) material. As I mentioned before whatever the resitor is made of it is very brittle - it behaves like the type of plastic that those old floor tiles are made of. The surface is metal dipped or plated.

Anyway, I'll get me a couple of OEM GM blanks and hopefully that will do the trick for now.

I'd recommend staying away from the Ilco blanks, at least those sold on eBay by save$onhardware. The other brands and the OEM ones I see on eBay look to have a different and better method of securing the resistor.

I did crawl around under the dash and found the wires and conector you described Tech II - if and when I need to get in there and bypass the system with the resistor it looks like it will be a piece of cake. I might even buy the parts next time I'm in Radioshack (under $3 should do it) just so's I have them handy.

Key thing is getting the resistance pretty close to the resistance of the key....forgot what the +/- was......

Stop buying keys and put a resistor in place. Did this on a 96 cutlass 4yrs ago and no issues since. This is the link I used.
http://vats.likeabigdog.com/

I think I'll get my plug in resitor kit ready to go and stash it in the car somewhere just in case. This thread here talks about using an adjustable resitor to get exactly the resistance you're after.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1038930&highlight=271+342

My VATS is one of the lower resitance values so I just need the adjustable resitor.

This is my kid's car who'll be off to college next year - until I figure out where she's going I think I'll try to preserve the security system. Not sure who'd want to steal a 15 year old Olds but you never know. I'm sure there are people on this forum who've had some real POS cars stolen.