94 Olds 98 Possible Security Problem...

Hey all... fairly new to this thing. Any help would be much appreciated. I have a 94 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency with a 3.8 litre V6 (naturally aspirated) with the hydramatic 4 speed transmission. It only has 80,000 miles on it, which is pretty much erellivent but it kind of gives you an idea of what kind of shape it's in.

The problem is.. lately the engine won't crank or anything when the ignition switch is activated. But the thing is, if i turn the key off and try again several times, the car will eventually crank, fire and start. It idles perfect, engine runs smooth through the entire rpm range.. the only problem is starting it. NOW when it does finally start, the security light blinks intermittently, really at no specific time. I could drive fifty miles and not see it, but then there it is. I read a thread about somone's car not starting and there ended up being a pinched secrity wire in the column. So I'm thinking the security light has something to do with it. Once again, any help would be much appreciated. Thank you all for your time.:banghead:

No answers huh? Well i'd also like to add that I was driving it with the radio turned down the other day and I noticed a clicking sound every couple of seconds. It sounded like it was coming from behind the instrument cluster or from the column. I was just wondering if there was some kind of security module, like a theft deterrant that wouldn't immediately start the vehicle, but start after a set amount of tries. Again, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.. thank you all.

I've heard of needing to clean the resistor in the key before, that is, if it has one.

It does sound like a security issue but such fancy gimmicks are too "new" for my knowledge. If you keep hearing a clicking, that could be a relay opening and closing... perhaps it is going bad?

You may just need to take off the lower hush panel of the dash (should be a couple 7mm or T15 screws and a couple wingnuts towards the firewall) and just look around and see if any wires look like they're binding or if you can find a relay.

...just dont mess with any yellow wires if you have airbags as they can deploy.

Update: Now the car won't start.. I talked to a buddy at a Chevy dealership and he said that these particular models with the security chip installed in the key use a tiny gauge wire for the security system. What happens is the wire eventually chaffes and shorts to the column. So I'm going to tear it apart and see what's going on.. Repair the wire if necessary or I'll have to replace the ignition cylinder. Wish me luck!!

You have described a pretty much normal Pass Key system failure. What happens is that the contacts go bad in the ignition switch where the resitor makes its contact so the security midual can read the paticular resistance value that it is looking for.

While there are wires and other connections that certainly can become compromised, the wires are not that fragile, and the other connections use a much greater mechanical force on the contacts, so 90% of the time it is replacement of the ignition lock assy.

David

Update: I ended up having the car towed to the best Column shop in St. Louis. They checked the ignition switch, the security wires and and the VAPS sensor. Though it's a 1/10 occurence, they say that the VAPS sensor it the culprit. So, $465.00 later, I'm back on the road with the dream boat... lol

Glad to hear that it is working. Sorry about the cost thou. Ya, a VATS black box failure is very rare indeed.

I get my 92 touring sedan back this weekend, it has been in the shop for a number of small items. Those little things that make a old car feel old, the little things that most people don't fix. Not like the Vats / Pass Key that keeps you from using your car.

Had to pay a shop to go thru it this time - torn rotator cuff healing realy limits what I can do these days. But maybe one day!

David

I have had the same problem for a year now and have had NUMEROUS mechanics look to no avail at what is wrong with the car...is there any other name for the VAPS or the VATS??



Glad to hear that it is working. Sorry about the cost thou. Ya, a VATS black box failure is very rare indeed.

I get my 92 touring sedan back this weekend, it has been in the shop for a number of small items. Those little things that make a old car feel old, the little things that most people don't fix. Not like the Vats / Pass Key that keeps you from using your car.

Had to pay a shop to go thru it this time - torn rotator cuff healing realy limits what I can do these days. But maybe one day!

David