VATS relay

[DaMoNe6969]

howdy..

Damn VATS is actin up again.. I just changed the ignition switch last summer, and I havent driven' the car at all since then.. Maybe I didnt leave enough slack in the wires? Or its that damn relay.. I dont wanna havta change that switch again.. To get a key cut for that damn car costs me as much as the ignition switch itself..

anyone know where the VATS relay is in the 90-92 Camaros? Is it driver side firewall? if so, which one..

[4onFloor]

think it's in the driver's side kick panel below the dash. and i think it's nicely mounted in black tar shit if i remember right.
unless ur worried about the car being stolen, use an ohm meter and find out what the resister value of ur key is and go to radio shack and buy a resister of the same value and hard wire her in and be done with it

[DaMoNe6969]

Yeah I was pondering that Idea.. Ive got a code 14 key.. (gotta love those little interrogaters) so it should be 14ohms.. The closest resistor they had was 15ohms, so I dont think it'l work..
Quick question.. Does it matter how far up the steering column you wire it in? because the wire itself has resistance, and by shortening the wire, and putting a resistor in with the same value might actually lower the resistance?? Or is it not that sensative?

[4onFloor]

that's a good question. i wouldn't think so, it's a fairly light gauge wire and i think it'd take atleast 6-8 feet before the resistance really changes. i think the VATS module will allow about 10-15% resistance variation to accomodate for things like the lose connection between the resister and the contacts and things like that. and i doubt moving the resister placement a foot or 2 would be anywhere near 10-15%

[89IROC&RS]

yeah, the resistance in most wiring harnesses is like .01 or .001 ohms. so thats not really an issue. id try replacing the relay unless you have reason to doubt your repairs. personally i like to keep my car the way she was built as much as possible. especially when it comes to electronics, so i would say fix it right, but thats just my two cents.

[DaMoNe6969]

Indeed Iroc I agree with you totally... But I just changed the ignition switch about 1000km's ago, and it started actin up again after about 300kms.. I got the switch right from GM.. Sometimes the car will start, sometimes it wont.. But if you give it time (sometimes 5 minutes, sometimes an hour) then it'l start again.. Which can be rather embarrasing at times.. Thank god for my Supra...
The only two things I can think of, are that
a) Ive got a bad relay
or
b) I didnt leave enough slack in the wires, and they pulled out of the switch again..

After I buy a new switch and get 2 keys cut, it comes to over $200.00 The last time I got away cheap because the guy could cut the new key pattern into my old key so I didnt havto buy a key..

[89IROC&RS]

??? actually it sounds like the VATS is having trouble recognizing your key, so it locks up, for 5 minutes the first time, then after a few tries, locks up for 45mintues. so it sounds like its working correctly, but its not working with the key for some reason. you could check the wiring to see if you got enough slack. wouldnt hurt nothin

[DaMoNe6969]

I checked my keys with an interrogator the first time and they were fine, and then I got the proper switch.. Maybe the new switch just didnt like my old key?? I dont know.. damn thing..

Either way, i'll throw a 14ohm resistor in there for the time being, until I get the money and time to do it right

[89IROC&RS]

fair enough

[tacoma man]

i had problems with a 91 rs camaro with the vats
you'd be driving and everything just shut down

[DaMoNe6969]

thats never happened to me

[89IROC&RS]

well, mine decided to teach me about the system first hand, went out after work today, and car wouldnt start, everything else worked. fuel pump, guages, lights, just wouldnt start, held the VATS relay closed, and the engine would crank, but the ignition was still dead, so no spark, so i pulled the steering column apart and found.. you guessed it, broken VATS wires. lol. of course it couldnt break where i could fix it, it broke inside the ignition switch. so looks like i get to buy a new lock cylender. cuz i dont want to do the resistor deal. oh and my key tested at 890 ohms, well. .89 Kohms anyway, i dont know all the values off the top of my head, but is that a normal resistance value??? seems like a helluva lot compaired to 14 ohms stated above. although its cool that it matches the year it was made

[DaMoNe6969]

Indeed.. I didnt know they had VATS in 89'..
You learn something new every day.. Yeah, I dont know where I got that 14ohms from either.. I measured the key yesterday and it was givin me some bogus numbers... I thought my DMM was garbage but I guess It was right??

[4onFloor]

didn't they have VATS until 92? just guessin

[DaMoNe6969]

no.. the fourth gens have a VATS

But I thought they didnt start using VATS til 90' or 91'