Lost key to the 96 Grand Am.

[FullyAvenged]

So I lost both sets. How gay right? So can I go to the dealer and get a key made or am I going to have to replace the ignition cylinder?

[ctwright]

Call the dealer and ask them. If so I'm sure they will charge an arm and a leg. I'm not sure how much an ignition cylinder cost, me I would just take apart the steering column, remove the locking mechanism which locks the steering wheel. Go to advance or autozone and by a cheap 8 dollar universal ignition switch and mount it on the dash. Run my battery wire, and ignition wire or any other wire that needs to be hot with key on, and accesory wire and starter wire to the switch on the dash. It's easy to find out which wire you need for the battery terminal on the switch, it is hot all the time you can check them with a test light, get a Haynes manual and look in the wiring diagrams and you can find out which wires by color code are for the ignition, accessory, and start. I done this to my dodge one time b/c the cops claimed to have lost my keys after a week in jail, found them about a week later after I had already broke apart my steering column and all of that. But I had to have something to drive. I've done that to several other vehicles over time, and sometimes the contacts for the start position of the universal switch wear out so instead on my buick I have that which I use to put in the car in accessory or run position, then a universal push start(rated for more amps) to use to actually start the car, because I got tired of replacing the switches. The reason I added one to my buick is because I pulled in the driveway once, turned the key to shut it off, everything stayed on. I was like wtf, I put the key back in, turned it back and forth, nothing happened, stayed on, so had to pull the ignition fuse to shut it off.

Something apparently broke inside the ignition cylinder so I then got my Haynes manual out and cut some wires and added in the universal ignition switch.

[3100]

bring your car title to your gm dealer, vin# will take care of it

[FullyAvenged]

Took care of it early this morning. 15.00 bucks for a new key.

[ctwright]

my way was more fun though

[73stingray]

Originally Posted by ctwright

my way was more fun though

You'd still need to bypass the passlock system for that to work, but that's just another $30 module. They sell them for remote starters all the time.

[ctwright]

Originally Posted by 73stingray

You'd still need to bypass the passlock system for that to work, but that's just another $30 module. They sell them for remote starters all the time.

Well, actually I've done it with cars with those, you can take a variable resister and do the same thing. Passlock is the system that uses the resistor int the ignition right? The reason I'm asking is because I've installed remote starters on those vehicles and you do not need that module, all you need to do is know the resistance of the resistor in the key and get one of the same value.

[73stingray]

passlock II has the resistor in the ignition switch, I'm not sure if passlock I is in the key, but either way you're right. You can do it the manual way, but it still has to get bypassed somehow. I just put a remote starter on mine and I used the dei module because I got the whole setup as a gift.

[3100]

With all this bypassing etc, you might as well then install nice push button start.
And if someone did it already let me know what you did.

[ctwright]

Originally Posted by 73stingray

passlock II has the resistor in the ignition switch, I'm not sure if passlock I is in the key, but either way you're right. You can do it the manual way, but it still has to get bypassed somehow. I just put a remote starter on mine and I used the dei module because I got the whole setup as a gift.

Yeah the one I'm talking about has it in the key, alot of people call it a chip but it's actually just a resistor. It's a black square in the key with metal showing in the middle on both sides of the key, put an ohms meter on both sides and you will know the resistance of the resistor.

The reason for that is so that someone can't just get a copy of your key and still start your vehicle. Just an added security feature.