IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME, PLEASE DO!!

Hey guys,

Im a newbie to cars in general and I just spent like 2 hours reading all these post about the PassKey and VATS and realized that ive been doing some 'blind' work on it but i might have just f**ked up my car....

i just brought a 92 Pontiac Bonneville off some guy and the engine is like damn-near perfect condition. The car worked fine for a couple of days but then we hada problem with the car not starting. After a couple of days of grief and jumper cables, we cleaned the connectors to the battery and the car started with no problem!

BUT....
The key was stuck in the in the car...
While it was running...
In the ON position (not steering-wheel lock, this baby was in for good)....

So i had a friend of mine show me "wut to pull out" under the hood to turn it off - so the problem turning the car off was sloved. And because the car was stuck in the ON position, ive have to disconnect the battery to keep it from dying. But the key was still stuck in the ignition. My moms friend went ahead and tried to break the ignition to try and get the key out...

But the key broke...

Went to a parts store (i think it was Discount Auto) and got a ignition-key-tumbler-thingie. We took off the steering wheel column and we put it in the new ignition and the car turns on and everything but it wont start. The Security light flashes and i dont have 500+ to spend on just for a key! Ive been out of work for a while now but this is gettin ridiculous! Is there anyway to disable the security or PassKey? And there are two wires that came with the ignition switch - wut are those for? I mean i just need to get to work and without the car im SO screwed... I really dont care to the security system... If ANYONE can help please do! ive been fighting with this thing for weeks now and im so fustrated....

Thanks.

I can tell you your problem.. but the solution.. well you'll have to wait for this.

You bought a new lock cylinder without the VATS system in it. This is why the SECURITY light comes on. This is because the VATS system is not getting the correct resistance from the key. Your problem could be one of many.. which include

1. Some wires not being connected, that should be [you actually did buy a VATS compatable lock cylinder], this is highly unlikely
2. You need to get a VATS compatable lock cylinder [where? I have no clue].


-justin

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

damn, I wonder why he was selling so cheap.

Im not sure if the cylinder is VATS compatible. My moms friend just went to Discount Auto, told the guy there the make, year and model of the car, and he gave us the key-cylinder. There are two wires sticking out of the cylinder with small metal conductors - do you know wut those are for? :? cuz i know that the cylinder is in but maybe cuz its not connected "properly" that its givin me a problem....

Or am i just making myself sound stupid :?: iono...

those two wires are for teh contacts inside the cylinder for teh VATS system. The contacts touch the pellet in the key. BTW, there are 13 combinations and your new key has to match what the car wants to see... If they didn't take the resistance of your old key I doubt they got the resistance right..

IF you can, measure the resistance of the old lock cylinder/key combo.

Go under the dash and cut the two white (usually) VATS wires located inside an orange or yellow rubber jacket (looks like a regular wire from the outside but really has the two thin ones inside). Bypass the VATS for less than $2 using the proper resistors. If that was me, that'* what I'd do. At least you'll be able to start the car, have a working key, and still have money left in your pocket without all the grief of swapping cylinders and proper peelt resistance values, blah blah blah...

Ok, my steering wheel column is like completely discombobulated (i dont know if i spelled that right but whatever...) im thinkin im just gonna goto a shop for them to put it back together. but if theres a way to get my car started with that 'other key' lemme know. How do i measure the resistance or get the right resistors or wut not? Also, how do i put in pictures like on the other fourms - i have a digi camera and i can show u guys exactly wut im lookin at if that helps. I really need my car back and i appreciate all the info you've given me so far. hopefully we can get this thing workin'....

Actually, yes, you did spell it right.

Okay, hold on a second; let'* regroup here.

1) You have a replacement key cylinder to install. It'* got the two wires on it so we know it'* VATS-compatible.

2) You have at least one surviving car key, do you? At worst, you've got a broken stub with the resistor in it, yes?

3) Any competent hardware store or locksmith can match the resistor value; it'll be 1 of 15 possible values. (See page 4, the fifth page of this PDF user guide from BulldogSecurity to find the table of values: http://www.bulldogsecurity.com/pdf/Model781.pdf ) They can then cut you a new key; the resistor-chip key blanks are available to them and you don't need to go to the dealer. My local Ace Hardware uses a gadget called a VATS Interrogator to get the right resistance value off your old key.

4) So once you have your new ignition lock cylinder and one or two functioning keys, you're ready to put it all back together, or pay your shop to do it. The VATS module is not in the ignition lock cylinder; it'* elsewhere in the dash, and from what I've read here, it doesn't appear that you need to mess around with bypassing it anyway.

Ok here is a picture of the key i have. The rectangle-ish thingie in the key is the resistor right....?

Picture.1

This is a picture of wut has become of my car....

Picture.2

This is the wire that came with the new key tumbler. The orange wire comming out means its Vats compatible?

Picture.3

Here is the old key and tumbler - the other half of the key is inside that piece on top. Is this all i need to figure out the resistance of my car/key/ignition...?

Picture.4

Ok, i figure that i can splice the old wire (white) and connect them to the new wires (orange) and "trick" my car into thinking its working - is that possible? If so then how do i know which wire goes to which wire? And if not, then where does that orange wire go? I figure that the 'old' white wires on the left was connected to the ignition b4 it was broken off....right? Am i just better off letting a shop go ahead and do wutever it is that they have to do??

Picture.5

Do i just take the pieces from picture 4 and get a key cut for the new tumbler from picture 5 with the right resistance? Cuz the old key tumbler still has half the other key is it? I guess all im tryin to say is that if you can help me, then wut do i do now? I hope these pictures help you guys help me - im about ready to give up on this car but the bus suck

Hondas are easier to work with, lolz....