Moved to new thread from:

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ic.php?t=85628

Okay...to review:

The car is a '96 SSEi, with 265K miles on it.

Had the ignition switch replaced 4 years ago, due to someone else losing the only key to it the day that I bought it. DOH!

For years, the car has a problem that it triggers the security system, instead of starting when you bump the key. It would usually start after a few trys. Sometimes jumping it off would start it.

Over the years it has gotten worse.

Keeping the battery cables clean and tight seemed to help it at times when it became really annoying.

Now it'* deader than a doornail. Every time I try to start the thing it just lights up the SECURITY light.

I've cleaned the key.

I replaced corroded negative battery cable, and the smaller ground wire is spliced into the new cable..

Replaced the ends on the positive battery cable, and the two smaller cables.

I switched everything to top post while I was at it, my battery has both top and side posts, and extra CCA over what the car called for.

Battery checks good. 803 CCA and 12.7V at the parts store.

Starter checks good. Kicks like a mule.

When it quits raining I'll reinstall the starter and try again.

I have looked at the VATS bypass info and will try that if the results are the same.

Any insights would be helpful.

Billbost writes in another thread:

Yeah, it'* the same with my car. When you get in, the SECURITY ilght is happy and blinking. When you try to crank it, it stays on and nothing happens.

UPDATE!!!

It quit raining this evening and I took the opportunity to reinstall the starter.

And my nuts were missing. That'* a bad thing, to be missing your nuts.

The parts store guy must have took them off the solenoid posts last night and not put them back on.

So I trudged down to the parts store to get some shiny new nuts.

Reinstalled starter.

SECURITY light locked me out once.

Started 30 times in a row without failure.

I have no idea.

Well it'* been almost a week now since I went through everything with the Bonneville.

So far, all I've done is replace battery cables and terminal ends, and remove, clean, and reinstall the starter.

It'* failed to start on me once each day since then. Realize that as a pizzaguy, I start and stop the car 40+ times a day. So once or twice in a day isn't too bad, but it'* still annoying when it happens.

I've noticed that sometimes the car will hesitate a moment before I hear the starter engage after bumping the key. Other times it starts instantly.

Could this be a starter solenoid sticking momentarily, sporadically, and setting off the VATS system the times it balks?

There is no feedback to VATS from the starter.

I suggest trying another key, or cleaning the contacts in the switch and on the key.

Well it'* been a couple of weeks. I cleaned everything and have done everything except bypass the VATS.

The car still does this same thing it has been doing, only now it is less frequent.

It seems to do it less often if I turn the key and wait a few seconds, then crank it.

If it gives me a SECURITY light, I leave the key in the ON position until the SECURITY light goes out, then turn it off, and back to ON and crank it again.

It almost always catches on the second try.

Darned strange car.

Bypass and be done. It'* too easy not to do.

In the case of my old 1995 SE Supercharged I just cut the two small white (or were they orange) wires in the orange (or was it white?) tube coming up the steering column with the rest of the wires. Left those two wires disconnected instead of putting aresistor in and the car started every time with no problem for over 15 months until I sold the car. Only problem was that the SECURITY light stayed on all the time the ignition was on.