The car (1995 SLE SC) is stuck at the bar. Will not start, here is the situation.

Starter spins fine with wrench contact
Battery has power
Key does nothing but light up dash like a christmas tree when set to on.
We can hear the fuel pump pressurizing.

Does Vats kill the fuel pump or ignition system? We've got a 93 FSM we can dig into in the morning.

Key, lock cylinder, vats? Relay.

EDIT: the car did start by bridging the solenoid as well, but would die after 2-3 seconds.

Just got off the phone with Marty. Does sound like the starter itself.

The starter solenoid? The starter motor itself spins and cranks the motor.

He told me that nothing moved, and nothing made any noise. If the starter motor turns, but the motor doesn't, it'* the bendix. Replace the starter.

If the motor cranks over, the starter is fine. Check for spark and fuel.

Conflicting information from what you posted and what he told me on the phone. Get that sucker fixed. I want to see track times for it tomorrow!

Todall is tech2ing it now. update later.

Gearhead sitting here ready with 1995 FSM'* at his disposal. Find Nate or Pat for my numbers. Call it in

Sounds like a VATs problem to me. Ohm the pellet in the key, then unplug the main ignition harness above the gas and break pedals/below the steering column and ohm the two very small white wires on the female terminal end of the harness connector with the key in the ignition. The terminals are female terminals.

The ohms should match that of the key pellet. If they do not, you need a new lock cylinder because one of the wires broke on your old lock cylinder.

A quick fix....run to a local Radio Shack and buy a pack of resistors of the same value (or as close as you can get...+ or - .50 ohms) Now install one resistor in line of the two small (and I mean small!) white wires from the ignition cylinder. They can be accessed fairly easily at the main harness connector above the peddals. What you want to do is connect the two wires with a resistor. This will trick the computer to think that the VATs is fully functional and will start the car.

Hint, there is no need to cut any wires. Just jump the circuit together with a resistor by back probing the terminals at the main harness connector...slide the proper value resistor next to the terminals of the two white wires deep enough to make good contact.

Check a schematic to be sure of the wire color...they may be orange. But either way they should by the two smallest wires in the connector. There should be no other wires that small in the connector.

Good luck

Thanks fatcat. Nate just got off the phone from talking to WillWren. He suggested the same thing. Nate and I are off in a minute or two to give it a shot.

Nate also just talked to Bill Bost and they are having a very similar prob with FrankenBonne. Only thing is Frankenbonne cranks with the key, but stalls almost immediately just like my SE SC does when hot-jumping with a screwdriver/wrench at the starter terminals.

Will let you all know how the resistors work.

We double checked the Vats resistors and are thinking we are not maintaining fuel pressure. We have zilcho once we do a 3 second fire.

Well there problem may also be VATs related as different year Bonnevilles used different methods of dissabling the vehicle durring a theft attempt. For example, a 99 may dissable the starter and the fuel while a 97 may dissable the fuel only. That is just an example and I am not saying it is true to those years, but just to give you an idea.

Good luck