Tweet
Finally knocked out probably the biggest headache I've ever personally experienced with any car I've ever owned yesterday over at Z28SSMAN's place. It was a job I was trying to learn how to do over the last I'd say atleast couple months, if not longer, for my daily driver (1998 Buick Riviera). The notorious GM VATS bypass.
A while back I was having issues getting this thing started. I've had the car since 2007. Car has been a great daily driver over the last 6 years up until this last year when I was having MAJOR issues with getting this thing to start consistently. One day I hop in and the car is giving the symptoms of "no start - no crank". I'm thinking to myself eh this must be the starter finally going out on me. Easy fix...So we go get a starter and Z28SSMAN throws it in for me. Problem solved. Turns right over....Up until the next day.
I was pissed. Hop in the car, no start, no crank but all the electrical gauges (interior, headlights, radio etc..) are working. Thinking to myself man they must've sold me a bad starter. Not happy. So I try and play the old "process of elimination game" and notice that the security light is the only light that actually stays light (solid) for about 3 minutes then disappears. Interesting...Once it disappears I attempt to start the car and it would turn over. TYPICALLY. Weird.
So I notice this issue takes place about 85% of the time after the 3 minute "waiting period" the light goes away and the car starts. 15% of the time on the 2nd attempt the light would pop back up and make me wait ANOTHER 3 minutes only to try and start it a 3RD TIME. Annoying is an understatement. Try going out on a date with a girl and explaining that one! LOL Over the last month it gets obnoxiously worse. One day I sat in a parking lot for 18 minutes while the security light game played 6 ROUNDS with me. FURIOUS.
Turns out after hours of online research and countless YOUTUBE "how to" videos I finally figure out how to solve the problem.
Option 1 - Purchase new Vehicle Anti-Theft System for roughly $500 before labor/install.
Option 2 - Bypass the VATS system all together. Hmmm. Let me think.
If anyone has ever owned a GM vehicle with a key like this:
You'll notice there's a little chip-like nub in the center of the key. Well that nub has a specific OHM reading (GM made about 15 different reading possibilities for their Buick Models alone) that sends a message to the computer basically telling it "this is the correct key" go ahead and start. LOL
As time goes on this can become a major issue. Not that the OHMs change in the key itself but basically the "message" won't send. Causing the car to basically become a BRICK and throw the security light. (What I was experiencing). Thus the car is not startable. For at least a short period of time.
So I go get an OHM meter to measure the key first. Reads .88 then I need resistor wire to customize a bypass loop that I would need to ulitmately solder but I need this "mock" a similar reading of the key's .88 reading. They give a 5% lee-way. I twist a few resistors and after trying to get it as close as possible I squeeze it to .86. That's probably about as close as you can get it. So I solder the resistor wires together making a "horseshoe style" loop. First time I've ever soldered anything. Not hard.
Time to find the wire from the ignition to the computer. Crap. Wires all over the place. I was reading that there would either be an orange "tube style" wire or a black on leading from the steering column to the ECU. No orange found. The yellow was AIRBAG....definitely don't wanna do that. The black one was the one I needed. So I clip the factory zip ties to isolate the black wire and zip tie the others back to their normal state.
This must be the wire? Couldn't really be anything else. I could see the outline of the shrinktube showing there were two wires running inside of it. Oh well. "Clip". Used some crimping tools (thank God I was a 16 year old punk at one point that messed with car stereos and electrical junk) pulled the wiring back. Separated the two. Twisted the wires together with my horseshoe style resistor set up. Go to start the car.....turns right over. Start it again....turns right over....AGAIN?.....turns right over. Whew!
So before I solder I wanna make sure this is permanently gonna work obviously. How am I gonna know? Duhh.....Not even thinking at this point and Z28SSMAN just says "Pull the connection and see if it starts or if it's dead." So we pull the connection and the car is completely dead. Put it back on....car turns right over. LOL
Used some heat tube and shrunk it. Soldered the new set up in a few short minutes. Wrapped it up with electrical. Put all the interior back in place (stupid design by the way) and the car is as good as new.
Solder iron cost $7
OHM Meter cost $16
Resistor pack cost $3
Problem solved.
It took about 5 hours. But if I had to do it again (which hopefully I never have to again in my lifetime) I bet we could do it in about 3 hours. It wasn't that tough. Apparently this is a huge issue for a lot of people out there. Typical for LM Regals, Rivieras, Bonnevilles, Grand Ams, Grand Prixs, and I'm sure the list goes on and on. I was reading countless pages on Buick forums of guys with the same issues that are just furious. Guys will try and clean the key with alcohol...nope...replace the ignition module...nope...have a new key cut.....nope. You can only bypass it or spend lots of dough on a new VATS system. I'll post some of the videos I watched for anyone else on here that has the issue or knows someone who's having the issue. But hopefully none of you run into this.
GM - 0
ME - 1
:banana smile:
A while back I was having issues getting this thing started. I've had the car since 2007. Car has been a great daily driver over the last 6 years up until this last year when I was having MAJOR issues with getting this thing to start consistently. One day I hop in and the car is giving the symptoms of "no start - no crank". I'm thinking to myself eh this must be the starter finally going out on me. Easy fix...So we go get a starter and Z28SSMAN throws it in for me. Problem solved. Turns right over....Up until the next day.
I was pissed. Hop in the car, no start, no crank but all the electrical gauges (interior, headlights, radio etc..) are working. Thinking to myself man they must've sold me a bad starter. Not happy. So I try and play the old "process of elimination game" and notice that the security light is the only light that actually stays light (solid) for about 3 minutes then disappears. Interesting...Once it disappears I attempt to start the car and it would turn over. TYPICALLY. Weird.
So I notice this issue takes place about 85% of the time after the 3 minute "waiting period" the light goes away and the car starts. 15% of the time on the 2nd attempt the light would pop back up and make me wait ANOTHER 3 minutes only to try and start it a 3RD TIME. Annoying is an understatement. Try going out on a date with a girl and explaining that one! LOL Over the last month it gets obnoxiously worse. One day I sat in a parking lot for 18 minutes while the security light game played 6 ROUNDS with me. FURIOUS.
Turns out after hours of online research and countless YOUTUBE "how to" videos I finally figure out how to solve the problem.
Option 1 - Purchase new Vehicle Anti-Theft System for roughly $500 before labor/install.
Option 2 - Bypass the VATS system all together. Hmmm. Let me think.
If anyone has ever owned a GM vehicle with a key like this:
You'll notice there's a little chip-like nub in the center of the key. Well that nub has a specific OHM reading (GM made about 15 different reading possibilities for their Buick Models alone) that sends a message to the computer basically telling it "this is the correct key" go ahead and start. LOL
As time goes on this can become a major issue. Not that the OHMs change in the key itself but basically the "message" won't send. Causing the car to basically become a BRICK and throw the security light. (What I was experiencing). Thus the car is not startable. For at least a short period of time.
So I go get an OHM meter to measure the key first. Reads .88 then I need resistor wire to customize a bypass loop that I would need to ulitmately solder but I need this "mock" a similar reading of the key's .88 reading. They give a 5% lee-way. I twist a few resistors and after trying to get it as close as possible I squeeze it to .86. That's probably about as close as you can get it. So I solder the resistor wires together making a "horseshoe style" loop. First time I've ever soldered anything. Not hard.
Time to find the wire from the ignition to the computer. Crap. Wires all over the place. I was reading that there would either be an orange "tube style" wire or a black on leading from the steering column to the ECU. No orange found. The yellow was AIRBAG....definitely don't wanna do that. The black one was the one I needed. So I clip the factory zip ties to isolate the black wire and zip tie the others back to their normal state.
This must be the wire? Couldn't really be anything else. I could see the outline of the shrinktube showing there were two wires running inside of it. Oh well. "Clip". Used some crimping tools (thank God I was a 16 year old punk at one point that messed with car stereos and electrical junk) pulled the wiring back. Separated the two. Twisted the wires together with my horseshoe style resistor set up. Go to start the car.....turns right over. Start it again....turns right over....AGAIN?.....turns right over. Whew!
So before I solder I wanna make sure this is permanently gonna work obviously. How am I gonna know? Duhh.....Not even thinking at this point and Z28SSMAN just says "Pull the connection and see if it starts or if it's dead." So we pull the connection and the car is completely dead. Put it back on....car turns right over. LOL
Used some heat tube and shrunk it. Soldered the new set up in a few short minutes. Wrapped it up with electrical. Put all the interior back in place (stupid design by the way) and the car is as good as new.
Solder iron cost $7
OHM Meter cost $16
Resistor pack cost $3
Problem solved.
It took about 5 hours. But if I had to do it again (which hopefully I never have to again in my lifetime) I bet we could do it in about 3 hours. It wasn't that tough. Apparently this is a huge issue for a lot of people out there. Typical for LM Regals, Rivieras, Bonnevilles, Grand Ams, Grand Prixs, and I'm sure the list goes on and on. I was reading countless pages on Buick forums of guys with the same issues that are just furious. Guys will try and clean the key with alcohol...nope...replace the ignition module...nope...have a new key cut.....nope. You can only bypass it or spend lots of dough on a new VATS system. I'll post some of the videos I watched for anyone else on here that has the issue or knows someone who's having the issue. But hopefully none of you run into this.
GM - 0
ME - 1
:banana smile:
The Riv only has like 240hp 
Comment