factory Alarm help with a twist.....
05-23-2015, 11:12 AM
#1
factory Alarm help with a twist..... ok I know there have been many threads and I think I have spent many days and countless hours doing research but nothing has helped so here we go.....
last year my key FOB finally broke and yea busy schedule and laziness has a lot to do with this lol but anyway I took it to a local place here in the DFW area called A1 locksmith to reprogram me a new FOB but they could not do this because my security light which has always blinked(I never thought anything about it since my car has always started) they said they could not program the new FOB because of it, so ok that has something to do with the VATS, so anyway I said ok and for over a year I have been just manually locking the doors which has worked until yesterday my son used my car to go down the street to go the store and accidently use the inside electric lock to lock it so when he came back out and unlocked it with the key it set the alarm off
he drove it home blinking lights and all and I have done everthing I know and have read on here to disable the damn alarm or even clear it but nothing! oh and also the button inside the car to UNLOCK it doesn't work either I never knew this until yesterday! so any new advice on how I can disable the factory alarm is appreciated if not then please keep smart *** remarks to a minimum 
last year my key FOB finally broke and yea busy schedule and laziness has a lot to do with this lol but anyway I took it to a local place here in the DFW area called A1 locksmith to reprogram me a new FOB but they could not do this because my security light which has always blinked(I never thought anything about it since my car has always started) they said they could not program the new FOB because of it, so ok that has something to do with the VATS, so anyway I said ok and for over a year I have been just manually locking the doors which has worked until yesterday my son used my car to go down the street to go the store and accidently use the inside electric lock to lock it so when he came back out and unlocked it with the key it set the alarm off
he drove it home blinking lights and all and I have done everthing I know and have read on here to disable the damn alarm or even clear it but nothing! oh and also the button inside the car to UNLOCK it doesn't work either I never knew this until yesterday! so any new advice on how I can disable the factory alarm is appreciated if not then please keep smart *** remarks to a minimum 
05-24-2015, 07:32 AM
#2
The locksmith is correct - you need to fix the VATS problem before you can do anything with the alarm. The flashing SECURITY light in the instrument cluster means that VATS doesn't see the resistor pellet in the key at all. Normally, starting the car with the correct ignition key will disarm the alarm but that is based on the system seeing the correct resistance in the key pellet.
Do you have the original key with its resistor pellet intact? If so (and assuming that the VATS wiring has not been modified), the most common cause of the flashing indicator is one of the wires to the ignition cylinder are broken. You could replace the ignition cylinder and fix the wire but the easier way would be to bypass VATS. You do that by measuring the resistance of the pellet and then substituting ordinary Radio Shack resistors of the same value in the wiring. There are plenty of threads with more detailed instructions.
If you don't have an original key with resistor pellet then you have a bigger problem. You can try doing a VATS bypass using each of the 14 different possible resistor values until you find the correct one or you could buy a new key with a pellet AND a new BCM that will automatically program to match upon first use.
Once you've resolved the VATS problem, you can disarm the alarm and you can program new remotes.
Do you have the original key with its resistor pellet intact? If so (and assuming that the VATS wiring has not been modified), the most common cause of the flashing indicator is one of the wires to the ignition cylinder are broken. You could replace the ignition cylinder and fix the wire but the easier way would be to bypass VATS. You do that by measuring the resistance of the pellet and then substituting ordinary Radio Shack resistors of the same value in the wiring. There are plenty of threads with more detailed instructions.
If you don't have an original key with resistor pellet then you have a bigger problem. You can try doing a VATS bypass using each of the 14 different possible resistor values until you find the correct one or you could buy a new key with a pellet AND a new BCM that will automatically program to match upon first use.
Once you've resolved the VATS problem, you can disarm the alarm and you can program new remotes.
05-25-2015, 10:01 PM
#4
You can either bypass the vats using the resistor method. Or just replace the ign lock cylinder and fix it the correct way. The wires usually break right at or within a few inches of the lock cylinder inside the column. Either way works just depends on what you want to do. Changing the lock cylinders a piece of cake with basic tools.
But get you a new set of key fobs from dealer or wherever and program using the method below. VATS operational has no bearing on programming transmitters to regain control of keyless/factory alarm.
Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position.
Remove the RADIO (#17) fuse.
Cycle the ignition switch from the OFF position to the RUN position 3 times within 5 seconds . The BCM will confirm entry into the programming mode by performing the following actions:
3.1. Locking both of the doors.
3.2. Unlocking the driver's door.
3.3. Releasing the rear compartment lid.
Press and hold the LOCK button and the UNLOCK button simultaneously on one transmitter for approximately 15 seconds . The BCM will confirm the programming of that transmitter by performing the following actions:
4.1. Locking both of the doors.
4.2. Unlocking the driver's door.
4.3. Releasing the rear compartment lid.
Repeat the previous step to program up to 4 transmitters.
Replace the RADIO (#17) fuse.
Operate the transmitter functions in order to verify correct system operation
But get you a new set of key fobs from dealer or wherever and program using the method below. VATS operational has no bearing on programming transmitters to regain control of keyless/factory alarm.
Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position.
Remove the RADIO (#17) fuse.
Cycle the ignition switch from the OFF position to the RUN position 3 times within 5 seconds . The BCM will confirm entry into the programming mode by performing the following actions:
3.1. Locking both of the doors.
3.2. Unlocking the driver's door.
3.3. Releasing the rear compartment lid.
Press and hold the LOCK button and the UNLOCK button simultaneously on one transmitter for approximately 15 seconds . The BCM will confirm the programming of that transmitter by performing the following actions:
4.1. Locking both of the doors.
4.2. Unlocking the driver's door.
4.3. Releasing the rear compartment lid.
Repeat the previous step to program up to 4 transmitters.
Replace the RADIO (#17) fuse.
Operate the transmitter functions in order to verify correct system operation
05-26-2015, 10:53 AM
#5
The first step after removing the RADIO fuse is to cycle the ignition three times to put the BCM into programming mode. If VATS does not detect the correct key resistance then that step will not work and the BCM will not go into programming mode. If that were not the case then anyone could put the BCM in programming mode and disable the factory alarm without having the correct ignition key.