Security Light no start
Thread Starter
On The Tree
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
From: wellington fl/ stx vi
Security Light no start so my car would not start, i read some threads here and they said to it might been the VATS on the car. I have a HP tuner so i i disabled the VATS and it still wont start!!!!!!!!!
Any ideals???????????
Any ideals???????????
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,321
Likes: 341
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
It's been said here many times... you CAN'T disable VATS with a tuner.
VATS disables the engine in two ways - the BCM does not provide a ground path for the starter relay and it also does not provide a fuel enable signal to the PCM. The PCM is programmable and you can tune it to ignore the lack of a fuel enable signal but the BCM is not programmable so you can't prevent it from disabling the starter relay.
Have you tried the basics first? Many times the system will be triggered by a dirty key pellet or grime on the contacts inside the ignition cylinder. You can clean the ignition key pellet using a pencil eraser followed by some rubbing alcohol. You can clean the ignition cylinder with spray contact cleaner from Radio Shack (also known as TV tuner cleaner). You could also try using your spare ignition key in case the resistor pellet contacts are too worn to connect.
Is the SECURITY light in the instrument cluster flashing or solid? Flashing means the system could not detect a resistor pellet at all (the key is damaged or the wires are broken/disconnected). A solid light means the resistor pellet is detected but measures the wrong value.
VATS disables the engine in two ways - the BCM does not provide a ground path for the starter relay and it also does not provide a fuel enable signal to the PCM. The PCM is programmable and you can tune it to ignore the lack of a fuel enable signal but the BCM is not programmable so you can't prevent it from disabling the starter relay.
Have you tried the basics first? Many times the system will be triggered by a dirty key pellet or grime on the contacts inside the ignition cylinder. You can clean the ignition key pellet using a pencil eraser followed by some rubbing alcohol. You can clean the ignition cylinder with spray contact cleaner from Radio Shack (also known as TV tuner cleaner). You could also try using your spare ignition key in case the resistor pellet contacts are too worn to connect.
Is the SECURITY light in the instrument cluster flashing or solid? Flashing means the system could not detect a resistor pellet at all (the key is damaged or the wires are broken/disconnected). A solid light means the resistor pellet is detected but measures the wrong value.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 392
Likes: 0
Had the same problem a couple years ago. Mine ended up being the Ignition Lock cylinder. The wires chaffed on the cylinder over the years and snapped off, thus sending no reading to the BCM. Tearing into the steering column isn't difficult but takes a bit of time. But it wouldn't hurt to check those wires out if the simple things mentioned above don't fix the problem.
eh, not necessarily true, if your car has 270k on it and the previous owner was very country and liked dirt roads and had a dirty job, cleaning the crap off the key might solve your problem when you ride your bike to get your car thats 2 miles from home, then your bike tire blows and you have to chain it to a post and walk a mile and a half to get your car. Not that I would know from experience or anything... lol
