Spent 2 hrs Saturday trying to figure out why my 98 Regal GS wouldn't start. Put key in and all the dash lights would start flashing and all sorts of buzzing gurgling noises (antilock brake pump) and it wouldn't crank. I had similar happen with a weak battery so I took it out and put a full charge on it....no go. Figured maybe a bad cell...tried another battery....no go. Cleaned and checked all connections and grounds....traced wires to check for short or chafing (car was totalled ...twice).....no go. Finally, in frustration before giving up to start drinking beer, I wiped the security chip off with my fingers....and started right up.ou:
Yep... just payed $400 to have plugs changed in my car... you have to remove the intake manifold to change the spark plugs!
What car is that? Some places are considering the intake cover the manifold cover= manifold and ripping people off.
I got stuck with my '95 Riv a few years back at a Dunkin' Donut shop about 60 miles from home. Came out car wouldn't start. Kept trying and trying. Dead except for the dash lights flashing at me. I even got under the car and jumped the starter and it cranked but no start. Finally called AAA and they towed it home. I have the better coverage so it didn't cost anything. The next day I'm rooting around under the dash with the service manual. Figured out it has to do with the computer not recognizing the chip in the key. Right in the service manual, and also in the owners manual(Who reads those things?) it said if the SECURITY light flashes while trying to start the car it doesn't recognize the key. Cleaned the contacts on the key and in the lock and it started right up.ou: ou: ou: I also found out that if it doesn't recognize the key it goes into a lockout/antitheft mode where you have to wait 2-3 minutes between trying to start to keep somebody from trying the multiple values of resistors in the keys to get it to start. There I was at the DD trying ever few seconds and resetting to 2-3 minutes every time!(Of course that is in the owners manual also.)
My '94 Roadmaster would do that. I was stranded at work(40 miles from home) when I remembered, a mechanic friend told me about the security keys in these cars. I cleaned the contacts on the key with a piece of sand paper, the car started up. So when ever that happens I just clean the key.
It's not that hard to bypass the early Passkey system. Sure is alot less aggravating too. There is an orange sleeve with two skinny wires inside coming down the column from the ignition switch. That goes into a connector that heads over to a passkey module. To bypass, get an ohm reading on the pellet on the key. Get some resistors at Radio Shack to match that reading and splice it into the key/column side of the connector above. Side bonus.....no more need for an expensive key. You can get a regular one made now.
I hate the modern cars and all the electronics. This spring I want to sell my trailblazer and end up with an all carbureted rigs in my fleet. If I can't point to it and know what it is, I don't want it. I hate mystery problems like that. I hate not being able to see my spark plugs or being able to tell how many cylinders are in an engine just by looking at it!
It is 2002 AWD 3.0 Saturn Vue. Can't complain I have 160,000 on it (first set of plugs at 155,000). I checked it out and yes you pull the Intake. Love the car but STUPID design.
It's funny that Chevy and Pontiac of similar vintage didn't use the key resistor pellets. Only Caddy and Buick....
Yeah, my son's 93 4.3 Blazer needs a fuel pressure regulator.....have to pull intake to get to it.....:blast:
"cheaper" level of trim? Yea, I'm not a fan of the cladding and covers they put on cars now a days. my brother's 03 Charger isn't too bad, but my mom's 03 Honda Pilot is a nightmare to work on. My old '97 Grand Am was pretty difficult reaching the bank of plugs squeezed under the fire wall. I like to think of my '97 ram as good mixture of the old (V-8, RWD, Iron Block, easy to work on lots of room!) and new (FI, OBDII, Aluminum heads). And I will say changing plugs on the skylark was the easist I've ever done!
Help! It did it again and this time cleaning the resistor didn't fix it. Dash lights are flashing and it won't crank. Any ideas?
My 91 Olds trofeo had the same key. I finally did the same trick with the resistor. I got theinfo from a Collumn guy and never had that problem again
My key went bad, used my wife's key to get the right resistance and had another key made, mabey the same with yours, try another key. Hope that helps, Dam cars that need that much electronic. Johnny
More then likely one of the very small wires that run from the ign. lock cylinder has broken that is what normally goes wrong with these. Either bypass as has been posted or the "correct" way to repair it is to replace the ign. lock cylinder, the parts store will have to read the "code" off of your current key(ohm reading) before cutting a new one. More then likely when it started after "cleaning" the key was the wires just happened to make contact. You can actually test this by unplugging the wires (orange sleeve, 2 small white wires) and seeing if you have an ohm reading up the steering column or if its an "open", be sure to do this while rotating the lock cylinder. After almost 20 years working in a GM dealership I have repaired many due to this...............Another reason I love my older cars and use them as daily drivers!!!!
John, I'm thinking of bypassing it. One potential issue is that the steering column and lock cylinder are from my 2002 Regal and now in this 1998. Were they using the same systems in those years?
OK, now the Feds have gone too far. Way too far. After 2007 they require all cars sold in the USA to have a tire pressure monitoring system. There is a tiny sensor and radio transmitter integral with the tire schraeder valve. Each sensor has a number code and is assigned a position number (one to four) by the cars ECM. On our '08 Dodge, #1 is (or was) LF, #2 was RF, etc. This is all well and good until you rotate the tires. Then the ECM still thinks #1 is LF when it really is RR for example. This makes diagnostics a pain. The correct procedure is to reset the position numbers when you do a tire rotation. Now you need a scan tool to (properly) do a tire rotation! Arraagh! :blast: :blast: :spank:
