GM VATS Key / Resistor Key Security Bypass 

BRO seriously the only video I’ve seen with an actual hack that you don’t need a master key thank you for actually solving the problem and saving me a bunch of money you’re awesome lol

I love the fact that you are a mentoring Hanna. She is learning from the best person. Good for you Hanna!!!!!!!!!

Found a lot of these VATS fixes on RU-vid, this is the only one I've found that shows what and how to do the change.

So I told you last weekend I was putting in a VATS bypass on my 1990 vette. I dropped the to panels and some yahoo over the years done a little splice and dicing! Now I’m back here see what I can find out without having to drop the steering column. Yes, I’m a lady, 59 to boot! Not giving up. Just double checking

I almost bought a $200 starter when all I needed was a $3 resistor set. 😂 RU-vid is a godsend

I really don't understand why this channel doesn't have over a million subs.

Eric! You are so right! I had the same issue on my 1998 Monti Carlo. I live in northern N.Y. and needed a temp repair (no resistors). Took the Spare key, cut off the plug leading to IGN switch and soldered the wires on the plug to the key! Temporary, but it works! Thanks again! Been following you for about two years.

smartest guy on youtube. best mechanic Ive seen period. honest as the day is long.

Hannah is famous. Your air hammer is infamous! Nice video SMA.

Excellent video! I had to do the exact same procedure in my 96 Impala SS. One day after work the Impala wouldn't crank. I went back in the shop and fabricated a resistor combo that closely matched my ignition key. Spliced the resistors in where the connector is under the steering column and BINGO! I did that maybe 10 years ago and the Impala still starts without any issues.

The '91 Reatta has VATS and many have had to do this bypass. Thankfully- my '89 doesn't. All 4 years have RKE, and '88-'90 VATS consists of a lockout module, that kills power to the fuel pump and ignition if the locked doors are opened without the RKE or door key, triggering the alarm (lights flash, horn sounds). This was a very common failure, mostly the column wiring at the tilt point. Here is some more information on this- and a Tutorial, put together by Reatta owners and Members of the AACA Reatta Division- Your video is a very nice addition to this, a video always helps! Nice to see Ms. Hana, not so camera shy! That's how I got my start in automotive repair, being an Apprentice from age 10 to 16, then working like Josh until I was 27. Now- I just enjoy retirement and DIY. Eric- you and a few others on RU-vid are very charitable, taking time to make videos, thoroughly explain stuff, a give sound advice; you are much appreciated, thank you. Here is the link to more VATS info- reattaowner.com/roj/component/content/article/62-electrical-system/other-electrical/232-vats-passkey-system-bypass-instructions

Best auto repair channel...period! Eric you do an amazing job👍👍👏👏👏

Did this to my old LeSabre 2 years ago....still working fine.

Nice and easy. All repairs should be this easy. Great job Eric. -John

Love your video's, really like you are helping the young get into the trade. Highly recommend a beer on Sunday afternoon, and get those resistors into bags with the values on them, makes life a lot easier and its quite relaxing :)

I was looking into these videos and was hoping that you did a video on VATS. This is awesome! Thank you!

Eric, has the best video instructions and explanations, for this fix, of the security system.

Whoa, that audio system is the bomb! Its like those radios you could take out and with you back the day. The owner can pull up to the beach and bring his tunes with him!

Hi Miss Hanna. I like seeing the older cars, so you got some brownie points for bringing us along on this one. I sure enjoyed the commentary along the way, your sense of humor cracks me up.

You’re a lifesaver. I believe I can use this method on a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix since I drive one. I’ve had two times having to reprogram a key. I enjoyed the video 😎👍😁

must be the WORST door chime sound EVER

I bought a similar resistor kit online just so I could get the power locks to function on a remote start I installed in a Jeep Liberty. Jeep requires very different specific resistance for the lock and unlock trigger outputs. Those resistor kits are great to keep around! Always finding uses for them! Great video Eric! Had to be a challenge to video it under a corvette dash!

Good video, I knew they were resistors, never knew you could modify in that way, Hannah has a nice smile as well.

This is exactly what my Olds Alero did... This Security issue was the fix for me you did your research very well !! Nice going.And Thanks.

Dr. O -- I always like to watch your videos as they are so educational and informative. However there is another fix that is somewhat faster and less involved and more permanent than adding the resistors in a bypass circuit. Whenever the ignition switch is in the RUN or START position, 12 volt power is fed through the clutch interlock switch or PRNDL automatic transmission neutral start switch. If the clutch pedal is depressed or the automatic transmission is in neutral / park, 12 volt power continues to the control side of the theft deterrent relay. It passes through the relay control coil and onto the central timer module on a yellow / blue wire. If the central timer module receives the correct resistance from the ignition key it grounds this circuit which completes the starting circuit at the theft deterrent relay from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid. You could just permanently ground the yellow/blue wire at the central timer module and avoid having to match resistors and solder. The safety features of the clutch interlock or PRNDL safety switch would still be enabled. Just another option.

that system has prevented more legal owners from starting their then ever prevented thefts. Radio Shack $3 fix

Thank u saved me.3 keys later....this only thing that worked....i owe u 1 brother....smooth....fixed for 13$...just super awsome on my 02 c5 brick red Corvette

I had to do this on my wife's 03 Grand Am. The resistance to those is 2200 for anyone who needs to and the PASS module is under the passenger kick panel. Little extra FYI. Great vids Eric....

I'm so excited that this may work for my 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass

Nice video.FWIW, when I do these, I cut the lock cylinder side of the connection rather than the other. If it ever needs to be repaired correctly, the new lock cylinder comes with the length of wire and male connector anyway. Therefore, as far as wiring goes, future repair is simply unplugging/removal of resistor assembly and plugging in new lock cylinder. Added bonus - this way also allows you to build your resistor assembly on the bench rather than working under the dashboard!

Nice job! I'm all about these kind of fixes. My Camaro project has this bypassed as well. Life has enough issues without adding to it.

I know this post is old but I just had this issue with my 1999 Buick LeSaber. Thank you for the video it was extremely helpful because a shop fix of close to $500 on a car almost 20 years old is tough to justify, I will add that there is a fix with fewer steps, please let me explain. I was confused and only half understood about the resistance chip on the key and I was discouraged initially looking up fixes because they all included the voltage/ohm reader, which not being strong on electronics was extremely discouraging. So I finally watched through the videos and understood the problem completely, two ****ing wires that run to the ignition tumbler, and it is, yes a common problem with this system, it seems very rarely there is actually a problem with the VATS module, all my research showed this to be accurate. I have found that there is a process that requires the volt meter (if you take it to a locksmith they should have a tool that grabs the resistance) and there is a variance (usually) of only 15 different resistances that your key could have, a google search can bring up a chart that is listed 1 through 15 and its ohm rating and variance in -/+ resistance for that system. So finding the resistance is step one, step two I went to the Source electronics store and bought a pack of resistors with a wide variance and since I don't know how the stupid color ring markings work, my most time consuming task was matching a resistor manually with my reader to find one I needed ( key was #5: resistance read 1129 with a -/+ of 1085/1195, I used a resistor or 1180: brown, red, red, gold). After successfully determining the the resistor I need, I removed the panel under the dash attached to the fuse box and located the Orange wire which inside has two white wires and followed it to its base, to save having to cut anything I took my new resistor (which has an inch of lead on either end) and bent it and shoved both ends into the metal ends of each white wire which held it firmly. Boom! Car started! So I took it out, cut down the ends a little and folded them and reinserted into the ends of each white wire where they go into the terminal, which went in firm and secured it with electrical tape. It now runs and in the pack of resistors ($6.99 for 84, 42 of each resistance from 100- 300K) I took out the second identical resistor of which I used and secured it in my car, If I hit a bump hard enough to dislodge it (unlikely) I have the know how to take out three screws and slap another in. This was a quicker "redneck fix" that no one offered on any video and I understand that because the need to solder the wires is the ultimate "secure" fix, but I hate cutting wires on any harness in a car unless absolutely necessary and in my eyes as soon as I have to splice/solder anything, it is no longer a "quick" fix, this problem with a volt meter, a pack of resistors, and knowledge how to read the color markings could make this a literal five minute fix. I want to help as you all have and I will be posting this exact explanation to the top five posts about this in hopes to help the lazy and would love feedback from the authors of these videos and others, I will not make my own video as I have no channel and anyone searching probably wont find it, so I would like to ad this tidbit of my time saving experience as it is the fix I was looking for originally and isn't as overwhelming. I will add as I have seem many authors have, this is just an explanation and no one is telling you to bypass this system, nothing is better then a certified professional assisting in these repairs and I hope anyone reading read through till now because yes, be mindful of the airbag wire, even though you aren't cutting anything take out the fuse for the airbag, safety first. Thank you and again I hope I could add some extra help to a problem we will face for a few more years yet. Dustin

Gotta have your daily dose of Eric O humor. Makes everything right in the world.

Thanks to this video, i was able to bypass the VATS in my 91' Camaro, thank you so much!

Great fix on a security system! I love that it didn’t take whole lot of time to fix it! Keep up with the great work Eric O !

I always leave your channel having learnt something!! Cheers mate!!

Always a better time with Hannah or Mrs O making an appearance

Nice cheap repair & another happy SMA customer who saved themselves a lot of money by bringing ti to you.

Very useful and EZ bypass trick. Excellent video. 👍

Did this to my son's Firebird. It started intermittently not starting one day. This fix worked great.

Thanks Eric and Hannah...I've got a 93 C4...So far l haven't had this problem but l'm sure it's going to happen...

The clutch pedal prevents most car thefts these days anyway.

man!! how i wish your shop would be where I live!!! you know so much!!! love your videos mannnnn!!!! you would be my only go to mechanic

Eric's positioning(both hand-held and on a tripod) of the camera is really good.

Hey Eric... Good vid AGAIN! Hanna is gorgeous your'e lucky in SMA we just have Dave!

Pro Tip... if you cut the wire on the key cylinder side instead of the factory side then you can make your connections outside of the car and just clip it in the car. Also you won’t have to worry about losing the the factory side connector if you ever do replace the key cylinder

And he writes.....Eric I had an 89 S-10 Blazer with that exact same system. Right after I got it, I threw the 2k resistor in the glove box....ready for the day it would save my bacon. But you know I drove that little red truck with the big 4.3 daily for 26 years, every place I went, almost 300,000.00 miles worth and when they finally hauled it away for cash on the pound because the body would tilt going around corners and the frame was almost folding in half....salt baby salt....Michigan winters....the bacon...ah...resistor was still in the glove box! I guess I just got lucky! Great video. You take care now ya hear! Jpol.

Really good shop hand, she pays really great attention thats definite awesomeness!

Just a thought... Rather than cut wires on the harness side, I would cut on the ignition switch side. The wires to the ignition lock side are part of the switch. That way is someone replaced the lock it would be good to go with no cut to the wires.

This is of course mandatory for a remote start system... Made a remote start/alarm/door lock/window control install diagram if anyone's interested. It's a viper on a 93 convertible, but good info for other years/models... Fun fact: In 93, Corvette was the first car with optional automatic door lock/unlock, via a antenna loop in the drivers door which sensed the wireless remote. Though you did still have to take the key out of your pocket and do the manual thing to start it...

Always good to watch again.

thanks!!! this video help me a lot ,actually all your video help me a lot! cheers!

One thing for next time, I would suggest cutting the connector on the key side, then you can connect the resistors at the bench. That way all you have to do is go under the dash and plug it in. One other thing I have done is put a label on the wire with the resistor values for future reference, just in case they go bad. Hope I made sense, once again, great video as always and I appreciate the time and effort you put into making the videos.

This video was just what I needed, when I needed it! Fixed my 95 Camaro Z28! No tow necessary!!

Very thorough, thanks for the help and a good chuckle too

Eric - Probably 5 other guys said this already and I don't know if you even read these comments. But, if you ever do one of these again, cut the harness on the lock cylinder side, unplug the remainder and take it over to the bench, solder in your resistor, then take it back and plug it in. Leaves the dash harness whole, you solder at the bench (no burnt carpet for you), and if someone ever does want it to work again, they are going to replace the lock cyl which comes with a new harness anyhow. Cheers, love the channel, keep up the hard work!

Solder the wires to the resistor in the key itself (spare key) and tuck the whole thing up under the dash. Works great and you don't have to go find a resistor.

"Go pedal" and "whoa pedal?" I will find a way to inject that into a conversation soon. :)

WOWZA! ERIC with the video editing software skills (didn't even bump the camera getting back in either by the look of it). ALMOST A SEAMLESS TRANSITION 12:07

Great video. Very easy to follow. This will be my next job on my C4. Cheers mate

Hannah stole the show in this video.! She have such a beautiful smile .!

I LOVE YOU MAN! YOU KNOW YOUR SHIT I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOU😂😉. HOW TO TROUBLE SHOOT & FIX THEM.KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING!!!! DETROIT'S MOTOR CITY STEVE

So many videos I have searched to try and find how to bypass with a resistor gave me almost 20 hours of frustration and wasted RU-vid videos on idiots! Not only did you guide me to fix the problem and actually bypass it correctly you save me a lot of time 10 cool points And two thumbs up

Thank you for this video! It is a big help!!

Nice permanent fix, happy customer and Hannah looks fab !

yep,,,had to do that to my 91` Vett.. but secirity light was not flashing ..so for a hack like me It took a bit to diagnose.. in other words I removed the starter.. bench tested it ...and was pissed ..LOL ..17% on ebay for a pre made plug in resister btpass

Great video I got an Oldsmobile w same issue fixing it tomorrow Thanks for the refresher course I couldn’t remember if it mattered which way the resistor went I guess not Thanks👍👍

Very smart job, happy customer is going to love forever.

did i miss the brake cleaner and reach around segment? lol

97' and newer years with VATS, they can be turned off in the PCM by a tune :) *did it on a 98' TA

Cool. Did a similar thing on my GMC Terrian. Zip tied the only pass key I had inside the column so I can have more keys.

I REALLY LIKE YOUR VIDEOS I HAD BEEN LEARNING ALOT !! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME

Nice job, Eric. I wish i had a helper as good as yours.

Eric, great video. My wife has a 93 C4, and had a very similar issue with it not starting. Back at the time, we took it to a guy locally that is a Vette specialist, and he had the vehicle running in a matter of an hour. It sat at a Chevy dealership back then (2008/2009), because they said it was the BCM, and they were trying to locate one. I heard of this Vette guy from someone at work, and we had it towed to his shop. I just have one question: With the VATS module essentially "always seeing a key in the ignition with this bypass", I wonder if it affects the vehicle's security system from locking the car and I'm assuming as most GM vehicles do, disabling the vehicle from starting. The wife's remote hasn't worked in her car for years, and we just manually lock/unlock the doors. Anyway, just curious about it as it came to my mind as I was watching the video. Great video from you as always!! I enjoy following your channel!!

Excellent Video You covered it great and had a good helper.

I did this to my 92 cadillac. fix worked well for many years

That Wall of Sound is a real throwback. In-dash CD player included.

I remember whenI had a 96 Pontiac G6. When I was a soldier in the barracks in the parking lot a 99 model another soldier had accidentally lock his keys in his trunk when taking stuff out. I saw this happen in the parking lot and since I had an older model of the same car and tried my key fob on his car and it worked! That surprised both of us but at least he was able to get his keys locked in the trunk.

I love your channel saved me a lot of money and time as for them other channels I call them clown videos I prefer ones like yours 100%

Nice! I wish I knew about this a while ago. I had a 2000 Pontiac Firebird with this system. A shop charged me $300 to fix this.

Just for curiosity reasons, why do you use the exact reading from the key vs the corresponding value in the VATS spec? There are 15 of them, this one should be a 1.8k I believe. Not there is anything wrong with your method of playing in the tolerance as long as it starts that is all that matters. If you are unable to locate the value from the key for any reason, like it is damaged, you can make a plugable selector to insert where you pulled the connector and rotate values until one of the 15 works.

can you bring that box of resistors to the valet parking lot at the Hyatt? I need to get you to bypass about 12 cars I left there. Thanks

Hannah is a beauty and she has a great teacher. Thumbs up.

I just had this done to my Caddy. Only we didn't have any resistors, instead we used the spare key. We trimmed the wires back and put the connector back on, then ground the key down a little bit to help it fit in the connector, put they key in the connector, put on some electrical tape it worked. Just in case anyone is ever in a bind.

Had to do this to my 91 T/A. Miss that car. Oh and more Hannah less you. 😜

Gm should have done a recall

Owned a Sedan Deville with this system, drove me nuts. Keys back then were a couple hundred bucks.

The 4th Generation Corvette guys are going to love this video! Come in on a tow truck, going home on its own LOL

Hi Eric How do you find these wire diagrams?

HAHA! how far is the nearest IHOP from Avoca NY?!? Good info Eric for us Chivy guys.

Hannah is so lucky working for a cool guy like you. And if she is interested, she can learn a lot about car repair. Seems like a dream job to me :-) Greetings from Norway

another great video Eric..hope to see some videos on your other channel soon I love both channels..

VATS = Vaultech Automated Targeting System.

You should be wearing a gold chain necklace while working on this car

Lol. I been watching your stuff for about a year on and off. My car finally did this to me and I finally found this video aaaaafter I went ahead and did this fix.

It worked on my 2003 buick rendezvous cxl.... Thanks Eric.

Looked like he took the car audio display inside best buy and installed it in there

Those resistors are handy for "fixing" knock sensors, airbag lights, seat belt pretensioners and more!

Great video. Keep up the great work !

Easy work around. Thanks for the video.