How to Bypass your VATS

[Firebirdjones]

Just wanted to say thanks Orion and Orangeguy for the insight. This is something I'll do for sure. I'm thinking I may even test the keys now and buy the resistors to keep in the car, just in case this ever happens somewhere I can crawl under the dash and get the thing going again.

[theorangeguy]

Just wanted to say thanks Orion and Orangeguy for the insight. This is something I'll do for sure. I'm thinking I may even test the keys now and buy the resistors to keep in the car, just in case this ever happens somewhere I can crawl under the dash and get the thing going again.

No problem...figured i'd post this as well in case anybody does the bypass and wants to play around with changing the alarm after a bypass.

PROGRAMMING THE FACTORY ALARM


ENTERING PROGRAMMING MODE
To program features, the car must be in programming mode.

1) Turn key to RUN position.
2) Turn key to OFF position.
3) Remove the RADIO fuse in the main fuse panel.
4) Turn the key to ACC

You should hear a chime to verify that the system is in the programming mode.
1 chime means you can program Exit Lighting, Delayed Illumination, Last Door Closed Locking and Lock Out.
2 chimes means your car is equipped with Content Theft-Deterrent System so you can also program Remote Keyless Entry Verification, Arming Method, Arming Verification, Driver's Door Delay and Shock Sensor Enable.

EXIT LIGHTING & ILLUMINATION

With exit lighting, your interior lamps will come on for up to 25 sec. when the key is removed.
With Delay Illumination, your interior lamps will come on and stay on for up to 25 sec. when entering the car and up to 5 sec. when leaving the car.
To change the factory setting...
1) Turn the courtesy lamps on by turning the instrument panel brightness control **** all the way up.
2) Count the number of chimes you hear. The number of chimes tells you which mode you are in.
3) Turn the courtesy lamp switch off.
4) Turn the switch on and off until you hear the number of chimes that correspond to the mode you want to be in.

MODE 1 Both Off.
MODE 2 Delayed Illumination Only.
MODE 3 Exit Lighting Only.
MODE 4 Both On.

LAST DOOR LOCKING & LOCKOUT PREVENTION

To change the setting...
1) Press the LOCK switch on the door.
2) Count the number of chimes you hear. The number of chimes tells you which mode you are in.
3) Press the LOCK switch on the door until you hear the number of chimes for the mode you want to be in.

MODE 1 Both Off (Door will lock and unlock when you press the door lock switch)
MODE 2 Lockout Prevention Only (If you leave your keys in the ign. and leave thru the driver's door, you won't be able to lock the doors with the power door lock switch.)
MODE 3 Last Door Closed Only. (If the power door lock switch is used to lock the car while any door is open, you will hear 3 chimes. The doors will not lock until all the doors are closed.)
MODE 4 Both On. (This combines Mode 2 and 3.)

REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY VERIFICATION

To change this setting...
1) Press the UNLOCK button on the remote transmitter.
2) Count the number of chimes you hear. This tells you which mode you're in.
3) Press the UNLOCK button on the remote until you hear the number of chimes that correspond to the mode you want.

MODE 1 All Off. (The head lights will not flash and the horn will not sound)
MODE 2 Horn and Lamps/Lamps (Your horn will sound and your parking lights will flash when you press the LOCK button on the transmitter. Only the parking lamps will flash when you press UNLOCK)
MODE 3 Horn and Lamps (Your horn will sound and the parking lamps will flash every time you press LOCK or UNLOCK)
MODE 4 Lamps (The parking lamps will flash when you press LOCK or UNLOCK)
MODE 5 Lamps/Horn and Lamps (Lamps will flash on the first press on LOCK, your lamps will flash and the horn will sound on the second press on LOCK and the lamps will flash any time you press UNLOCK)

THEFT-DETERRENT VERIFICATION

To change this setting...
1) Press the LOCK button on the remote.
2) Count the number of chimes you hear.
3) Press the LOCK button on the remote until you hear the number of chimes you want.

MODE 1 All Off (No horn chirp or lamp flash)
MODE 2 Horn and Lamps (Your lamps will flash and the horn will chirp twice)
MODE 3 Horn and Lamps/Lamps (If you use the remote to arm the system, your lamps will flash and the horn will chirp twice to verify the system is armed. If it only chirps once, the hatch is open or unlatched. If you use either the power door lock switch or passive arming, only the lamps will flash for verification)

THEFT DETERRENT ARMING METHOD

To change this setting...
1) Press the UNLOCK switch on the door.
2) Count the number of chimes
3) Press the UNLOCK switch on the door until you are in the mode you want.

MODE 1 Alarm System Off (System will not arm)
MODE 2 Remote Keyless Entry Transmitter Lock (When you lock the doors using the remote, the system will arm itself)
MODE 3 Remote Keyless Entry Transmitter/Power Door Lock Switch (If you use the remote or the power door lock switch to lock the doors, the system will arm)
MODE 4 Passive Arming and Remote Keyless Entry Transmitter/Power Door Lock Switch Arming (The system will arm itself after all doors are closed plus arming per MODE 3)

DRIVER'S DOOR ALARM DELAY AND SHOCK SENSOR ENABLE

To change this setting...
1) Turn the parking lamps on and off
2) Count the chimes
3) Turn the parking lamps on and off until you hear the number of chimes you want

MODE 1 Zero Delay and Sensor Disabled (The alarm will sound immediately if the driver's door is opened with your key and the shock sensor will be disabled)
MODE 2 8 Second Delay and Shock Sensor Disabled (The alarm will sound 8 seconds after the driver's door is opened with your key and the shock sensor will be disabled)
MODE 3 Zero Delay and Shock Sensor Enabled (The alarm will sound immediately after the driver's door is opened with your key and the shock sensor will be active)
MODE 4 8 Second Delay and Shock Sensor Enabled (The alarm will sound 8 seconds after the driver's door is opened with your key and the shock sensor will be active)

LEAVING PROGRAM MODE

When programming is done, turn the ignition to OFF and replace the RADIO fuse

[Firebirdjones]

yep you got it...thats exactly what would happen. The alarm would go off, but the car could still be started. I also agree that the odds of somebody having a key to start your car would be pretty slim, just giving an example of what could happen.

The VATS is junk imo...most of the guy who still run the vats will run a kill switch to the fuel pump anyway lol that shows how much they trust it...

Yeah I run kill switches on other stuff (old stuff) I use "keyed" switches that I keep on the key chains for each car. So even if it's found, you still need a key to activate it. Usually to the ignition since most of my old stuff still run mechanical pumps. On cars with electric pumps I run a kill switch to both ignition and fuel pump, both "keyed". So I make it a real pain in the ass to steel
Whats funny is the carbed cars with electric pumps will still start and run (if ignition is enabled) as it will run on the fuel left in the float bowls, but will die before you get out of the parking lot, so they wouldn't get far. I've done that before when I forget to turn the pump on

[theorangeguy]

Yeah I run kill switches on other stuff (old stuff) I use "keyed" switches that I keep on the key chains for each car. So even if it's found, you still need a key to activate it. Usually to the ignition since most of my old stuff still run mechanical pumps. On cars with electric pumps I run a kill switch to both ignition and fuel pump, both "keyed". So I make it a real pain in the ass to steel
Whats funny is the carbed cars with electric pumps will still start and run (if ignition is enabled) as it will run on the fuel left in the float bowls, but will die before you get out of the parking lot, so they wouldn't get far. I've done that before when I forget to turn the pump on

I've done that with motorcycles...turn the fuel to "off" the night before I go riding, hop on it in the morning, start it and get about 1 mile down the road and then it dies. One day I spent a solid 30 minutes on the side of the road trying to figure out what the hell was wrong before I just started laughing to myself over how stupid I was...

[Firebirdjones]

No problem...figured i'd post this as well in case anybody does the bypass and wants to play around with changing the alarm after a bypass.

Good info. Isn't this stuff listed in the manual??
I can't remember what modes are currently in the car, I rarely drive it, but I don't remember horns going off locking or unlocking, and I do remember playing with the modes years ago. I may look into this over the weekend and play with it a bit. Thanks for the info...

[Firebirdjones]

I've done that with motorcycles...turn the fuel to "off" the night before I go riding, hop on it in the morning, start it and get about 1 mile down the road and then it dies. One day I spent a solid 30 minutes on the side of the road trying to figure out what the hell was wrong before I just started laughing to myself over how stupid I was...

I've done that too with things like my generator, or the power washer, not realizing I still have the fuel shut off valve in the "off" position. It's only after my ass is kicked from pulling the rope to start DUH!!!

[theorangeguy]

Good info. Isn't this stuff listed in the manual??
I can't remember what modes are currently in the car, I rarely drive it, but I don't remember horns going off locking or unlocking, and I do remember playing with the modes years ago. I may look into this over the weekend and play with it a bit. Thanks for the info...

No problem...I honestly dont know if its in the manual or not. I've got a PDF version of the manual saved on my home computer that I can look at...I have just about everything involving Fbody's saved on my ipad so I can just go to specific bookmarks and documents if I have a specific item I need to look at. Comes in handy in the garage because im usually streaming music on it anyway.

[Firebirdjones]

Just ohm'd my key and get a consistent 11.72

So I believe I'd need a resistor of 1172 resistance.

[0rion]

looks like you have #5 on the list:
4th Gen LT1 F-body Tech Articles

get gold band resistor(s) and get it as close to that 1130 as you can.

[Firebirdjones]

looks like you have #5 on the list:
4th Gen LT1 F-body Tech Articles

get gold band resistor(s) and get it as close to that 1130 as you can.

10-4 thanks. I think I'll keep it to one resistor rated just under that 1130 or as close as I can find one, and then file it until I reach exactly 1130. Much easier to deal with one resistor when it breaks down, and also easier to solder that into place rather than 3 or 4 of them.
I'll hit Radio Shack tomorrow and see what I can come up with.

[0rion]

If it were me I would get 2 or whatever it takes and pre-solder them to that 1130 rating. There has to be a little wiggle room in there because even at 1130 with a 5% resistor you could technically still see 1073.5 which is below the minimum range. The only way to stay completely inside that range is to get a resistor with less than 5% tolerance and those are probably not as easy to find as gold band. I just used gold and put it right on my median and it's been good for about 10 years now.


color code chart in case you wanted to hunt down a lower tolerance resistor:
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_5/chpt_2/1.html

[Firebirdjones]

If it were me I would get 2 or whatever it takes and pre-solder them to that 1130 rating. There has to be a little wiggle room in there because even at 1130 with a 5% resistor you could technically still see 1073.5 which is below the minimum range. The only way to stay completely inside that range is to get a resistor with less than 5% tolerance and those are probably not as easy to find as gold band. I just used gold and put it right on my median and it's been good for about 10 years now.


color code chart in case you wanted to hunt down a lower tolerance resistor:
Resistor Color Codes : Color Codes - Electronics Textbook

Hmm, with a 5% tollerance the recommended 1130 resistor would actually swing below the low side of that chart (1085 low and 1195 high) 1130 minus 5% is 1073.5, below the 1085 low number, while the high side is still well below 1195... 1130 plus 5% is 1186.5.

If I bump up the nominal number to say....1140 nominal, then I get 1083 low and 1197 high when you figure in a 5% fudge factor. So I'm only slightly below and slightly above the limits rather than being drastically lop sided to one side of the scale.

So it would seem the 1130 wouldn't be a good choice, and maybe 1140 would be better to shoot for??

[0rion]

right.....I think like 1138 gets you the closest but that's why I say there's got to be some wiggle room in there because I put mine dead on that median with gold band and in over 10 years not one issue. The other answer is to get a lower tolerance resistor but not sure how easy that would be to find. You could always look around though and could probably definitely order them from the web. My opinion though is still just to put it on that 1130 with a gold band and call it done.

[jodmari]

I know theres a chart with the 15 pallets but still cant figure out mine the key reads 5.98 @20k what would be the resistance I would need.

[Cutlass]

Key #12, 6000 ohms resistance.

[jodmari]

o.k got the resisters to add up to 5.98 should be good right but nope have the same situation as someone else had in this forum tracked down the orange harness coming from cylinder with the two white wires going into the purple/black unplugged it and car still starts even with out the bypass hooked up.i am the second owner of this car bought it with 3000 miles this is the first time the security light has ever come on don't think the previous owner had to do a vats bypass. this all started after doing a few bolt ons (lth's y-pipe flowmaster,egr,air pump o2's) deletes/frost tune.i can see the orange sleeve from where I unplugged it up to near the cylinder looks all intact no splices or anything like that, now what, gess just take out the bulb and carry the resisters in the glove box or maybe just do the bypass anyway with bulb removed.i know the cylinder is worn because if the key is not all the way in when exiting the car you can still lock the doors instead of getting the chimes that the key is in the ignition.but besides all this the car should not start with the vats unplugged.so what up with that

[jodmari]

o.k check the key again has 5.99 meter set at 20k unplug the whites wires put key in ignition check with meter has no reading check it with key at all positions still nothing so went ahead an did the bypass anyway then took the cluster apart and removed the bulb from the circuit board .weard

[CORYSTA]

Did the VATS Bypass and car still won't start with the security light flashing. Replaced the BCM and it ran for a day. WTH?!?!?!?! Need help, PLEASE!!!

Here's a more complete story.
Help Please!!! Has VATS Bypass, New BCM and won't start - LS1TECH

[0rion]

the first thing I would do is pull that alarm/remote start out of there and make sure you're starting with stock connections. You said you wired on the other side of the bcm? Was that for the vats or the alarm? I'm guessing alarm because vats is controlled by the bcm and it would need bypassed there. Those alarms are pretty particular about how they're wired in so I would do it by the book. Like I say....I would go back to stock and get the bypass working like it should then start the alarm install from the beginning and do it right. My guess is that you have a loose wire somewhere or a wire that's hooked up wrong. Read this thread to make sure you're going across the correct wires for vats and make sure you're using the proper resistors. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Not sure I can be a ton of help without having it in front of me but I'll try.

[CORYSTA]

the first thing I would do is pull that alarm/remote start out of there and make sure you're starting with stock connections. You said you wired on the other side of the bcm? Was that for the vats or the alarm? I'm guessing alarm because vats is controlled by the bcm and it would need bypassed there. Those alarms are pretty particular about how they're wired in so I would do it by the book. Like I say....I would go back to stock and get the bypass working like it should then start the alarm install from the beginning and do it right. My guess is that you have a loose wire somewhere or a wire that's hooked up wrong. Read this thread to make sure you're going across the correct wires for vats and make sure you're using the proper resistors. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Not sure I can be a ton of help without having it in front of me but I'll try.

Thanks. Yea my next step is to pull all of the connections from the viper. I already the remote start connections from the ignition wires and nothing.

In the link above in the first post I've got pictures of my VATS bypass.

In wiring past the BCM I was referring to the door locks. I tried going past the BCM input and straight to the output.

Oh and one of the first things I did was check this thread. I read through 3/4s of it.