1996 le sabre, where is VATS starter relay?

[William35453]

trying to bypass the VATS system and getting a module from http://www.bakerelectronix.com/products_vats/ , but understand i might have to short the VATS starter relay. any idea where to look? thanks

 

[dcraig1000]

behind the right hand side of the instrument panel

 

[William35453]

thanks dcraig1000, but i can't find anything looking like a relay under the dash on right side. this autoforum below has an answer (#5) that say's . . . "For security reasons, the starter enable relay is hidden deep in the dash and located behind left side of dash, left & above the steering column, & behind IC cluster. It can not be accessed, or even seen from under the dash, so part of the dash & IC cluster must be removed, which makes it a difficult job.'

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1060001#post6868758

I want to bypass this relay since the bloody car has been going into 'security death mode' and shutting me down until i raise the hood, disconnect the pos bat terminal and reset the security. the security light stays on all the time now and i just want to disable it all. anybody got any more info on this before i start tearing into the dash (please!?)

 

[William35453]

well, i'm back to this issue. car ran fine for awhile after replacing battery terminals, but now the VATS is acting up again. i never did find the location of the starter enable relay to bypass. does anybody know where this is? please help.

 

[William35453]

OK, now i learn that this relay is sometime referred to as the "starter theft deterrent relay" as well as the "starter enable relay", but i've googled for several hours with mixed answers - one says under the dash by the steering column, and yes there is a relay there, another says on passenger side under kick pad, and there are FIVE there, and another says under the hood. I bought a wiring diagram today and it says on right side of dash and there is not a relay there. It isn't in the chilton or haynes manuals. Does no one know for certain where this thing is? i guess most of you reading this must not have that blasted VATS.

 

[imidazol97]

I want to bypass this relay since the bloody car has been going into 'security death mode' and shutting me down until i raise the hood, disconnect the pos bat terminal and reset the security. the security light stays on all the time now and i just want to disable it all. anybody got any more info on this before i start tearing into the dash (please!?)

I am familiar with VATS as the vehicle anti-theft system. It uses the ignition key chip resistance to the Theft Deterrent Module to tell the computer that it's okay to turn on the starter enable relay and to turn on the injectors. If the Security light blinks on and off after you turn the key for three minutes, then you have a VATS problem with key chip, broken, wires, etc.

That system also turns off the fuel injectors. Jumpering the starter enable relay won't turn the injectors on.

I am curious how raising the hood and disconnecting the battery would reset that system. I don't know that it would. So I'm wondering if your car has an additional theft system with sensors on the doors and trunk.

The VATS system for the ignition key resistance is widely written up on the net for how to bypass the key part with resistors that replace the leads up to the lock cylinder.

 

[William35453]

thanks imidazol97, i definitely have a VATS problem. removing battery connection and completely discharging the system is a known way to reset the car's cpu. you can also reset the VATS by getting out of the car, closing the door and then locking and unlocking the door several times with the remote door switch. i've also recently learned the starter switch on/wait 10 minutes solution (X3). but, weary of all this, i've finally bought the module to bypass the VATS from http://www.bakerelectronix.com/products_vats/ (good price, better than my time to homebuild) but the replacement module only sends a signal to the brain module to turn on the injectors -- so i've got that solved. BUT that doesn't address the starter issue: i've got to find and bypass the starter enable relay (or, starter theft deterrent relay) so the starter will work. the deterrent relay, is in the circuit before the starter solenoid, and opens if the VATS detects theft (or malfunctions!!!). so, i have to locate that relay and having difficulty with that. gotten conflicting answers as you see from my new post. once i definitely locate that, i've solved the injector AND starter issues. please help if you know where it is located. i've tried tracing the wire back from the starter, but it vanishes into big harness.

 

[imidazol97]

Here's a diagram for your model year. #6 is the relay. I believe the block with a small bundle of wires to it that is hanging on part #8 is the fuses holder on the driver side and the double pronged metal part is the steering wheel column bracket.

Hope this helps.

http://www.genmotorinfo.com/Picture...1994-1999+H,Alarm+System/Anti+Theft+-+GM02021

 

[William35453]

Re: 1996 le sabre, where is VATS starter relay? SOLUTION

Here's a diagram for your model year. #6 is the relay.

yes, i did confirm today that this is the location of the starter enable relay on my 1996 buick lesabre. now how to get to it? here's the trick. i found this youtube video that shows how to access the dash speakers on the lesabre. the thing is, just like the video shows, there are no dash speakers on the 1996 lesabre -- there is just a flat cover over the hole cut for a speaker. now, after removing the top dash cover as shown in the video, it you then pry up and remove this cover plate, the relay can be seen from above, not below the dash, and with a long needle nose pliers, you can remove the nut holding it and pull the relay out on to the top of the dash to cut the wires and short out the relay so that it is out of the loop of the fVATS circuit. now no matter what the VATS does, the starter will still turn over with the ignition switch. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w8udKTwphY[/ame]