Corrosion on the tin contacts - fix costs about $1.50 if you add dielectric grease to the inside of the contacts. problem solved. Problem is not the passlock system or tumbler. there is a wire that connects the ECU to the key tumbler and the contacts are made out of tin which develops corrosion after time. take a wire cleaner, and brush off the contacts and add dielectric grease so it doesn't corrode again. This is why people are reporting that they went in to a dealer, paid 500 dollars and it happened again in a month. DO NOT GO TO THE DEALER.
Passkey 2 Bypass - This fix shows how to fix this on the Grand Am. I've used the same technique on my Impala.
Passlock System Major Design Flaw And How To Fix It - The ignition switch was dissasembled and I looked closely and observed a few interesting things about the PassLock system design.
1) The male connector does not fit securely in the female connector receptacle. It can wiggle up and down and back and forth.
2) The connection is a "blind connection" meaning that during assembly one would not know if the PassLock connector was connected correctly or not.
3) The male and female pins used on the PassLock system are "Tin" plated and subject to oxidation over time. The pins should have been "gold plated."
The grey oxidation was clearly visible under 10X magnification.
4) The Body Computer does not adjust over time for the oxidation that build up on the PassLock pins.
The critical analog PassLock signal drifts depending on mechnical issues, temperature and humidity.
Ok - GM -> The PassLock cat is out of the bag!
What I did about this problem.
I certainly did not take the vehicle to any GM Dealership and get "rear-ended."
I simply hand soldered the three wires (Black, White and Yellow) directly to the PassLock sensor.
The vehicle is repaired and I would like to let GM know that when I sell this vehicle, I will offer a "LifeTime Warranty" on the security system for this vehicle (more than you can do)!
Passlock/VATS Bypass Fix - This site sells a part that will bypass your defective passlock system. You are not alone because many many people have been kept out of thier OWN cars because of this defective system. This part will bypass the whole system so you never have trouble again. It is much cheaper than taking it to a dealer. Worth a look for sure.
This is what I get for buying a Chevrolet, again... the shift interlock on the automatic on my Monte Carlo (same as Impala) stopped working and was replaced at 30000 miles. It went out again a month ago and caused the battery to drain overnight. Turns out it was not requiring the ignition to be completely turned off and the key could be removed partly in the acc position. The security light would come on when the car was started if there was juice left in the battery.
Had to go to Vegas for a flight Returned home today after a week and there is a ticking noise in the dashboard, the security light is still on, and the a/c does not work. Drove it a few miles, restarted it and everything works??? What's with this??? Then went to visit my daughter in Vegas and before heading back to Utah and the next time the headlights start flashing when I start it up. Decided to give it a night's rest and head home tomorrow... hopefully it does not break down in the middle of the desert. Sure not going to replace it with another Chevy.
This problem seems to be some kind of vehicle defect that a lot of us owners share. The same thing happened to me where I noticed one day while I was driving that the security light was on... didn't pay it much mind, but a few days later when I tried to start my car nothing happened. The lights and radio were on, but the the car didn't make a noise when I turned the ignition! I'm trying to do some trouble shooting, so I'm wondering if anyone else who have had this problem noticed their doors were unlocked before tyring to start their car? Maybe the answer can be as simple as locking the car from the outside (which sets the security system) then unlocking the doors and trying again to start the car.
The dashboard Security light comes on while I'm driving, then goes out; no imediate consequence. It will start regularly for about 10 days, but will decide to just not crank when I turn the ignition. I had a new battery installed. It still does it. It's been at the dealership for about two weeks now. They try to get it to do it, but can't yet. No codes are showing up on the diagnostics. When it happens, the lights on the dash go dark. The windows, radio... everything still works though. Help!
Occasionally the car wont start at all, when you hit the key nothing at all happens, no clicking sound or anything at all, except the Information feature will come on and say ( Security )... I have replaced the battery ( did not help ) I know the battery is full of power as all the accessories do function, such as the radio and power windows .. the only thing that wont work when this happens is the starter will not engage at all !!
So far when this happens, I let it set for aprox 30 minutes and then it starts just fine .... WHAT A REAL PAIN IN MY ASS !!!!!!
So if anyone has had this same problem, please let me know if you figured out how to solve it ..
( PS ) >>>The dealer of course has no idea what the culprit could be ... SO WHATS NEW ???
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
This is what I get for buying a Chevrolet, again... the shift interlock on the automatic on my Monte Carlo (same as Impala) stopped working and was replaced at 30000 miles. It went out again a month ago and caused the battery to drain overnight. Turns out it was not requiring the ignition to be completely turned off and the key could be removed partly in the acc position. The security light would come on when the car was started if there was juice left in the battery.
Had to go to Vegas for a flight Returned home today after a week and there is a ticking noise in the dashboard, the security light is still on, and the a/c does not work. Drove it a few miles, restarted it and everything works??? What's with this??? Then went to visit my daughter in Vegas and before heading back to Utah and the next time the headlights start flashing when I start it up. Decided to give it a night's rest and head home tomorrow... hopefully it does not break down in the middle of the desert. Sure not going to replace it with another Chevy.
- Bruce J., Cedar CIty, UT, US