The resistor in my key is 1.5k ohms. In an effort to bypass an intermittent security problem and saving the cost of a new key cylinder, I am thinking of cutting the security sensor wires from the key cylinder and hard wiring a 1.5k ohm resistor between them. Has anyone done this? Would it work?
i have a friend who did this to his chevy and has had problems with it ever since.trust me when i say don’t do this.what ever it costs to have it done professionaly is worth the money trust me.
I would not be surprised if you can find a proper key via a local locksmith for far less than the dealer wants to sell them for. You may also want to check on the web to see if you can get a blank that way if the locksmith does not have access to one.
Those security systems are flaky enough without adding something like a home made fix to the mix.
Update:Up to now, I couldn’t find anyone to explain why the security light came on while I was driving. As I was told, the system tests itself and when it finds a problem, sets off the light. This then gave me to courage to try the fix. I located, under the dash, the wires from the key to the under dash junction box conection. I cut the wires in such a manner to ease reattachment if the fix failed. I left the wire connetors in the junction box and simply installed the resistor as a jumper. Luck is with me. IT WORKS, and has for the last week. If something should go wrong, I can simply remove the resistor jumper, join the wires, and revert back to the original setup.
You may not need to do any cutting. There will need to be a connector of some type between the lock cylinder and security system. Usually, there is a short pigtail from the lock cylinder terminating along the steering column. Disconnect and insert resistor into the connector pin sockets on the harness end going to the security system box (not the lock cylinder end, of course). You want a temperature stable resistor type with small enough leads. For example: 1/8W metal film in 1% tolerance. I ran one like this for >5 years before I got rid of the car.
The PassKey system on my '97 LeSabre started acting up a few months back as well. I thought about attempting to bypass it… but once I got in there, basically all of the wires in the ignition key cylinder had become brittle and cracked, so all of it needed to be replaced.