I have a 2000 Chevy Impala and it seems that every now and then when I try to start the car the security feature activates and I have to wait 10 mins to try to start it again. On some occasions when the 10 mins are up and I try to start it the feature reactivates and I wait another 10 mins. This actually happened on a ferry ride and I held up the offloading of vehicles. My question is, Will a remote starter installation alleviate this issue? If not. What can I do?
Thank You
If anything, the remote starter installation will just make the problem worse. You need to find a good independent mechanic who is knowledgeable in repairing/removing the security feature. I vote for removing the security feature completely. Bear in mind it must be done correctly or you will have bigger headaches on down the road.
GM vehicles from that era are known for their lousy ignition switches giving the symptoms you describe. Any mechanic who has done a lot of work on GM cars (dealer maybe?) should be able to diagnose that in minutes. Changing out the ignition switch gets it going again.
Thanks for the replies. I just spoke to a local mechanic that use to work for GM. He stated that GM had a bad habit of installing the ignition switches with extremely brittle wires. If one of these wires develop a short then this problem will arise. His suggestion was to replace those wires. Do not override the security feature because, missleman, you are correct I will have greater issues. Thanks to you 2 for the help!!!
Rev
Does your key have the little resistor on the side of it? I have heard that these change value and that will keep the car from starting. Do you have another key? If so try it when the problem occurs. If it is not the key then it is more than likely the ignition switch.
This system does not have the resistor. I did find some more interesting information. Please forgive the long post but I believe it will help others that have this issue. I found this while searching the issue, spoke to my mechanic an he will try it at no cost to me to see if it solves it because he has had several calls on the issue.
"This letter is addressed to General Motors.
Why are many of your vehicles experiencing vehicle “security light on” (random events) and “vehicle will not start” (random events)?
My 2003 Impala has experienced these issues over the past 2 years. The “security light on” (who really cares) but the issue with the “vehicle not starting” is really serious.
I have investigated many difficult problems in my lifetime… I like to explore things fully!
I have vast experience in Electronics, Engine control management systems and Auto repair.
Currently, I am working as an Embedded Software Engineer.
I have fully investigated the PassLock II issues “online” and have found such a large number of complains directly relating to my complaint.
What is staggering, is that many times, consumers take their vehicle to a certified GM dealership and pay for the repair (I’ve seen up to $450.00 posted).
A day or a week later the problem comes back…
Many consumers have simply defeated or by-passed the PassLock system. The information and kits are available by doing a simple search.
I would like 1% of the money GM dealerships have extracted from consumers regarding this issue!
Now here is some interesting news for GM and their dealerships.
I have personally investigated my PassLock problem from a serious technical view point.
The dash was tore apart and eventually, I was able to remove the ignition switch which has the Pass Lock (magnetic sensor system) mounted in it.
The ignition switch was dissasembled and I looked closely and observed a few interesting things about the PassLock system design.
The male connector does not fit securely in the female connector receptacle. It can wiggle up and down and back and forth.
The connection is a “blind connection” meaning that during assembly one would not know if the PassLock connector was connected correctly or not.
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|.
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)!
So what is GM doing? Well, the Dealerships are collecting a lot of money from us’. They, the Dealershipsr are simply replacing the sensor ($150.00).
Can all of these sensors be going bad? The answer is no…
When the sensor is replaced the oxidation on the female connector pin is temporarily scraped and makes a better connection. Three years down the road (guaranteed!) you will be up against the same issues.
So the “root cause” of this failure and GM’s inability to permanently fix this problem is now understood.
When consumers are installing bypass kits they are not bypassing the Body Computer or the three required signals to the Powertrain Controller (Class II serial communications, Fuel Enable and Crank Enable) they are bypassing the sensor and the connector. The problem is with the connector and its pins!
OK -> GM and Dealerships wake up and return all of the money you’ve swindled from us! You use technology against consumers and we are sick and tired.
GM, I’ve seen your last quarterly report and it looks like “we the consumers” in “North America” will not have to be dealing with you for very much longer.
I wish you all the best of luck!"