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How not to fix a car

Car key is jammed in the ignition. Engine won't start. We've had ongoing problems with the VATS for the last year or so. This is a common problem in these cars. Obviously that problem has progressed to jamming the key in the barrel.

           

So I embark on a 2 hour adventure to remove the kick-plate, intercept the wiring from the ignition and bypass the feed into the VATS chip with the appropriate resistance to fool the anti-theft system. Pretty technical stuff. 

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_can_you_bypass_the_VAT_device

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f6/how-bypass-your-vats-61262/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKfn7J9CeZM

There's a lot that can go wrong here so not something I would undertake without a good reason. Think airbag.

In the end I successfully completed the operation and for the first time in over a year the security light goes off. The VATS chip is happy. 

But the engine still won't start.  I reassemble everything and put the kick-plate back in place in the hope that that will help. No joy. 

It's then I do something I should have done at the beginning. Set aside my assumptions and check for the obvious. Oh hell. No. I didn't. Talk about stupid. 

So it turns out I didn't need a degree in electrical engineering, a multimeter, soldering iron and 2 hours to fix. Would have been easier just to move the transmission to Park. Yes. I do deserve a medal.

Stay tuned for the sequel. How to change a light-bulb by rewiring your house.