Cadillac Repair: 97 Deville ( Security System Problem Car May NOT Start ), gm dealerships, keyfob

Question
My Dad Just bought a 97 Deville from a friend and the security light says that there may be problem and it may not start back up.  But the thing is that she had previously tried it the day before and it worked fine. Oh and the remote is not working despite replaceing the batteries.

Answer
Hi Ashley,

        Usually when the security message comes on the car won't start because of a problem with the small wire coming from the ignition lock cylinder. There have been times where I have personally started a vehicle several times without incident when I had to work on it for other problems and it started everytime while displaying that message. There could be a glitch in the computer that can be ignored until it really doesn't start. Your dad could try the other ignition key and see if the message continues to pop up. Or he could try cleaning the key pellet with rubbing alcohol or peroxide...something that will clean but not cause the plastic around the pellet in the key to get damaged.

     As for the remote/keyfob it has been my experience that installing a battery sometimes doesn't fix the problem. He could doublecheck that the battery is installed correctly. Also test the battery with a voltmeter to make sure it is good. The GM dealerships have a special tester that can tell if the keyfob is working when the buttons are pushed. Maybe it is defective and needs to be replaced. The last thing to do is have the car programmed to the keyfob. That is something that the dealer needs to do and while they're at it they can test the keyfob. Bill