Pontiac Repair: Vat system? 94 grand prix, schrader valve, tire valve

Question
i have a 94 grand prix with a 3.1  today i drove it then got home turned it off. went out about an hour later and it tried to fire but sputtered  like it was miss firing bad then shut off.  I've tried to start in again but it just turns over but will not fire. i thought it may be the fuel pump? but i read another post and the problem with the VAT system almost sounds like it,  i have a 177 thousand on the car, the security light has been on for about 4-5 months and the steering column has been loose for about 5 years.  if it is the wires in the column can a regular person fix this? or do i have to have it towed to a shop. if its the fuel pump is that in the tank and is that a big pain to do?  thanks for the help

Answer
Hey steve:

well it can be a lot of things with that many miles on it. But if the security lamp has been on that would be a place to start. The pass key system on this car will not allow the car to crank so I would think that the security lamp on is a different issue all together. You may have a fuel pump that went bad and yes the pump is in the tank. That engine has a pressure tap on the fuel rail so you can see if it at leat has some pressure it has a schrader valve on it like a tire valve stem. take off the cap and press on the valve and see if it has pressure. It's up by the power steering pump on the rear fule rail it should have a black plastic cap on it. If it doesn't have any pressure that's where I wouls start looking first if it indde has pressure I would look at spark next get a cheap tester at the parts store and check each coil. Once you know what your missing then you can go from there. good luck :}