QuestionHi Rob,
First let me take a moment to say thank you for all that you do for the people out there. I was reading alot of old posts and see that some people just don't appreciate someone who is willing to share knowledge.
I have a 97 Catera that I just bought last weekend. I had it towed on a trailer about 40 miles because of a possible fuel pump issue. It had no battery in it when I got it, so the battery was out for more than a week. I put a new battery in it. I used starting fluid to diagnose fuel/spark. It wanted to start with the starting fluid so I proceeded to replace the fuel pump. While doing that, I noticed no power coming to the leads for the fuel pump, so i replaced the fuel pump relay too. When i tried to start it after this, I had determined there is now no spark. I had it towed to the repair shop for diag and repair. They ran the codes and came up with a 1503 anti theft code. They state that there is a mismatch between the key and ignition. That made me remember that I had found an old ignition switch in the trunk. It seems that everything electronic in the car is working great. would disabling the anti theft take care of this issue? if not, is there an easy way to reset the anti theft system?
Thank you for taking time to help all of us out here trying to fix our cars our selves.
David
AnswerHello David,
According to my information you Caterra has a PKIII transponder system.
Just a friendly word of warning NEVER use starter fluid on one of these vehicles, you can literally blow the cylinder heads off the engine!
You state you found an ignition switch in the trunk. My question would be; did you find the ignition lock cylinder or the electrical ignition switch in the trunk? There is a big difference between the two. The lock cylinder is the mechanical way of actuating the electrical ignition switch which actually starts the engine.
It could be that someone changed out the ignition lock cylinder without coding a new key electronically.
Commonly when there are no keys for a vehicle at an auto auction, they dispatch someone to make a key or change the lock with a key cut to that lock only to unlock the vehicle and to put the ignition in the ON position. Rarely do they care if the electronic code for the keys are electronically matched to the computer to start the engine because they lack the electronic scanner to program the key.
The point being, all that is needed is for the mechanical key needs to work.
I have seen this on many occasions with salvaged vehicles and in your situation if there is another lock cylinder, this is what happened.
There are two different ways to code the keys electronically. One is by the owner who has both original keys. A key is inserted into the lock and rotated to ON for 5 seconds. The second original key is now inserted. Now the third key blank is cut to operate the lock and put in the On position for 5 seconds and is now programmed as a third key.
Programing a key electronically without the two original keys. The person needs to cut the key to operate the lock mechanically. In fact, he needs to cut two keys because the old keys are going to be erased. The tech II scanner or equivalent is plugged in to the OBDII port (Where you got your trouble code from under the dash). The tech II is now used to program the 2 key blanks to the computer.
I do not have access to a car this old to know what your error code means and the Tech II should show the problem, but my guess is that you are trying to start the engine with a key not electronically programmed to operate the vehicle.
Have someone with the tech II scanner a dealer has or a "T" code or Code Seeker (after market scanners automotive locksmiths have sometimes) and have your keys electronically programmed and I would bet this will fix your problem.
There is no other way I am aware of to program a key electronically for your vehicle.
The ignition lock has nothing to do with your anti-theft system other than to rotate the lock mechanically. What is important is the chip in the key itself if not programmed to start the engine.
Let me know how this works for you.
If my answer has assisted you, please do not forget to rate my answer. Thanks.
Rob
http://www.autotheftexpert.com
