1994 Buick LeSabre Logo
Anonymous Posted on Oct 24, 2011

How do I disable the vats on a 1994 buick lesabre, this is the one i replaced the steering column

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  • Master 743 Answers
  • Posted on Oct 25, 2011
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If your column came with a VATS key you can take your old key for the resistance value and the VATS key that came with the column to a lock smith. Have the lock smith cut a copy of the key that fits the column, but use a blank that has the correct resistance as your original key.

Or,
There would have been two small wires in an orange sleeve coming out of the column. There is a small black plug on the end that plugs into the main harness. The wires coming from the column mau be white, yellow or even black.
(I tried to post this with a pic but it would not post.)

Since you're going to bypass the key's resistor cut off plenty of the wire coming out of the column.

You will need a multi meter to measure the key's resistance.
with a lead on each side, measure the resistance of the pelet in your old key.

There are 15 different values,
1_ 402
2_523
3_681
4_887
5_1130
6_1470
7_1870
8_2370
9_3010
10_3740
11_4750
12_6040
13_7500
14_9530
15_11801
Yours may not exactly match one but should be very, very close to one of them.

Go to an electronics store and purchase the resistors needed to equal the value. You may not get exact but it just needs to be close. For instance, if you need 887ohms, 880 will work.

If more that one is used connect the resistors in series (I'll try to type a diagram of what it should look like Don't know if it will post right though). Then one end of the resistors to one wire, the other end to the other wire of the plug you cut from the column. (you can solder or twist them together eal well and tape them)

Plug the resistors into the main harness and you should be done.

Diagram of what it should look like.

Plug Wire1----[resistor]----[resistor]----Wire2 from plug
It should pretty much be a loop.

  • Anonymous Oct 26, 2011

    Thanks Mike, as it turns out the owner of the car is going to take care of the key issue, thank god:). I appreciate the help with this, I am a little out of practice but all went well and my friend has her car back in just a weeks time instead of 6 months. That is how long it would have taken if her son had gotten around to fixing it.

  • Anonymous Oct 26, 2011

    Glad to be of service. Especialy to someone that has thoughtful words like you. Around this place they are far and few between. You're one in a million Barbara.

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