gregsenne

1998 Cavalier, 2.2L, 4 door, 5 speed.

My car keys are on a lanyard (bad idea), and yesterday when I got out of the car, the lanyard got stuck to me and it ended up ripping the key right out of the ignition (with the car in the off position but the key still in the car).

This morning, no key will work in my car anymore. I tried all spare keys I have, I even tried channel locks with the key in the ignition and try to force it on, but I stopped before I broke something.

I removed the column cover, and took off the ignition switch (not the part the key goes in, but the part that the wire harness connects to, that the key cylinder turns (the actual switch). Used a flat head screwdriver to try to start the car, but it starts and dies immediately. Because the key cylinder is in the lock position, the Passlock system is telling the BCM that someone is trying to hotwire the car, and kills the power to the injectors.

So to get my car started again, I need to bypass the Passlock 1 system. But how the heck do I do that if I can't turn my key to the ignition position? I know how to normally bypass Passlock, with a resistor, but you need to read the impedance of the wires with the key in the ignition position, which I can't get to.

If nobody knows how to do this, maybe someone knows how that cylinder comes out? I know how to pull the steering wheel, but I've never been down further than that (on that kind of column, anyways)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg

gregsenne

I was able to remove my ignition cylinder by forcing the key cylinder into the lock position with a pair of channel locks. I had to first break the plastic cover off of the key hole, then use channel locks around the metal nut to turn the key. The cylinder now came out.

I tried to drill the lock. My key cylinder is mutilated.

Since the Passlock sensor is a hall effect sensor, I've now blown my chances to get the Passlock sensor to work, since I destroyed the magnet inside the key cylinder (not on purpose). So I unsoldered the resistor from the Passlock circuit board, and tried to solder it in line between the yellow and black wire (with yellow to Passlock module cut), but now I lost the resistor.

So I went out and bought a 2.2k Ohm resistor and wired it in. I can't get the computer to relearn the new resistor value, though. I've read a million and a half how-to's online over this, and here's my biggest problem:

1. Everything I read says that in theft mode, the car will start, stall after a few seconds, and the ANTI-THEFT light flashes for ten minutes (or until the fuel injector lockout cycle completes). Mine flashes a few times then stays on constant. I've left the ignition on for an hour, it still doesn't turn off. What does this mean when it is on constant instead of flashing, and never turns off?

2. I've heard that GM used 10 different value resistors, ranging from 0.5K to 13.6K. Is there a list anywhere of the ten values? It might be easier for me to just buy ten resistors and try them each out.

Thanks for the help.