1995 Oldsmobile 98 3.8 supercharged
1995 Oldsmobile 98 3.8 supercharged
Just bought the car I replaced the fuel pump spark plugs crankshaft sensor I have fuel pressure at the fuel lines but the car only cranks it won’t start I also have spark
Last edited by Jordan2000; Jan 18, 2026 at 03:54 PM.
Since the car cranks it makes me wonder if it might have a fault in the Vehicle Anti-Theft System. The ignition key has a resistive pellet in it, correct? There's a VATS work around. You can disassemble the dash under the steering wheel and solder a resistor inline to "fake out" the VATS module. Has this been done on your Oldsmobile?
Since the car cranks it makes me wonder if it might have a fault in the Vehicle Anti-Theft System. The ignition key has a resistive pellet in it, correct? There's a VATS work around. You can disassemble the dash under the steering wheel and solder a resistor inline to "fake out" the VATS module. Has this been done on your Oldsmobile?
Do you have a factory manual for your Oldsmobile? If not, I recommend buying one. You'll need one to access a wiring schematic so you can do the VATs repair. Here's a supplier where you can get the manual electronically.
https://www.bishauto.com/shop/automotive-literature
I bought an electronic manual for my 96 98. Later I found a paper copy. Traditionally, it's better to get a paper copy so pictures don't loose fidelity. The writing of both was far beneath the writing quality of the manuals for my 71 98, but I suppose that's just a sign of the times.
The VATs key in my 96 98 died. It actually killed all the power to the car. I couldn't even roll up the windows. Since the transaxle died at the same time. I scrapped the car. Here's a video on bypassing the VATs key.
https://www.bishauto.com/shop/automotive-literature
I bought an electronic manual for my 96 98. Later I found a paper copy. Traditionally, it's better to get a paper copy so pictures don't loose fidelity. The writing of both was far beneath the writing quality of the manuals for my 71 98, but I suppose that's just a sign of the times.
The VATs key in my 96 98 died. It actually killed all the power to the car. I couldn't even roll up the windows. Since the transaxle died at the same time. I scrapped the car. Here's a video on bypassing the VATs key.
Last edited by Olds64; Jan 20, 2026 at 04:07 AM.
Years ago it was common for flat rate techs to fix a vats issue by zip tieing a new igntion switch under the dash somewhere with the key in and the vats plugged in. This fooled the computer. The customer continued to use their old key in the column and were none the wiser.
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