1995 Oldsmobile 98 3.8 supercharged

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Old Jan 18, 2026 | 03:49 PM
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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.
Old Jan 18, 2026 | 04:06 PM
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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?
Old Jan 18, 2026 | 06:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Olds64
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?
it has not done that and it has the original key. I heard something about this, but the security light doesn’t stay on with that have anything to do with it and do you have a video or a tutorial on how to do that?
Old Jan 19, 2026 | 08:12 PM
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Do you have any other suggestions on what it could be and do you have a video to help with the step that you told me about?
Old Jan 20, 2026 | 03:59 AM
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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.


Last edited by Olds64; Jan 20, 2026 at 04:07 AM.
Old Jan 20, 2026 | 05:33 AM
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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.
Old Jan 20, 2026 | 06:03 AM
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I had a 93 Buick LeSabre and the VATs key failed. I installed a new ignition cylinder and a resistor inline as described in the video. The car continued to work great until I enlisted in the Army.
Old Jan 20, 2026 | 07:48 PM
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Thank you so much I will be trying this. I als wagged go say the does crank and the security light doesn’t stay on, but it does blink
Old Jan 21, 2026 | 04:13 AM
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If your security light blinks it very well could be your VATs module. Do the repair mentioned above and let us know how it goes.
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