My 85 Grand Prix came with a Valet 556T remote start system. It's worked fairly fine for a long time, but recently let me down.
First off, about 2 years ago, it would occasionally not start the fan when I did a remote start. The car would start and warm up fine, but wouldn't blow air. I figured it was a bad connection, but I never found it.
About a month ago, the remote start didn't work. The remote entry worked fine, so I know the unit and the FOBs were communicating. I just didn't take the time to get in there. I'm not sure if the failure was total in that it didn't even turn on the dash lights or not. The car just didn't start.
Anyway, Wednesday night I went to the store and came home. Locked the car with the remote. Thursday morning, went out, unlocked the car with the remote, put my key in, and it won't start. The dash comes alive, but no starter. I've looked under the dash and pulled down the harness and can't spot anything obvious.
As near as I can figure, the Valet unit when it's installed on a car with VATS (the resistor keys) they cut the line to the key cylinder and put in a relay so that when the unit isn't active the security system reads your key, but when the remote start is active the unit triggers the relay and the system sees a resistor that's picked from a kit that the dealer has.
Due to my symptoms, I'm beginning to suspect something around the relay. I mean, if the Valet was pulled out, the relay should still have left the key work for manual start.
But I haven't found the relay yet. It must be tucked WAY up in there. And I'm going to have to separate the bundle to trace the wires. It's a real rats nest up there behind the dash.
Anyway....
Has anyone had any issues with the Valet system? Or know of any other possible failures that this might be?
Just to be quick, I may get up in there and once I find the relay, just pull it out and jumper across the wires to the key cylinder.
Mike