Hey guys,
Went out to start my 84 H/O yesterday and it wouldn't start. Was turning over but not starting. I hadn't started it for a couple of weeks and with the cold weather I thought perhaps
a) gasline freeze (even though I'd put Heet in it) or
b) the battery seemed a little drained
All power options working as they should (windows, locks etc.), so first I got some fresh gas. Still turning over but not starting. Next tried to jump start it. Still the same condition: turning over solidly, but not starting. Next I sprayed a little starting fluid into the carb (as you may be able to tell, I have a lot of old cars that don't start sometimes so I do have a method). This would get the car running, but just long enough to run off the starting fluid vapors, nothing more. My initial assumption was that perhaps the fuel pump had gone bad & I went home after a string of expletives.
Then this morning I was thinking about it, and recalled that the previous owner told me that the car had an anti-theft device. I looked through the mountain of paperwork I have with the car and sure enough there was a document on the P.A.T. system manufactured by the Tri-Star Corp. Great I thought, this'll tell me how to use it. It does not. It does explain that it will prevent the car from starting "no matter how many times the thief tries to start your car", and also explains that the system is armed as soon as the ignition is turned off. Sounds like my problem, but the documentation doesn't say how to clear or re-set the P.A.T. system. I do have a little key (for lack of a better term) that the previous owner told me goes into a small hole down by the hood release under the dash for the security system, but that he didn't know how to use it and never tried it.
Does anyone have experience with this P.A.T. system and know how to reset it and or use it? Hoping it's just this and not the fuel pump. :shock:
Thanks,
Keith
Went out to start my 84 H/O yesterday and it wouldn't start. Was turning over but not starting. I hadn't started it for a couple of weeks and with the cold weather I thought perhaps
a) gasline freeze (even though I'd put Heet in it) or
b) the battery seemed a little drained
All power options working as they should (windows, locks etc.), so first I got some fresh gas. Still turning over but not starting. Next tried to jump start it. Still the same condition: turning over solidly, but not starting. Next I sprayed a little starting fluid into the carb (as you may be able to tell, I have a lot of old cars that don't start sometimes so I do have a method). This would get the car running, but just long enough to run off the starting fluid vapors, nothing more. My initial assumption was that perhaps the fuel pump had gone bad & I went home after a string of expletives.
Then this morning I was thinking about it, and recalled that the previous owner told me that the car had an anti-theft device. I looked through the mountain of paperwork I have with the car and sure enough there was a document on the P.A.T. system manufactured by the Tri-Star Corp. Great I thought, this'll tell me how to use it. It does not. It does explain that it will prevent the car from starting "no matter how many times the thief tries to start your car", and also explains that the system is armed as soon as the ignition is turned off. Sounds like my problem, but the documentation doesn't say how to clear or re-set the P.A.T. system. I do have a little key (for lack of a better term) that the previous owner told me goes into a small hole down by the hood release under the dash for the security system, but that he didn't know how to use it and never tried it.
Does anyone have experience with this P.A.T. system and know how to reset it and or use it? Hoping it's just this and not the fuel pump. :shock:
Thanks,
Keith
