No Spark After Engine Swap! - Honda Forum / Acura Forum

rhdins · 07-01-2008, 03:51 PM

Lights come on in car, it turns over, but does not start. The check engine light does not come on.

I had a JDM F22B sohc non vtec swapped in for my F22B2. They took all the accessories off the old engine, it's supposed to be a direct swap.

So what should I check? Just electrical connections? I'll check the grounds too. The old engine ran, so I wouldn't think the dizzy and coil went bad in the last couple of days but I guess I will check those too.

What else should I check? Thanks for any help.

MortsAccord · 07-02-2008, 10:45 AM

Use a volt/ohm meter to check for places you should have power when the ignition is turned on.

Hopefully you jsut overlooked something simple

I would start at the ignition system and work my way backwards.

rhdins · 07-02-2008, 03:34 PM

I hope it is something simple too! I plan on checking everything I can, just wondering if there is somewhere specific I should start.

MortsAccord · 07-02-2008, 06:39 PM

Yea I wish I could say that I had to chase down an ignition problem on my car so I could give more support.

I think theres some manuals/wiring schematics in the FAQ/Stickys that you can download and use as a guide.

Also are you sure that the engine isn't 180 out? - just a thought.

clayton · 07-02-2008, 10:02 PM

ecu fuse?

UltraMagneticAL · 07-03-2008, 08:09 AM

does it crank? is there really no spark? did you check? obviously it's not turning over, but does it sound like it wants to? be more specific when you say "no spark"

rhdins · 07-03-2008, 11:10 AM

It does crank, and there is no spark. I had a mechanic put a new engine in it, and it doesn't start and he can't figure out why(he sucks). I have the car now and am going to try to figure it out.

He said he checked and there is no spark. I don't think he checked the coil or dizzy because they were working on the old engine, but I will check those.

So if I turn the key the engine cranks, but that is it. I'm going to look at the car tonight, so I wanted to make sure to know where to start.

UltraMagneticAL · 07-03-2008, 12:15 PM

if your mechanic sucks, how can you believe him if he says there's no spark? unless YOU can physically see that there is no spark, don't tell us there's no spark. because there's a TON of other reasons why a car won't turn over after a motor swap, so we can be pointing you in the wrong direction if you're giving us the wrong diagnosis. do YOU know how to check for spark? if no, read on:

have a friend crank the ignition while you hold a plug wire a few mm from a valve cover nut. you should see the spark travel from the plug wire to the nut. if the stuff was working before the swap, there's a very slim chance something electrical failed. i would check firing order and fuel delivery/return....especially if you're saying that your mechanic sucks.

rhdins · 07-03-2008, 02:08 PM

Thanks for the info. The reason I believed him about the spark is because I figured anyone (maybe not him) should be able to check for spark. I'll check all of that and post back when I find what the problem is.

rhdins · 07-10-2008, 06:52 PM

Still no spark.
I tested the coil, it's good.
I'm getting voltage to the ICM, I had it tested and it's good.
Checked my grounds, and I haven't found any that aren't connected, at least not yet.

What else could it be? If I had a bad ground, would there still be voltage to the ICM? A bad connection to the ECM maybe? Thanks for any help.

rhdins · 07-10-2008, 09:17 PM

Problem solved. The ground on the intake manifold chamber (on the drivers side) wasn't connected at all. Connected it and it started right up. One good thing about this, I read through the whole electrical section of the manual, so now I understand a little bit more about how it works. BTW, if anyone is in Utah County, I can tell you a mechanic NOT to go to. Thanks for the help guys.