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Help! My car won't start!; After changing engine compartment harness, won't fire
Topic Started: Sep 17 2015, 05:50 PM (1,717 Views)
freegeo
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danielnv
Sep 19 2015, 10:12 AM
I have more info on the wire harness. It is out of a 96 with 1.3 engine like mine, automatic, and only 89k miles. Seller is saying to check my grounds into the engine, so I guess that would be the two near the starter. Will check after work.
That matches your car. You have a 1.3 with auto trans?

On the back of the intake there are 2 sets on ground wires that need to be bolted on. Thee are grounds for the PCM and sensors. If that is not hooked up your engine wont start. Check your other ground connections while you checking those too.
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danielnv
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freegeo
Sep 19 2015, 10:38 AM
danielnv
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I have more info on the wire harness. It is out of a 96 with 1.3 engine like mine, automatic, and only 89k miles. Seller is saying to check my grounds into the engine, so I guess that would be the two near the starter. Will check after work.
That matches your car. You have a 1.3 with auto trans?

On the back of the intake there are 2 sets on ground wires that need to be bolted on. Thee are grounds for the PCM and sensors. If that is not hooked up your engine wont start. Check your other ground connections while you checking those too.
Mine is a 5 speed, but seller said the wire harness should work for either one.

I bolted on those ground wires to start with, but will check them and make sure they are clean. I guess I need to take a wire brush to them.
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danielnv
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I have removed and replaced the 2 grounds to the intake manifold. I also removed the battery ground cable that came with the harness and put my original one back on. I have continuity between the battery negative and both grounding bolts at back of intake manifold, and both bolts at the ends of the battery cable, as well as the back of the engine and front of engine near spark plugs. Still doesn't even try to start, other than making some beeps and I hear the fuel pump run for a couple of seconds or so.
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David95237


The automatic harness has a neutral safety switch built in the harness. that might be your problem. Do you have a connector that isnt used by the transmission?
Edited by David95237, Sep 19 2015, 05:11 PM.
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danielnv
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David95237
Sep 19 2015, 05:07 PM
The automatic harness has a neutral safety switch built in the harness. that might be your problem. Do you have a connector that isnt used by the transmission?
Hmmm. I hope there is a way to get around it? That might be what one or more of the extra connectors are for.
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David95237


If you had the switch from the automatic, You could plug it in and have it in park.
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freegeo
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On a auto car the VSS is in the trans, in a manual the VSS is in the cluster. You may end up with driveability issues once you get it running.
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hdsheena
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Still new, but learning...

I just did an auto to STD swap on my car and had lots of fun with the wiring. I agree it sounds like park neutral. If you find the connector, its a square one in my car with about 12 pins.. Two are big, and they're the two you want to jump to start the car.
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danielnv
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hdsheena
Sep 20 2015, 10:22 AM
I just did an auto to STD swap on my car and had lots of fun with the wiring. I agree it sounds like park neutral. If you find the connector, its a square one in my car with about 12 pins.. Two are big, and they're the two you want to jump to start the car.
Thank you! I ran a jumper wire as you mention, and the car is trying to start now! But she still won't start, even though I just recharged the battery to 100%. I think maybe the engine is cranking, but not getting a spark?
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ptcapboy


you can take off the coil wire and see-just set it on something and observe it through the gap in the hood while you turn the key-
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danielnv
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ptcapboy
Sep 20 2015, 03:33 PM
you can take off the coil wire and see-just set it on something and observe it through the gap in the hood while you turn the key-
If that's the wire that goes to the center of the distributor cap, I'm pretty sure there is no spark. :(
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ptcapboy


danielnv
Sep 20 2015, 09:23 PM
ptcapboy
Sep 20 2015, 03:33 PM
you can take off the coil wire and see-just set it on something and observe it through the gap in the hood while you turn the key-
If that's the wire that goes to the center of the distributor cap, I'm pretty sure there is no spark. :(
yep that's the one-hope you get it figured out soon-changing the harness isn't a job I would like to tackle-
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danielnv
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hdsheena
Sep 20 2015, 10:22 AM
I just did an auto to STD swap on my car and had lots of fun with the wiring. I agree it sounds like park neutral. If you find the connector, its a square one in my car with about 12 pins.. Two are big, and they're the two you want to jump to start the car.
Did you have problems getting a spark also, after you jumper-ed those two pins ?
Edited by danielnv, Sep 21 2015, 07:42 PM.
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danielnv
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I compared wire harnesses and found a wire for a vss speed sensor on the blue connector by the ecu that went to one of the green ones on the ecu, and I have transferred that one to the new harness in my car. There is also a wire on the blue connector that is for an upshift indicator, but the other end seems to go to the engine side of the harness somewhere. Not sure if these would stop me from getting a spark, but it's progress.
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danielnv
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I found a wire connector on the ecu plug that was also for the up shift indicator, so I spliced into it and used a wire nut, so it will now connect all three places I found on my old harness. But I still don't have a spark.

Is there any reason I can't run a wire straight to the coil, with a switch on the dash?
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