Okay here's the problem. Last Friday I ran my B16 (OBD1) and it was fine. I swapped it out into a 95 DX over the weekend and now we have electrical problems. The motor rotates but won't start. The distributor should be fine since I never pulled it off from the B16. Checked the fuel pump to see if that was not working but it was fine. Then checked the Main relay (per thread) and swapped it out. Everything is grounded that needs to be grounded and we rechecked the electrical work. We checked if there was any spark coming out from the plugs itself and there were none. Question is: There's gotta be something wrong with the electricals that power the distributor off of the chassis of the DX since the B16 ran in my old car. The DX had died out before with the same problem. So now I have a d15 motor that probably works fine sitting out. I thought it was the engine but it isn't. Can somebody help me figure this out? Has anyone ever had this problem before??????

 

Which engine harness are you using? The DX harness or the B16 harness?

 

...and what ECU are you using?

 

Nevermind, I just read your post again and it made more sense to me. You need to test continuity from the ECU connector to the distributor harness. You need an electrical diagram and a volt meter. I have the diagram, and it's posted on the end of my civic CX page. I could post a URL to that photo to display it here, but it would be a nuissance to 56k'ers to take a half-meg hit for reading this thread. The CX URL is in my sig. It has a diagram that gives ECU pin numbers and wire colors for all connected electrical systems in '92-'95 CX, DX, LX and Si models. It designates the differences between models/years, too. Pretty handy.

Anywho, if you don't get continuity from the ECU pin to the distributor harness, then you need to trace that wire, find and repair where it's broken. Inspect the connectors on the harness for damage or corrosion.

PS: it's always good idea to pack the engine connectors with dielectric grease after separating them. Especially if they're dry or if you've cleaned them before. The stuff the factory put in doesn't last forever. But if they're still nice & gooey, let it ride.

 

two threads on teh same topic? check your other post to see what I said...

 

oops..heh heh, sorry about that. How exactly do I check continuity from the ECU pin to the Harness? Super noob question but it's my first time.....

 

Use a voltmeter, set to test resistance (impedence). Put a wire on the pin of the engine harness that you want to test (so you can get inside the car with the voltmeter), and with the ECU connector unplugged, probe the pin on it designated by that wiring diagram and see if the voltmeter moves. If it doesn't move, there's no continuity. If it does, you're fine. Test all the wires you can.

If that doesn't make sense to you, find some old guy somewhere that knows electricity, and ask him how to test continuity. He might be able to explain it better than me.

 

Thanks! A bunch of computer science majors and pre-meds and nobody wanted to do Electrical Engineering. Kinda sucks. We're just a bunch of nerds who like fast things I guess...lol

 

i have the same problem and no one can figure it out

 

You can also buy continuity testers at just about any auto parts store. They're not the same as 12v test lights, but they're similar. You'll need one that's got its own power source built in, and that's why a voltmeter or multi-meter works well for this. They're under $15. Some continuity testers are under $5. You could make your own, but I won't get into that. You have an electrical problem, and if it's not a damaged harness, replace your distributor with one from a running car and see if that helps.