i resently swapped a 97 ls engine into my 98 civic hatch and it wont run.
the engine was pieced together from many different engines...the list consists of:
95 ls head with 97 ls internals, 97 ls block with 97 internals, 97 itr intake manifold, 96 ls throttle body, 96 ls distributor, ls fuel rail, 97 itr fuel press. reg., 96 ls injectors, 97 ls fuel pump, 97 itr crank pulley, 97 itr exhaust manifold, ls tranny, b16 flywheel, ls clutch, itr starter, i used a single ply of a stock ls head gasket, 96 ls ecu and i modified my stock wiring harness usind a haynes manual for both vehicles.
ive done compression checks(about 200 in all cylinders), ive got spark, ive got fuel(47psi), i set the timing, tried the distributor in every single position, adjusted the valves(.004 in and .007 ex) i checked every sensor on the engine a hundred times, the 3 in the distributor and im stumped!!!
ive had numerous people look at it and weve tried different thing but, still nothing. the engine fires right up and holds a nasty idle and as soon as you touch the throttle in bogs and stalls or misfires
please, please anybody. ive been working on this for over a month now and it is my only mode of transportation. i need to get this thing running!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

YOu have a Check engine light?

 

Timing belt is right and at TDC on both cam and crank pullies? Do you have a friend with a similar distrubtor you can borrow and try? Ditto on the ECU? Any codes? All the grounds are hooked up and have good clean contacts? Any major gaskets (throttle body, intake manifold) that might be bad, loosing vacuum? I'm guessing plugs, wires, cap and rotor are all good? Even with a bad idle, can you check the timing with a timing light? All I can think of right.

 

i pulled a coolant temp sensor and iac. i havent done anything with the sensor but i corrected the iac. i also followed someones advice and moved the a14 pin at the ecu to the a12 position. it seemed to help the idle a little but it still bogs and stalls. i checked all the sensors in the dist. and checked for spar...all good. thanks for the ffedback though, i really appreciate it.

 

Did you check to make sure the cam/crank were in time? Were you able to hook a timing light up and see if set properly? Pull the throttle body and make all the gaskets are sealing and everything is bolted up to where it's supposed to be (no big holes where something's missing). Is it possible the TB's damanged, bad TPS? Can you swap it with a known good one to try? Are you getting any codes from the ECU?

 

coolant temp sensor and iac codes. i corrected the iac code by fixing the splice and moving the a14 pin at the ecu to the a12 position. ive thought about gaskets and vaccum leaks but, would that really keep the engine from running? stuff like that ive ran into in the past just caused an engine light or maybe a higher, rougher idle. the only thing i havent checked on the engine is the map sensor, because i dont have a vaccum pump. i checked the tp sensor as described in the haynes manual. thanks for the feedback, keep em comin,!

 

According to this site (which I haven't tested the info but was planning to follow it for the swap I never did), there may be additional wiring.

http://www.phear7imports.net/subs/btroop/trey/6gen/

Below the ECU pinout info, there is info about CFK plug that needs modified (if your ECU is getting bad info from that sensor, it probably won't run) as well as the IAT and EVAP plugs (might piss the ECU off but should still run).

I still gotta ask, the timing belt is in time and have you tried connecting a timing light and see how close you are to the proper setting (I think 16 degree's advanaced).

 

the timing is correct. the thing thats been on my mind is that i used only a single layer of the headgasket w/ copper spray which raises the comp. ratio to 9.6:1...and ive heard that this can retard the intake cam and distributor timing. i dont have a timing light but, ive always just gone by feel. ill try it though. otherwise ive done all the wiring described in the article except for the evap purge selinoid valve...i am using an itr intake manifold and there is no place for this. somebody told me that this would not affect the engine running because it is only emissions.

 

It may be possible the thinner headgasket is at fault, but I doubt it. It will bring the head down a little bit which may throw the belt off slightly, but probably not enough to affect it this much. I'm assuming both cam gears and crank are all at TDC.

It almost sounds to me like you've got the timing off (crap idle) and there's some sort of vacuum leak (the stalling). If the EVAP isn't hooked up, is the vacuum line it's supposed be attached to plugged with something? All the other vacuum lines are hooked up and solid? I helped a guy install a JRSC on a '99 B16A2 Si a couple of years ago and the throttle body gasket was leaking like crazy and it run like crap till we replaced it.

Did the engine sit for a long time before you got it? Is it possible maybe the injectors have gummed up? Do you have someone else's fuel rail/injectors you can try? I'm running short of ideas so I'm trying to think in a different direction.

 

i am running ls injectors from another engine. but, they are still used. i checked the resistance and they were all good and i visually inspected them...i dont know what else i myself can do. i have been thinking the exact same thing you are...vaccum leak. all the signs point to it. but, i cannot find one if that is the case. i am beginning to think that the throttle position, map or iac valve might be the problem because i dont have a pump to check the map, and because someone gave me the throttle body. im not real confident in the iac valve either because. im running a type r intake manifold with an ls tb and iac. i know its not the perfect setup but, i just didnt think it would cause the engine not to run... its so frustrating because the engine fires up like i just drove it off the lot but, it can only stumble briefly then stall. i think i am going to try a leak down test because i am running the 95 head w/ 97 parts with the exception of the valvetrain and i dont know the condition of the components. it pumped out 200 give or take a couple psi in all cylinders but i still dont know if it is maintaining that pressure or leaking out somewhere. anyways, dont give up on me. your about the only source of support i have left and i really appreciate it!