Giannie11

i recently got a b20b motor from the jdm shop and swapped my b18a1 out, but wont start. The shop said it was plug and play, nothing but put the motor straight in, true?(even though the b18 is obd1 and b20 is obd2 There has been 3 attempts done:
1) the motor cranked cranked cranked but no start. that happened till the battery died and we tried while jumping the car, cracks but no start.
2) turn the key only heard a click, didnt turn over. messed with the terminals and charged the battery and it started turning over, crank but no start again.
3) same as before, turn key and would click. The only thing that would have the engine crank was if we banged the starter with a hammer and started it. This was a crank but no start again.

The fuel pump is turning on, theres fuel in the fuel rail, but dont know if injectors are works.

We changed the ecu and main relay and the same thing happens.

We ruled out the starter from the car turning over and push starting the car down the road.

09chaplak

getting spark?

Giannie11

distributor prongs and spark wire boot both have a good spark. also the spark plugs look fine.
ecu and wire harness should be fine right?

HondaPartsHero

Year make model?

94dxcoupe

Check your grounds:

Thermostat housing should have an engine harness ground
valve cover to radiator support ground
transmission to frame rail ground.

Giannie11

94 del sol si. had a single cam, swapped a garbage b18a1 into it and swapped that for a b20. im going to have to check the grounds. i found the valve cover ground off but i could have sworn it was on before.

Caoboy

Did you swap the complete intake manifold, distributor, wire harness, and exhaust manifold from the from the B18 to the b20?

Giannie11

everything but the wire harness. the b18 wire harness doesnt work on the b20? how about the ecu?

Caoboy

I'm willing to bet there is your issue.

You need to run the obd1 wire harness and ecu.


Basically, what you are doing, is replacing the longblock with a b20. It's essentially the same. The only plug that you have to extend is the water temp sensor, it goes from the back of the block to the passenger side of the block on the water neck.

Giannie11

were running the b18a1 wire harness and ecu which is obd1. but im not sure if thatll work on the b20?
we took the dizzy, intake, and exhaust mani from the b18.
so does that mean i need a obd2 wireharness, ecu? bcuz the motor is obd2?

Caoboy

You just contradicted yourself.

Transfer all of the components from the b18a1 onto the b20.


All you are doing is replacing the actual block and head.

Giannie11

anybody have any other ideas of why the car isnt starting? only cranking?

v4lu3s

did the car run with teh b18a1 in?

Assuming it did you would have taken it out, then taken the harness and intake manifold off the b18a1 and put the intake from the b18 on to the b20, and then used the known good working harness on the b20. usually you would also at LEAST verify that mechanical timing is good on the b20b, though with the age of that engine replacing the timing belt and water pump would have been better.
it takes fuel, spark, compression and timing to start the engine. you are missing one of those...