My car was stolen a few months ago, and I bought it back to put back together to stock (I had the old motor and stuff from the when I did the swap).

I know the motor runs, and unless I f'ed up the ECU from something the thiefs did, my ECU should be fine.

Here's the details:
93 Del Sol Si (D16 SOHC VTEC)
theives broke the column, unscrewed the tumbler, broke the column lock, and ripped the alarm brain (Viper) down and unplugged it.

As far as I know, they didn't "need" to hotwire anything, because once they got the tumbler unscrewed, they could turn the car on normally, just like they had a key.

The thing that is very strange, is now my fuel pump doesn't come on for 2 seconds after the ignition is turned on EVERYTIME. It will come on maybe 1 out of 5, to 1 out of 10 time, and then sometimes it will come on every time for like 10 times in a row???

I am pretty sure the fuel pump is coming on while I'm cranking as the exhasust smells like gas, but I get no spark. I "could" have a bad ICM in the distributor, but I know I am getting 12V to the distibutor, and the the ign. coil is good.

OK, here's the kicker... I had the car running right after I got the motor back in and it seem to act like a perfectly running motor (I didn't have the shifter installed, so couldn't actually drive it, but it rev'ed up quite nicely). After that, I washed the engine bay, and got the shifter hooked and when I went to start it... Nothing. Just cranked and crank.

Is there some component, that could be cut, or loosened from the theft, that I am missing? I have gone through every connection and fuse that I can see, and nothing makes sense?

Please let me know if any of you have seen a similar deal, and can be like of its you Pfitser valve, or something.

I have a feeling it something really easy, but I just haven't been able to locate it.

Any help will be greatly appreciated,
Adrian

P.S. Sorry for the long post, but I have gone through most all of the details that I think are important... And I hope I am posting in the right forum. Seems like the alarm and stereo guys should know the wiring better than most, so I posted here.

 

There isn't anything that they would have to cut..........Someone broke into mine and almost stole it but they got scared off........PM me if you want to know what to look for.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DOHCsideracing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My car was stolen a few months ago, and I bought it back to put back together to stock (I had the old motor and stuff from the when I did the swap).

I know the motor runs, and unless I f'ed up the ECU from something the thiefs did, my ECU should be fine.

Here's the details:
93 Del Sol Si (D16 SOHC VTEC)
theives broke the column, unscrewed the tumbler, broke the column lock, and ripped the alarm brain (Viper) down and unplugged it.

As far as I know, they didn't "need" to hotwire anything, because once they got the tumbler unscrewed, they could turn the car on normally, just like they had a key.

The thing that is very strange, is now my fuel pump doesn't come on for 2 seconds after the ignition is turned on EVERYTIME. It will come on maybe 1 out of 5, to 1 out of 10 time, and then sometimes it will come on every time for like 10 times in a row???

I am pretty sure the fuel pump is coming on while I'm cranking as the exhasust smells like gas, but I get no spark. I "could" have a bad ICM in the distributor, but I know I am getting 12V to the distibutor, and the the ign. coil is good.

OK, here's the kicker... I had the car running right after I got the motor back in and it seem to act like a perfectly running motor (I didn't have the shifter installed, so couldn't actually drive it, but it rev'ed up quite nicely). After that, I washed the engine bay, and got the shifter hooked and when I went to start it... Nothing. Just cranked and crank.

Is there some component, that could be cut, or loosened from the theft, that I am missing? I have gone through every connection and fuse that I can see, and nothing makes sense?

Please let me know if any of you have seen a similar deal, and can be like of its you Pfitser valve, or something.

I have a feeling it something really easy, but I just haven't been able to locate it.

Any help will be greatly appreciated,
Adrian

P.S. Sorry for the long post, but I have gone through most all of the details that I think are important... And I hope I am posting in the right forum. Seems like the alarm and stereo guys should know the wiring better than most, so I posted here.</TD></TR></TABLE>Nothing to be sorry about, we wish everybody would do the same, no point in post after post telling you to try things you already have tried.

Because of the way they stole the car, I see no reason for them to cut anything under the dash, although, we are talking about crooks not the brightest amongst us, and you say you have checked and the motor did run, and you ran into the not starting problem after you washed the engine bay.

Check this..... pull the spark plug leads and check for moisture, [at the motor and at the cap] and make sure there is no water down in the spark plug wells.

The next time you don't hear the fuel pump, give the fuel pump relay a tap, it is a commom problem with Honda/Acuras for that relay to die a slow and intermitant death, I drove my 94 teg for almost a month having to "tap" the relay more and more, the fuel pump will do the same thing, test it the same way, pull the access panel, [do you have one on the Del Sol] over the gas tank where the pump is mounted and the next time you don't hear it, give the fuel pump cover a "sharp tap" if it turns on, then the problem is the fuel pump, if tapping the fuel pump relay turns it on, then its the relay 94

 

Good info. I was unaware of the slow death for the relays and pump. I can't imagine that to be the problem, since i drove the car every day, and never had a problem with it, but I will check it. Yes the car ran fine with the current, sohc motor, until I washed it, and straightened out the wires under the dash. Everything still looks connected, but still no spark. I don't have any water in the spark wells, and I am checking spark with a plug in the wire to ground.

Does anyone know if the fuel pump comes on EVERY time you turn the ignition on? As far as I know it does, but it makes sense that there would be a pressure switch so that if it had pressure it would just skip that step. Maybe I ma trying to fix one problem that doesn't really exist, but I doubt it. I'm pretty sure it comes on everytime

Also, if the car gets in a wreck, the fuel and spark get turned off, for safety reasons I suppose. Does anyone know where that is done. Does the ECU know when the engine is running or not, and when it isn't running it shuts the two off. Makes sense, but where is that done, the Main relay? Does the ECU have a signal I can check to see if somehow that's open?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DOHCsideracing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Good info. I was unaware of the slow death for the relays and pump. I can't imagine that to be the problem, since i drove the car every day, and never had a problem with it, but I will check it. Yes the car ran fine with the current, sohc motor, until I washed it, and straightened out the wires under the dash. Everything still looks connected, but still no spark. I don't have any water in the spark wells, and I am checking spark with a plug in the wire to ground.

Does anyone know if the fuel pump comes on EVERY time you turn the ignition on? As far as I know it does, but it makes sense that there would be a pressure switch so that if it had pressure it would just skip that step. Maybe I ma trying to fix one problem that doesn't really exist, but I doubt it. I'm pretty sure it comes on everytime

Also, if the car gets in a wreck, the fuel and spark get turned off, for safety reasons I suppose. Does anyone know where that is done. Does the ECU know when the engine is running or not, and when it isn't running it shuts the two off. Makes sense, but where is that done, the Main relay? Does the ECU have a signal I can check to see if somehow that's open?

</TD></TR></TABLE>You didn't say anything about "straightned out the wires under the dash", now I would look under there and see if the alarm had an ign. kill, follow the black/yellow wire from the ign. switch as far as you can, make sure there are no brakes in the wire, [relays installed]

The pump should come on every time you turn on the ign. mine does, but I guess if you turn the ign. on then off and on again real quick it may not, I will try it on my teg today.

I don't know of any "fuel/ign" shut down in Honda/Acuras, the ECU will know if the motor is running or not, if the "wreck" is bad enough to short things out, main fuses would blow. 94

 

my freind had his VW Golf fuel pump die about 1.5 years after he got the car brand new. We thought it was the relays or something, but it ended up the pump just died. He drove it home one night, got it in the next morning to go to work, and it wouldn't start.

 

Update (for those who care...)

After beating my head against the wall for about a week, I finally traced the problem to a bad ignition module.

I don't know what the odds of having an ignition module failing at just the instance after I got it running in the first place, but that's what happened.

I appreciate all of the inputs.
Adrian

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DOHCsideracing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Update (for those who care...)

After beating my head against the wall for about a week, I finally traced the problem to a bad ignition module.

I don't know what the odds of having an ignition module failing at just the instance after I got it running in the first place, but that's what happened.

I appreciate all of the inputs.
Adrian</TD></TR></TABLE>I care, as most of us that try to help do, we like to know if the problem gets solved, and what the problem/fix was, now if somebody asks for help with the same kind of problems, I can suggest, check your ign. module, also when people search, with the same kind of problems as you had, they will find your post. 94

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DOHCsideracing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Update (for those who care...)

After beating my head against the wall for about a week, I finally traced the problem to a bad ignition module.

I don't know what the odds of having an ignition module failing at just the instance after I got it running in the first place, but that's what happened.

I appreciate all of the inputs.
Adrian</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was just about to post that....main relay or ignition module....sorry i didn't see it sooner!!!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rjr162 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">my freind had his VW Golf fuel pump die about 1.5 years after he got the car brand new. We thought it was the relays or something, but it ended up the pump just died. He drove it home one night, got it in the next morning to go to work, and it wouldn't start.</TD></TR></TABLE>He should have replaced the car instead of the pump. my favorite VW site http://www.myvwlemon.com