So i'll keep this short and sweet. My insurance is going through my car after it was found in a dark alley. New ignition switch is basically all that was needed. The mechanic told me that it will start but won't stay on. I had no kill switches so that's not the issue.

I did have a D.E.I. Clifford alarm (came with the car) that was ripped out. Would this cause the car to not start now. I don't know if it was an imobilizer but I figured since it was ripped out it's not hooked up. The guy who called me said.. well it's prob the distributor then. Which I think is highly unlikely since previous to the theft there was never a problem with engine at all.

Any ideas?

 

is the engine light on, little orange light on the dash.. because my engine light sometimes comes on but thats just the dodgy wiring undernieth my steering colum..
it will crank but wont start if the light is on..

 

after my car was stolen i couldn't start it either... i found out that they snipped my wires on my siren, so the alarm was going off silently... so i just re wired it and it started... hopefully it's that easy for you...

 

well they actually cut the brain out of the car. So I'm trying to brainstorm on what the issue might be....

 

up for some help.

 

there may be an open circuit. the alarm sometimes cuts into the ignition power wire. so you wont get power to the coil. Tell your mechanic to check for 1) Compression. 2) fuel, 3) Timed spark, timing is key, if its not timed, there may as well be no spark.

Now, if you have those 3 basic elements the car should run. If it doesnt, start to check things like crank sensor or in extremly rare situiations, the temp sensor (the temp sensor reads something like -40 all the time, and it floods the engine)

good luck, and I hope that helps.

P.S. is the computer still there?

 

Yeah the ECU is still there, I can't imagine why they would want a LS one anyways. The insurance adjuster said that to me as well. I'm reading up on alarms and on the DEI site for other stuff too. More then anything I just want all this hassle over.

Added:Just talked to the mechanic and I know they aren't the best authority on alarms systems they are mainly motor/body guys. He said that it is getting fuel but no spark so I mentioned to him about the alarm being wired to the ignition. He keeps saying it is the distributor but I can't IMAGINE why that would be an issue. Even if they cut wires to the fuel/ignition it wouldn't make that go out. Unless I'm totally wrong...

I'm temped to have it towed/taken out of there and to someone who knows wiring better.




Modified by JoE99Integ at 5:02 PM 1/2/2007

 

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Perhaps the starter disable was wired to disable the ignition. Check for power at the distributor.

 

If there is no power at the distributor where would I look to fix that? I mean would the wiring still be in the same general area (ignition switch wiring?) or somewhere else.

Thanks for all the info guys

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JoE99Integ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If there is no power at the distributor where would I look to fix that? I mean would the wiring still be in the same general area (ignition switch wiring?) or somewhere else.

Thanks for all the info guys</TD></TR></TABLE>

It would have been modified under the dash if the installer connected the starter disable to cut the ignition power. The first step is to confirm if no power to the distributor is the problem. Have you checked the fuses yet?

 

First of all, your mechanic is an idiot so get the car away from him ASAP. This problem is extremely basic, unless you're leaving something out.

Your ignition wire is the black/yellow wire under the steering column. Verify that they removed the alarm's start kill relay and resoldered the wire back together. It should be very easy to discern aftermarket alarm wiring from your stock ignition harness.

If it's not that, then something got burned out for some reason probably related to how car's are hotwired.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JoE99Integ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Even if they cut wires to the fuel/ignition it wouldn't make that go out. Unless I'm totally wrong...
Modified by JoE99Integ at 5:02 PM 1/2/2007</TD></TR></TABLE>

if the alarm was wired into the ignition, and the moduel isnt there, then there will be no power going to the dizzy, thats why it makes a diffrence. I would assume that it didnt have a starter immoblizer/kill switch, because you need to crank the engine to check for spark. your best bet is to look at the alarm wires, see where they are connected to, and re-wire everything back to factory. Your mechanic should have access to electronic wiring diagrams so it should be a pretty basic procedure.

However, if your mechanic cant figure that out, I wouldent suggest future repairs/diagnostics with that tech.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by suspendedHatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">First of all, your mechanic is an idiot so get the car away from him ASAP. This problem is extremely basic, unless you're leaving something out.

Your ignition wire is the black/yellow wire under the steering column. Verify that they removed the alarm's start kill relay and resoldered the wire back together. It should be very easy to discern aftermarket alarm wiring from your stock ignition harness.

If it's not that, then something got burned out for some reason probably related to how car's are hotwired.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks dude, I totally agree. I took the car to him because he's helped me out before but always with my guidence. The original Mercury recommended shop totally tried to shaft me and call the car a complete loss. I ended up getting money back and am going to repair the car but it was only because I took it to this guy and he worked with the insurance company to get the decision in my favor.

So he did help me in getting the insurance company to work with me and actually acknowledge the fact that I had all ITR interior and what not. The not so good part is that it is at his shop and now I have to walk him through this part. The shop is a ways away from where I live and work. I used to live closer to that area and thats how I came across him. I think I am going to go in late to work tomorrow and swing by his shop first thing in the morning to see whats up. The insurance company needed to have the work done at his shop (only the ignition switch because they crooks shoved like a metal rod into it and shattered the magnisium piece). After he fixes that the car is back in my hands.

I thought there had to be some relay that they weren't looking for.. ohh well just one more thing to deal with. thanks for the help!

 

Just check and recheck all harnest and wires all around the dashy for any cuts they might have done to it.

 

do you have any power to the car? lights, radio etc.. does the alarm sound if you arm it? also check if you have a fuse from your alarm that runs to your battery, pull that and it should disable the brain on your alarm.. i know on mine it does, cuz i lost my remote a bunch of times.. also some pics of the damage would help so i can decipher what the fkrs did... damn thieves..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM_DC4_Fanatic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

if the alarm was wired into the ignition, and the moduel isnt there, then there will be no power going to the dizzy, thats why it makes a diffrence. I would assume that it didnt have a starter immoblizer/kill switch, because you need to crank the engine to check for spark. your best bet is to look at the alarm wires, see where they are connected to, and re-wire everything back to factory. Your mechanic should have access to electronic wiring diagrams so it should be a pretty basic procedure.

However, if your mechanic cant figure that out, I would suggest future repairs/diagnostics with that tech.</TD></TR></TABLE>


So I was able to see my car on Saturday finally. Unfortunately I couldn't stay long because of prior commitments but here is what I found. The car starts to turn over but doesn't turn on. I looked at the ignition switch that they replaced and saw two wires tapped into the black and yellow ignition switch. The new ignition switch and wiring has already been hooked but those two wires that were tapped in are still somewhere in the car. I'm not great with wiring but I am going to see if I can go in and try to figure something out. They already ordered a new distributor but did tell me that if it still doesn't start they of course won't charge me for the part. Just sucks because it's hard for me to take off time during the week to go look at it and spend a few hours going through it.

I should have taken pics (i might on Monday morn) but the two wires were one blue and one orange that were coming out of the ignition. So the rest of those wires might be tapped into something else? Hmm

 

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can you take pics of the cut wire. I don't know why they won't put it back to stock and go from there. This is really a easy fix

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wrx-killer-Sti eater &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">can you take pics of the cut wire. I don't know why they won't put it back to stock and go from there. This is really a easy fix</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah I know, it's just one of those frustrating things. I am going to see about swinging by the shop early and snapping a pic or two. If I could take a few more days off of work t might be a bit easier but ohh well.

 

the harness is out ~ it happen to me once when i have my prelude.. i have to hold the key and drive the car back home to fix it ~