okay people, i just got done putting my whole motor together yesterday and today i tried cranking it up. it started up the first time for about a sec. then died. after that i haven't been able to start it up at all! i checked for spark, fuel, timing and all that other good stuff but everything seems to be okay. has anyone ever had this problem with a rebuilt motor? oh yeah, and if i just leave the motor cranking, smoke starts to rise from inside the block. is this normal? all i put in were SRP pistons, total seal rings, Eagle rods, and ARP bolts. i don't know why it wouldn't start up. please help!

 

HMMM. did the crank turn freely by hand before you started it? maybe bearings too tight?

 

no...it was kinda tight i think. think i should losen them up a little?

 

check ALL grounds. My GSR wouldn't start untill we found out that we hooked up ground in the wrong spot to the valve cover.
Yuri K

 

This may sound dumb, but did you remember to put in oil?

 

Don't burn yourself man, thats not dumb Sometimes people get so caught up in the more complex things, and forget to do the simplest things...

 

Do a compression check. You sure that you installed the rings properly?

 

okay guys, i did what you all had listed: checked ground(spark plugs spark when near valve cover), oil was fine, and the only things that i still have left to do are check for compression and loosen up the rod bolts. gosh this sucks! when i tried to start the car up, the motor sounds like it wants to start, but it bogs like hell everytime it looks like it's going to start. then if i keep at it, it starts to smoke like hell!!! i accidentally had the oil dipstick out and smoke was blowning out of there like crazy! what could cause this? could it be that my bolts are on too tight? and one more thing...my eagle rods didn't have a hole in them(faces the firewall) so i just put them in anyway, am i wrong for doing so?

 

If you built the motor correctly, you (should) would have torqued all the rod and main bolts down properly and I do hope you measured the bearings before installing them.

Take out the spark plugs and put a ratchet on the crank pulley and see if you can turn the motor over by hand... it won't be 'that' easy to turn, but it should turn none the less. If it doesn't budge, then you are in trouble.

How did you check for spark and fuel?

Is the PGM/FI fuse in the fuse box good?
Is the ECU plugged in?
Did you mix up the spark plug wires on the cylinders?

And smoke coming out the dipstick hole while your cranking doesn't say much.. if it continues to smoke when the motor IS running, and more smoke comes out as you rev it, *then* something is definately wrong.

 

you used total seal rings. dont you do research before you buy. some of the guys on here have tried them and cant get them to seat right. https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=170482

good luck

post if they do work

 

check the wiring harness...
double check the spark plugs..
can you rotate the engine by hand?
check the oil.
check the water
double check the cam timing
double check the ignition timing.. (check the distributor, it may be too advanced)

 

you're the first CRX I've seen thats that lime green like my cheetah race car ... cool.


to orig poster:

any new motor wont crank right up, if its tough to turn and you knwo you put the right bearigns in and checked clearacnes, that maybe you messed up on the engine timing, or check to make sure your cam gears not slipped.

Usually when car does one quick spin over then shuts down and never starts again its usually fuel pump not coming on ...

Greg

 

okay guys...here's the deal, i check turning the crank by hand and it moves fine(i used a socket wrench), i have a fuel pressure gauge so i know that the fuel pump works(psi is @40), took off distributor cap and had everything at TDC and that was also fine, i still can't find out what's wrong...damn! can leaking rings cause this? but i highly doubt it cause it started up the first time i cranked it. hmm...if i tightened the rods too much would that cause it to not run? but i'm assuming that if that were the case, i wouldn't be able to turn the crank by hand. all wiring is fine except for CODE 10 which would be IAT but that shouldn't affect anything. ANYONE LIVE IN MN who knows a thing or two about rebuilding a motor? damn i really need help now!

 

Check the cam gears.. Make sure you didn't have one that is 180degrees off - which can be done by accident since the alignment marks are on both sides of the gears.