what's up, here is the long story short. my 99 si was stolen and recovered, i bought a 99 gsr motor to put in it, i swapped it this weekend and connected everything under the hood but now the car wont start. when i run a wire to the starter from the battery it tries to start but the engine just chugs and i have no dash lights coming on. i know this is very vague but any help would be much appreciated. thanks

 

You mean you're just touching a wire to the starter expecting your car to fire up? The key-in-the-ignition thing isn't working out for you? Did the thieves mash up your ignition or something?

 

they didn't mess with any of the electrical in the ignition but they snapped it down. i had a wire from the key in the ignition and connected wires from the battery to the starter to see if the starter was bad i guess...my boy was doing the test so i don't really know what it was for.

 

if none of your dash lights are turning on, it could just be simple, or VERY tough.

Check to see that the ECU is getting power when the key is on. It could be a simple grounding issue. But.... chasing down a ground can be anything but simple.

You need to start off slow though. Check to see that the things that need power, are getting power.

 

will i just hear the ECU clicking or something to know that it is on...also the only ground that i have connected is the one near the passenger side mount...do i have to have the one that connects from the front of the motor to just above the AC fan?

 

alot of clicking can still mean that it's shorting out, or not having a proper ground. Is the clicking really coming from the ecu? or the main relay on the driver's side?

 

well i am not hearing any clicking at all i was just seeing if that would let me know it was on. when i turn the key, i get the beep for the open door and i can cut all of the lights on and the horn on but nothing else happens when i turn the key to accessory or try to start it

 

it's gotta be wiring from the key switch to the "on" circuit. It sounds like no power is getting to the system at all.

 

so what are my options at this point???

 

Hot wire the ignition. Take the key switch completely out of the equation, to rule out that is the part that's broken.

You should be checking with a wire tester to see that you have power at the ecu. Power when the key is on, etc.

 

sorry, i am completely new at this...how do i "hotwire" the ignition?

 

You might be in over your head on this one. Don't do any more crazy wiring yourself. Your best bet is to take it to a shop and have them re-wire your ignition/anything else that needs attention.

Did your insurance not cover the theft repairs?

 

lets just say i learned a BIG lesson about insurance this past month

 

Anyone around the Baltimore area know how to do any of this...At this point I will pay someone just to get the car running for me i have been down about 2 months now.

 

^

the kind of people that "know" how to do this, is what got your Si stolen in the first place. LOL.

Sorry though, I'm no help, as I'm on the other coast.

 

If anyone any less than a professional auto electrician touches your car I can promise you that bad things will happen. Components will be fried or you run the risk of your car catching on fire further on down the line. You might get lucky and find out it's a simple wiring problem with your ignition. If the thieves stayed within the region of your steering wheel to do their evil wire trickery the repair bills may be half decent.