I just got my car running not even a week ago. It has been running perfect untill the other day. I was on my way home and my IC pipe wiggled one of my spark plug wires off of the distributor. i pulled over, turned the car off, put the plug back on, got back in and it wouldn't start, just spin over. I got a friend to tow it home.
After further inspection I'm not getting spark. The distributor is brand new, not even 10 minutes on it ( i had bought it earlier thinking i needed it but i didn't), brand new spark plugs, and some msd 8.5mm wires and IGN fuse is good.

I am so confused, i do have my battery relocated to the back. One of my friends said some people have grounding issues so ill check into that. The distributor is getting power through the black and yellow wire.

Any input is appreciated, thanks in advance!

also what wires should i be checking? what do the wires on the larger plug to the distributor do? (I'm not that good with the electrical side of stuff yet)

 

Good way to toast the coil.

 

X2 most likely this is what happend

 

that happened on my old distributor though, i put the brand new one on and nothing changed...

 

So you tried a new distributer after your spark plug wire came off, or that happend with the new dizzy?

 

the spark plug wire came off with the old distributor, after i got it towed home i put the new one on and it still wont get spark.

 

anybody else have any input?

 

checked all your fuses?
although i'm not sure whether a blown ecu fuse would allow power to the ignitor
still would check ALL fuses

 

yes, all the engine bay fuses are good.

 

hmmm. strange. and the distributor rotor is turning? i mean, the timing belt is in tact?
you can check by turning the engine over and viewing through the oil fill hole while doing this. see if the cams are turning. i know it would be a major coincidence, but easy enough to check

 

yeah, brand new timing belt, brand new engine (built by me) timing is perfect. I want to say its something in the wiring but the dizzy has power, and that's all it needs right? if any of the sensors were bad or messing up my cel would go off. Its mind boggling, im looking on my local craigslist for a good harness (mine is pretty bad)

 

how exactly did you test for power?

 

put a test light to the black and yellow wire on the distributor.

 

could try a k test
copy and pasted:
The K-Test: Remove the MAP Sensor connector and turn the ignition switch to ON (not start). Using a multi-meter, check for 5 volts going between the MAP Sensor connector's reference wire (+) and ground. As you look at the connector, this is the socket on the right. Really press the black test lead into a cleaned main ECM ground on the thermostat housing. If the voltage is low, it’s probably indicating ECM failure. Most failed ECMs will record a fraction of a volt.

 

well i have s300, if the ecu was bad don't you think that would be obvious when having my computer hooked to it?

 

tried it with the s300 disconnected?

 

When you crank and the engine won't fire, does the tach needle jiggle just the tiniest amount, or is it dead-still?

 

no i haven't tried that
I watch my laptop when i start it, it stays around 150-190 rpms when cranking.

 

Turn ign. switch to run, [not start] can you hear the fuel pump priming? 94

 

Yes, I have about 40lbs of fuel pressure at "on" and about 60 when cranking.

It's not a fuel issue, its a spark issue.

Now I know the distributor has power to it, the engine is grounded. What else does it need to work? No codes on s300 for any of the sensors being bad.

I'm starting to think maybe the plug wires are bad some how, but that wouldn't make much sense for them all to go out at once and so suddenly.

 

the cap or rotor can be bad...dont rule those out. check the resistances of the wires.

friends integra broke down and it turned out to be a bad distributor cap.(previous mechanic tightened the cap way too much and it cracked) i put in a used coil assuming that was the problem and it wasn't.

if you get spark at the coil, you know its either the cap, rotor, wires or spark plugs

 

The PGM-FI Main Relay supplies the ECU/ECM with two (2) powers/signals, [IPG1 and IPG2] both need to have power on them for spark.

Because you hear the pump working both IPG1 and IPG2 must have power or fuel pump would not work, [along with spark] so that eliminates it as the issue.

Have you opened up the distributor and confirmed that the coil and ICM are properly plugged in?

Have you tested the coil and ICM, it would not be the first time a brand new car part was DOA? 94

 

DOA new parts aren't that uncommon. This is the reason a lot of dealer manuals don't say "install new part" when trying to rule out certain issues. Instead they say "install known-working part", meaning go pull one off another car and try it. A new part is just a part that has never been proven to work.

 

Then try it.

RPMs are not what you're looking for. You're looking for movement of the tach needle while cranking when the engine won't start.

 

could also be the distributor rotor came loose.
as mentioned, what does the tach on the gauge cluster do?