Hey guys. First post. So. Here's my problem. Changed the timing belt because the water pump was going bad. Also changed the tensioner puller and the a/c idler pulley. Timed it up. Put it all back together. Tried to start the car. It turned over fine but didn't start. So I pulled it all back apart thinking I had done the timing wrong by flipping the crankshaft pulley. Timed the crankshaft and the camshaft pulleys using TDC on the #1 piston. Tried to start it again. And still it wouldn't start. So then I checked the spark plugs to make sure they were firing and they weren't. I checked the fuses and they all seem fine. Unless there is one that affects this that I forgot to check. Does anyone know of some things that maybe I could have messed up while I was changing the timing belt? I am very confused.

 

did you confirm that piston 1 was at TDC when you set it on the cam(s). btw would help if you posted WHAT engine this is.....

 

Oh. Sorry. Lol. It's a d16y8. And yea. The second time I went back and reset it I made sure that piston 1 was at TDC and I made sure that it was definitely at the top of the compression stroke.

 

so it's not cranking or it is and not turning over ? are you getting fuel ?

 

It will turn over but it won't start. Pretty sure it's getting fuel. But the spark plugs aren't firing. I took one of the plugs out and touched it to metal and looked for an arc but nothing. Unless there is some computer mechanism that stops the spark plug from firing when it is outside the cylinder. Because I've done this with older cars to check the spark and its worked.

 

No spark? Just trace it back until you find the problem. Plugs look/smell ok? Wires check out? Distributor getting power? If so, are rotor, contacts, ignitor and coil ok?

 

Yea. That was my plan. I just wanted to ask and make sure no one knows of any common problems that happen with the ignition system when changing out a timing belt. I suppose the problem with the ignition could have nothing to do with the timing belt ad just happened to go bad at the same time.

 

Highly unlikely, What year is the car?

If it's an OBD2 vehicle, Then there is a Crank Sensor on the oil pump housing that reads the position of your crankshaft. If it's off, unplugged or misaligned with the crank, You won't be getting spark. Check that sensor.

Did you mess with the distributor at all when you did the timing belt? If so, why?

When you turn your key to the 'on' position, Can you hear the fuel pump prime for 2 seconds and shut off?

Also, Outline the process you used to find TDC for me. The correct process is to align the mark on the oil pump housing with the mark on the timing belt pulley on the crank. If you didn't do this, You may be a tooth or two off which may be causing that sensor to not send spark to your engine.

 

The car is a 1998 civic. So it's obd2. I checked the crank sensor twice and it's in the correct position, clean, and plugged in. I did not touch the distributor at all. When I turn the key the fuel pump turns on for 2 seconds and shuts off. And to find TDC I had someone turn the crank while I held my finger over the spark plug hole in order to make sure it was the compression stroke. Then I stuck a wooden dowel rod in the hole and had them slowly turn the crank until it was at its highest point. And then, after I made sure it was the compression stroke and i it in the ballpark, I aligned the mark on the crankshaft pulley with the mark on the oil pan. I'm pretty sure I did everything right. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

you said nothing about aligning the camshaft pulley I hope you made sure that was spot on

 

Yea. Spot on. Made sure the up arrow was pointing straight up and then used a straight edge to make sure the marks on the sides of the pulley lined up with top of the head.

 

Was the car running perfect before changing the tbelt? When you first tried to start it after the install did it hiccup at all? Any kind of ignition at all?

 

Test your ignition coil too

 

Yea. Car was running perfect before. And when I tried to start it after there was nothing. Not even a little hiccup. Testing the coil is what I plan to do next. Haven't got around to it yet. I'm hoping that's the problem.

 

Turns out the coil was bad. Don't know if it went bad because of something I did or if it was just its time to go. Either way. Car is fixed now. Thanks for the help guys.

 

love seeing the interactive help. So good!