I got everything put back together last night, so I tried to start the car. I turned the ignition key for about a second or so. My hand was a bit oily and slipped off a bit prematurely. For that initial short duration, it felt like the engine turned over before my hand slipped off the ignition switch. I tried again (holding it longer), except this time (and the next time) it sounded like only the starter motor was turning and that the flywheel was not being engaged by the starter. I didn't feel any engine crank movement. I checked the crank pulley for evidence of rotation, and its TDC mark was no longer aligned with the timing belt cover's pointer, which is where it was before I initially tried to start the car.

I took the valve cover off this morning and from what I could see, the timing belt is still intact. In my mind here are the possibilities of what may be wrong:

1. What's symptom of a bad TDC or crank position sensor (CKP?) or faulty associated wiring? Did I damage one of them when I used a paper towel soaked in brake cleaner to clean the oil grime off them. Is it possible to have one installed in the wrong direction? I did notice the one located toward the front of the car had a break in the plastic surrounding the bolt hole but it still seemed to be sturdy.
2. Bad starter pinion? (I removed the battery cables before I started the job). Could it be just coincidence that the starter has gone bad at the point of my completing the timing belt job (oil seal repair is really the reason I did this job; it wasn't due a timing belt).
3. Am I off a tooth on my timing belt install? I don't see how...I taped a toothpick to the top of the head to be sure the cam sprocket mark was in-line with it. Would being off a tooth cause a no-start that seems like the starter is not engaging the flywheel?

Help!!...open for other ideas of what could be wrong.

 

Sorry, forgot to say my car is a 1997 Honda Accord w/ AT, 2.2L F22B2 (non-vtec).

I didn't have much time to do much with it last night, but I did get further confirmation that the new timing belt is still engaged between the crank and cam shaft sprockets... I turned the crank pulley CCW and used a mirror to watch the cam shaft sprocket turn as well.

I think it might be worth putting the engine back at TDC for piston #1, put the valve cover back on, then try to start it again to see if the problem repeats itself.

I need to find out if there's a way to test my car's CKP/TDC sensors. My Haynes manual says its testing procedure doesn't apply to 1996 & newer.

 

OK, forget what I said about my car's starter not engaging the flywheel. My daughter watched the crank pulley last night & said it IS turning when I am trying to start the car. Previously, I was convinced the starter pinion wasn't engaging the flywheel based on the sound/feel (seems to turn faster & higher pitch).

Last night, to see if my scenario would repeat itself (see post #1), I got the #1 piston back at TDC and verified my crank pulley and camshaft marks all lined up, then I put the valve cover back on & tried to start it. Also, I checked the resistance of both CKP/TDC sensors via the 4-pin connector by the timing belt cover (1925 ohms, both were within spec per Haynes manual).

The starter & crank shaft still seem to spin fast, but the engine won't fire up and run. I'm wondering if a fuse blew when I originally tried to start it. Also, I wonder if initially I didn't re-seat the CKP/TDC connector fully (could that blow a fuse?). After I checked the resistance last night, I heard a pronounced CLICK when I put the connector back together that I don't remember hearing the first time. It's in a tight spot and when connecting it with one hand, the bottom half's bracket likes to flex instead of letting the connector halves snap together.

Any ideas about my next troubleshooting step would be greatly appreciated.

 

check for spark and fuel

 

Thanks. Will do, but probably won't be able to until tomorrow afternoon.

 

She's running!!! All the issue was this: the ignition switch needed to be turned off and on several times to run the fuel pump to get the fuel lines filled back up and to the fuel injectors. I guess I had so much other stuff going on that caused this job to take a month so the fuel system lost its prime.

IIRC MAD_MIKE called this ^ in another thread I previously came across. Kudos and thanks to him because I remembered his post. It just took more pump runtime than I thought it should have.