Hey guys, whats up? First off, I have a 1992 Honda Accord Sedan Automatic Transmission. Recently I swapped out both the engine and transmission due to many problems with both, I did it all myself. I swapped in the exact same engine and transmission that come standard on these cars. A week ago i finished connecting everything, and went to start it, with jumper cables cuz the battery died after playing cd's for about 40 hours, and the engine cranked, but didnt turn over. I checked my haynes manual, and it said first to check that the Check Engine light comes on when u first turn the car to the ON position. I checked, and the light does not come on. The manual says that this indicates that the ECU is not getting any power. Now, I checked every single connector on the wiring harness about 50 times each, so i know its not something stupid like that. Also, all the lights in the car work, the radio works, the power windows and locks and heating and air all work, so i know that the power is connected to the car right. My question is how do i find out what connection is for the ECU getting power? I looked in my manual's wiring diagrams, but cant find a power connection for the ECU. I tried jumping the diagnostic connector, but it didnt flash once. Also, yes i checked all the fuses a million times also, and they are all fine. Also, when i turn on the car, there is two little clicking sounds, like a solenoid or something. I remember there used to be one clicking sound, but now theres two. I am at a loss for what to do, I was gonna go down to the junkyard and try to get my hands on a new ECU but i dont think thats the case, it was running the engine fine before all this. I am very mechanically inclined, i did do the engine and tranny swap myself, and havent come across a repair yet i couldnt do myself with this car. I dont like the idea of going to a shop and getting screwed, let alone the cost to tow it there. Also, pride is a big thing, i got this far, why give in now? All right well enough of my moaning, what do you all recommend? The sooner i get this car fixed the better, im takin the bus to work. Thanks...

 

I have a 90 lx ecu that you could try...

Have you looked at the pinouts in the haynes to find the power wire?

 

well, hmmm... It sounds like your ECU isn't hooked up. jk, anyway, check the main relay out just to see. Before you start swapping parts and stuff, you need to troubleshoot the problem. What you REALLY need is a Helms manual. I promise you this, if you start swapping parts you'll never find the problem. Does the fuel pump cut on when you turn the key on? What about spark, when cranking? Are the injectors firing? If the ECU worked before the swap then I would say that there is a 99% probablility that it still works. Think about it, all the variables of the swap are the things you changed, not the ones that remained the same. Did you encounter any wiring issues during the install? Did you use your original harness or one that came with the new motor?

DAvid

 

Well, heres a bit of an update....today i connected up a new ECU, and nothing happened. Same problem. I do think that the two clicks thing is important to my problem though. Again, the check engine light doesnt come on, so the ecu isnt getting power. So, theres no fuel pump, no spark, no running engine. The injectors are dead too, the whole thing doesnt work because of the ecu. Now the main relay, that was fine before this too, what should i do about it? How do i check that out? I encountered no wiring problems, and i used the same harness that was in the car before the engine swap. Does anybody know what those clicking sounds are? Where do they come from? I mean, all i did was connect all the connectors on the engine, i didnt screw with anything. Thanks for your help....

 

Anybody else have any ideas? Thx

 

i had the same problem in my swap....everything in the car worked fine except for the car turning..it would crank but no turn over...

perform these diagnostics:

1. check spark comming out of sparkplug wires

2. put your ear near the rear right tire and listen for a hissing noise while someone turns the key..this is to see if you ecu is commanding your fuel pump before starting the car. (dont turn the key all the way because the car will try to crank and you wont hear the hissing.

if you dont get any spark on the wires but you get fuel pressure then your distributor is the problem. if you dont get any fuel pressure or spark on the wires then the ecu is not getting power.

check both ecu fuses (the one in the engine bay and the one in the fuse box under the driver side dashboard.