The car was running terrific, I washed it now it will not start?

MIKESCARWONTSTART

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1998 ACURA INTEGRA
1.8L
4 CYL
TURBO
2WD
MANUAL
100,000 MILES

The vehicle listed above is a GSR with JDM B18C swap, supercharged, running Hondata S300 w/ ID 1000cc fuel injectors, Walbro 255lph fuel pump. The car was running terrific, I washed it and pulled it into the garage to polish it I went to turn it around and now it won't start.

**The car did have an alarm (Python650) installed when the problem occurred. The alarm was working fine but several people pointed to it being an issue, so it has since been removed. All associated wires, relays, triggers, sensors and modules have been removed. The factory harness has been restored to the original connections-however the same problem persists.

The problem: the car will crank quite strongly, but the fuel pump is not priming. (The pump works when jumped via +12v test)

Battery is on a tender and healthy, but just in case I brought it to AutoZone for a load test, which it passed.

The main relay (PGM-FI) is not clicking in any position on the key/ignition switch however the main relay is working outside of the car when bench tested. (I have since replaced it with two new main relays but neither worked)

All related fuses have been checked for continuity (and all visible fuses in general) Fuse under hood -FI E/M 15A, not blown, has continuity. Fuse drivers kick panel - FUEL PUMP (SRS UNIT) 15A, not blown, has continuity.

Plugged in laptop to the ECU via USB (hondata) and it reads driver offline so its not working or seeing the ECU/ECM.
Next, I removed the Hondata OB1ECU (P30) w/conversion harness and plugged in the OBD2A ECU (P73) from the original B18C(motor) swap. The same issue still persists, car cranks - won't start - no fuel pressure.

Next, I checked the Clutch Interlock switch. When the clutch is pressed and the key is switched, the car will try to start it, it cranks quite well, but it won't start. When the clutch is let out and key is switched on, the car goes limp. The switch works and I don't think it's related to this issue.

Test fuel pump with (+) jump on yellow green wire at fuel pump. - Good pressure builds to 57PSI.
Test fuel pump with (+) jump on yellow green wire at main relay. - Good pressure builds to 57PSI.
Test ECM (PIn 11 +25 yellow/black wires, IGP1 + IGP2. No power to either)
Main relay still does not click on ACI and ACII positions.

Check Ignition Switch
white wire = 12v+ constant
white/black wire =12v+ accessory switch to position 1
yellow wire = 12v+ accessory switch to position 2
black/yellow wire = 12v+ accessory switch to position 2

When trying to start the car the check engine light illuminates but does not go out.

I have a multimeter and the tools, but I'm not sure how to diagnose from here.

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Sunday, October 9th, 2022 AT 3:46 AM

13 Replies

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
47,602 POSTS

So, if the computer does not see the engine crank over via the crankshaft sensor which is inside the distributor it will not turn the fuel pump on. I would remove the distributor cap and dry it out, maybe leave the cap off for a day to completely dry. Does the engine have spark, this video can help you test for spark.

https://youtu.be/baq_aEWNQ0Y

This guide can help as well:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-not-running-advanced

Also, while the cap is off look for rust colored dust which is a sign the distributor needs to be replaced. I would get a rebuilt unit here is how to replace it just in case.

Check out the images (below). Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.

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Monday, October 10th, 2022 AT 9:54 AM

MIKESCARWONTSTART

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Hey Ken, thanks for taking the time to answer. I started to follow your advice by taking the cap off of the distributor, glad to see it was bone dry and the gasket worked, however it appears the rotor destroyed itself and the cap (see pic below). There was no screw in the rotor and it's also not coming out with force. I'm going to see if I can get the rotor free today and will replace that and the cap, then perform the spark tests listed above. I will update with progress when I have made some. Thank you so much!

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Tuesday, October 11th, 2022 AT 6:42 AM

KEN L

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Yep, that will do it, let me know how it goes.

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Tuesday, October 11th, 2022 AT 1:08 PM

MIKESCARWONTSTART

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Hello again Ken, I replaced the entire distributor (since the old one may have been damaged when the rotor screw came off and shredded the internals of the cap) with a remanufactured unit. The car still won't start. No spark is being generated from the spark plugs (only tested cylinder 1), and also tested for spark where the wires connect to the distributor cap. Still no clicking from the Main Relay, fuel pump does not prime with key switch. What would you suggest next?
Thanks!

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Saturday, October 22nd, 2022 AT 4:15 AM

KEN L

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With the key on do you have power on the positive side of the coil?

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-test-light-circuit-tester

Also, we should check the fuses that run the system for power as well, here are the PCM and engine wiring diagrams so you can see how the system works and which fuses to check:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse

Check out the images (below). Please let us know what happens.

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Saturday, October 22nd, 2022 AT 1:24 PM

MIKESCARWONTSTART

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Yes, with the key on there is power (12.77v) to the positive side of the coil.
The primary coil resistance reads.9ohms and the secondary is 15.5k ohms.
When testing the ICM to coil for power, there is power on ACC1 but none on ACC2.

All fuses have been double checked and are good.

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Friday, November 4th, 2022 AT 3:44 PM

KEN L

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If you remove the negative side of the coil and insert a test light, then crank the engine over does the test light flash? If so, it sounds like the coil has shorted out, probably from the distributor problem. Let me know.

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Saturday, November 5th, 2022 AT 12:57 PM

MIKESCARWONTSTART

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The test light does not flash. This test was performed with the test light clip on the positive side of the battery and the needle portion of the light on the negative side of the coil (with screw and wire removed). The light starts off in a constant lit state-(no key in car), once the key is flipped to acc2 position the light goes out, and does not light again until key is in acc1 position or removed. No flashing.

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Sunday, November 13th, 2022 AT 11:00 AM

KEN L

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Thanks for the video. The engine sounds okay, if the positive side of the coil is getting power and the negative side doesn't flash the distributor is bad or the coil is shorted out. The distributor is defective.

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Monday, November 14th, 2022 AT 10:08 AM

MIKESCARWONTSTART

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Thanks for the help, Ken! I reached out to the company who supplied the distributor to me with this thread. They have sent a new one and I will let you know what happens when it arrives, and I get it installed. Thanks!

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Wednesday, November 30th, 2022 AT 10:31 AM

KEN L

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Please let us know what happens.

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Friday, December 2nd, 2022 AT 10:59 AM

MIKESCARWONTSTART

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Update: I replaced the distributor with a new one, same manufacturer. Car still displayed a "crank no start condition." After much research and so many tests I found the issue. The car's fuel pump was displaying a lazy condition. Sometimes it would prime and other times it would not. I found that if I turned the key to ACC2 the pump would not prime, but if I left it in this position for 30-60 seconds, suddenly the pump would prime, and the car would fire right up. Sometimes it took as long as 5 minutes for the pump to prime.
With this car, the pump should always prime when the key is in ACC2 position. If it doesn't prime it will not start, so I thought it was the main relay. I replaced this with several new main relays (resoldered the joints on one), and even a bypass, but the "crank no start condition" still persisted. Finally, I tracked the issue down to the ECU not giving the signal to the main relay to fire the fuel pump and thus get the car started. I found a vendor online selling an ECU test/service which I sent out to be performed, however the true underlying issue was having them diagnosed and replace the IC17 chip on my ECU.

https://www.burton-racing.com/products/ic17-component-for-fuel-pump

So long story short, (too late)- replacing the IC17 (component for fuel pump) on the ECU was the culprit and fix that caused a year of no starting on my car. Thank you 2carpros for working through the issue with me and systematically aiding me in the steps necessary to track down this gremlin. I know the distributor was also an issue in this dilemma, but I'm confident that was caused by the IC17 chip being faulty and my overzealous cranking of the car when trying to get it to start.

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Wednesday, December 20th, 2023 AT 4:04 AM

KEN L