1992 240SX - KA24DE won't start

[JStrateger]

I'm still having problems with this ****er. I can't get it to start. I've replaced the battery, the starter is fine, I replaced the spark plugs, spark plug wires are fine. I did a compression test, everyone was within 75% of the maximum.

I checked the ECU and it's throwing me three codes; 21 - Ignition signal missing in primary signal and 13 - Engine Temperature Circuit

21 - does this mean the Ignition Coil is bad? I can feel the plugs fire and ignite when I try to start it. Is there a way to test this to make sure it's working correctly before I buy a new one.

13 - I'm not sure about this. What does this mean?

Help guys, I've been trying for so long to get this beast running. I'm so close but can't find out the problem.


Modified by JStrateger at 4:42 PM 10/11/2007

[tiger]

Ok, go to the store and buy a nice multimeter, you will thank yourself in the future for having it there. Learn how to check for 12v to the ign coil. Chances are if you have spark, your IGN coil is good to go.

to check spark... (you might need an extra hand) Unplug the #1 Spark Plug wire.. next, take out the spark plug and plug it into the plug wire where it goes.. now have a friend start the car while you ground the spark plug to the valve cover.. look very closely to see the spark.. if you have no spark, the IGN coil could be the culprit. I'm sure there is a thread around here that explains how to check your IGN coil for continuity. ]

The engine temperature circut could be a code that has been floating around for a while and you just noticed it when you checked the ECU. Who knows.

[JStrateger]

Thanks for the quick reply man, I just checked the IGN coil and it's getting 12v. I couldn't check the resistance on the coil itself because of the funky connector so I just pulled out a spark plug as you said. It was sparking.

I just checked my ECU again and it's throwing an 11 too, which is crank angle sensor circuit. I believe that's the distributor?

[tiger]

yes, it's built into it. If you're getting fuel and spark, the ign coil is good. So what you could do is find a Nico Buddy or someone with a KA and try using a spare distributor.. if you find that yours is indeed bad, I have a working one sitting in my garage that I will be happy to sell you. Hope you find the problem! Just hit the search button and look for topics on KA's not starting.. maybe next time you won't have to ask for other's help unless you absolutely can't find anything, I have figured out so many problems using search... you have to get creative when you are searching for information, if you are too specific, you won't get any search results. Also, do a check on all of your fuses. Look for a broken fusible link.

[JStrateger]

Alright man, thanks for the heads up. That's my problem with searching, I'm too specific. I did find a few things related but not much.

I'll check my fuses, links and try to find a distributor to test. I really appreciate all the help guys, I finally feel like I'm making progress now.

[tiger]

cool, good luck. please post up if u fix it or find something else, i'll help ya.

[Neejay]

Did you ever find a fix for code 21? I just started throwing this code after putting my intake manifold back on.

[float_6969]

I'm getting this as well. I've gone through the trouble diagnosis in the FSM and everything checks out.

My tach won't work, I assume because of this.

[JStrateger]

Did you ever find a fix for code 21? I just started throwing this code after putting my intake manifold back on.

Yes, I did fix this. This was a problem with my injectors. When I took my intake manifold off, all of them magically died so I had to replace them and my car started up fine.

I checked my injectors by pulling the fuel rail out and unpluging the ignition coil. (You don't have the un-plug the ignition coil but I did it to be sure the car had no chance of starting while the injectors were removed.) Afterwards I tried to start the engine to see if the injectors sprayed fuel or not.

If you end up replacing the Injectors, get them on ebay from this guy. He gives a one year warranty on his injectors and they're dirt cheap.

If the injectors aren't to blame, I would check the ignition coil and test for spark because you can't have spark plus fuel and no start. (In most cases anyways.)

[Neejay]

Thanks for replying.

I may actually be having a problem with a injector as well. Sometimes I smell fuel, sometimes stronger than other times. It's not all the time, but there have been a few times where I smelt it STRONG or when I first start driving.

[float_6969]

Well a far as I could tell it's a problem with my ECU. I gave up and put a cheap Sunpro Tach in the car. The car was for sale and I just needed to finish it and the kid didn't care.

[float_6969]

I fixed it today. Actually, the kid called yesterday and said the car just up and died on him, couldn't get it to restart. I went out today and the ECU was un-responsive. Started checking grounds and found that the ground on the back of the head on the exhaust side was dirty and loose. Cleaned it up well, put some conductive anti-sieze on there and the car fired right up.

It also got rid of the code 21 and now I'm getting a 55, all good!

[Neejay]

I fixed it today. Actually, the kid called yesterday and said the car just up and died on him, couldn't get it to restart. I went out today and the ECU was un-responsive. Started checking grounds and found that the ground on the back of the head on the exhaust side was dirty and loose. Cleaned it up well, put some conductive anti-sieze on there and the car fired right up.

It also got rid of the code 21 and now I'm getting a 55, all good!

Nice...I should check my grounds too.

[JStrateger]

I fixed it today. Actually, the kid called yesterday and said the car just up and died on him, couldn't get it to restart. I went out today and the ECU was un-responsive. Started checking grounds and found that the ground on the back of the head on the exhaust side was dirty and loose. Cleaned it up well, put some conductive anti-sieze on there and the car fired right up.

It also got rid of the code 21 and now I'm getting a 55, all good!

This reminds me of a problem I was having with my ground. When I first got my car, the engine was idling like ****. I checked the ground and I was getting, I think, like 38-40Ω. I just made a couple new grounds, one from my instake manifold to my fire wall and one from my negative battery terminal to my chassis. This fixed my problem completely.