5 speed swap done but....Car wont start!!!

[serah31500]

Okay guys I need a little help here.I just finished my 5 speed conversion on the vert problem is the car wont start.I double checked all my wiring and everything is all good.The lights,windows,and top work but when I turn the ignition to start the car all I hear is a clicking noise coming from one of the blue relays near the fuse panel inside the car.I have a brand new battery my starter is good and getting 12 volts. I followed the 5 speed swap wiring thread to the T any ideas guys.? I did however encounter 2 plugs under the drivers side dash that seem to have nowhere to plug into.Can anyone identify what these plugs are for and if them not being plugged into whatever they are supposed to be plugged into is preventing my car from starting???


Modified by serah31500 at 11:22 AM 9/8/2008

[Florida240sx]

Is the motor cranking?

[serah31500]

No but I wish it was!!Each time I turn the key I can hear a the slight clicking sound of a relay.It is not a continuous clicking but momentary each time the key is turned on to try and start the car..Any ideas??

[cmkelly]

I have the same plug on the left (maybe the one on the right too but haven't seen it). I'm pretty sure it was is for OBDI (On Board Diagnostic I)but I've never seen a meter to hook it into. My OBDII is in a similar place on my Pathfinder but is a different configuration.

Doens't help with the top not working but does with identifying the plug.

Good luck!

[94_240sx]

Don't bother with those 2 plugs. They are nothing to do with start up. I also have those 2 unplugged like that, but car starts just fine.

[Eikon]

I'd start with that blue relay that is clicking. Make sure the wiring in and out is solid. Replace the relay in case it's shot. Then you can trace the wiring from that relay to the starter itself. Make sure the starter is wired and grounded properly as well.

[Murdered_T]

the clicking usually means the starter is not working, remove the starter, and hook it directly to a power source and see if the solenoid is engaging.

[Hijacker]

The relays near the fuse panel inside the car are accessory relays. Our cars actually supply power directly to the starter from the ignition switch. When you jumper the wires under the fuse box (the big 2 prong plug), you're completing the start circuit. Normally, the inhibitor switch breaks the start circuit when the car is not in park or neutral.

The manual models have relays on the starter circuit, but it's there for US regulations. All it does is allow a switch to cut the circuit and prevent the ignition switch from supplying the selenoid without the clutch depressed. Canadian models omit this setup.

To be honest, it sounds to me like you missed the plug under the fuse box, or you didn't hook the starter up properly. Make sure that both the big thick wire is screwed to the starter and the smaller wire is plugged firmly on the spade connector on the starter.

If you want to be certain that your wiring is not in question, pull the thin spade connected wire from the starter, and use a test light on it while you have a friend crank the car. The ignition switch just completes that circuit, so you won't zap yourself (the big electrical current goes through the big wire bolted to the starter)

And those two plugs you posted about, the left one is an ODBI/Consult hookup. The other is always referred to as the diode in the service manual. It has something to do with the lighting system as best as I can tell.

[Murdered_T]

/clap

I was looking for a clapping smiley but I couldn't find it.

[heatw]

the other plug is infact for a factory foglight switch.. if you get a silvia foglight switch it will plug right in and then all you need to do is run wires from the plug in the engine bay (which is behind the battery) to a set of lights, and put a relay in the fuse box spot labeled foglights.

[Hijacker]

the other plug is infact for a factory foglight switch.. if you get a silvia foglight switch it will plug right in and then all you need to do is run wires from the plug in the engine bay (which is behind the battery) to a set of lights, and put a relay in the fuse box spot labeled foglights.

Really? I'd like to see pics actually. This kind of stuff usually makes me go "Noice!"

[drft204]

theres a plug in the engine bay around the passenger side fuse box. it should be a male plug and have two pins in it. your gonna have to jump those two pins if you wanna start the car. but i dont' know if you've already done that or not.

[serah31500]

Yeah that was the first thing I did when I started the wiring.I am going to double check my starter connections after work today.I will keep everyone posted.Thank you for your help and input everyone!

[serah31500]

Okay everyone I got the car to crank..There was a bad connection in the factory harness between the ignition switch and the starter.Now I have another problem....Alright I have spark,fuel pump working,fresh gas,new spark plugs wires etc. and timing is set but the car cranks but it wont start.I sprayed some intake/tb cleaner down the tb and the car started and ran off of that stuff for a little bit.Bad ecu maybe?? LMK what to check next.

[Hijacker]

Sicne you apparently had something bad with the key switch to the starter, make sure you don't have any problems between the key switch and the ECU. There's an orange wire that tells the ECU the car is in start mode (spray all injectors simultaneously, etc)

[serah31500]

I knew I could count on you Hijacker!...Okay wait I dont see an orange wire coming out of the key switch.I am looking at the fsm and the only orange wire is coming out of the ecu itself thats labeled "hot in start" is this the one I should be checking.?Am I just looking for 12v?
Modified by serah31500 at 9:43 PM 8/31/2008

[Hijacker]

There's no Orange coming off the key switch. The Black/Yellow start signal should go to the second from the bottom fuse on the right (interior fuse box), and come out as an orange wire. That orange wire then goes across the dash, through the dash plug, to the ECU. It should be hot only when the key is turned to 'Start'

[serah31500]

Hijacker thanks for all your help! Okay I have traced the black/yellow wire down to the fuse box where it turns into the orange.I get a momentary 12v signal from the black/yellow when I turn the key to start the car but nothing out the other end from the orange and the 10 amp fuse is still good.I just jumpered the two wires to eachother and I now have a momentary signal coming out of the orange wire going to the ecu each time I put the car in the start position.I also have power from each red wire on the fuel injectors even when the key is not in the start position is this normal.?Being that I found a power signal from the injectors I put the key in the start position and I tried to jumper the injectors but I didnt hear anything from any of the injectors...Am I missing something else here??
Modified by serah31500 at 4:16 AM 9/3/2008

[Hijacker]

The power supply to the injectors (red wires) should be hot all the time. The ECU grounds them out to fire. On startup, the ECU pulses all the injectors simultaneously. Once the car is started, it switches to sequential multi-port injection (where they fire individually)

The key switch should be supplying the start signal continuously when the key is in teh start position. Are you experiencing the same momentary energized problem at the starter? The black/yellow at the starter is the same circuit as the one feeding the orange start wire.

[serah31500]

Hijacker okay before I go any further let me tell you how I remedied the problem with the starter because this may be a part of the problem and I dont know if I went about doing it the right way...I was getting a 12v signal from the black/yellow out of the ignition but it wasnt making it to the starter and I wasnt getting 12v to the injectors.I then traced that wire to the fuse panel where it turns into orange and that is where I found that the 12v signal going in from the blk/ylw wasnt coming out of the orange wire even though the fuse was still good.Sooo I jumpered a wire between the two and I now have power to my injectors but no spray and no engine crank so I just tapped into the blk/ylw wire at the ignition and ran it straight to the starter viola car cranks! Now that I found power to the injectors but they werent spraying I decided to test the injectors by jumping them I heard nothing from all 4.I checked for ground on ecu pins 48 and 116 and the ground coming out of the injector harness side and the one at the rear of the head on the drivers side any they are good.I have also swapped ecu's and tested another set of injectors with the same results.When I hold the key in the start position to crank the car is when I am getting the 12v signal to the orange wire as soon as I let the the key retract from the start position I lose the signal is this what is supposed to happen? If so I assume this is when the ecu is supposed to take over.? I feel as if I am so close!!!!Heeeelp!!

[wmdavis007]

Really? I'd like to see pics actually. This kind of stuff usually makes me go "Noice!"

Here are two JDM fog light switches I have...the one on the right will plug into that fog light harness. I'm going to use it to turn on and off my Canadian Day Running Lights. The one on the left isn't working properly .

[abe1867]

change the ecu had the same problem

[Hijacker]

The injectors should be getting a 12v hot signal all the time regardless of the key switch. Pull one of the injector harness plugs and confirm that one wire is hot when the car is off (test light).

It's possible you have 2 faulty ECUs. Very rare, but still possible.

Did this car run fine before you started the 5 speed swap?

[serah31500]

Okay I just checked and I do have 12v from the injector plug even without the key in the ignition..It would be my luck I have 2 bad ecu's.Should I try and hunt down another ecu? Anyway the car was pretty much a roller when I got it someone elses hopes and dreams you know how that goes.

[GoinTopless240]

Hey Hijacker and Serah,First off.. Hijacker.. correct me if I'm wrong, but won't an auto ECU run a manual car? If so .. Serah, if you have no luck finding one local let me know. I have my old one from my KA. It was working fine when I pulled the motor. I'm always willing to help a fellow NICONaut out. Just pay for the shipping. (down side is that I am on the other side of the US,but it can't cost much to ship). Let me know.

[serah31500]

Hey thanks for the offer on the ecu I really appreciate how helpfull everyone here really is.I actually tried my stock auto ecu and a friend of mine gave me a manual ecu he had lying around.Tomorrow I have a friend of mine thats going to come over and I will try his ecu straight out of his car.If that doesnt work idk I am almost out of things to try.Thanks for all your time everyone it is much appreciated,Ryan

[Hijacker]

Yep. Auto ECUs will run Manual cars. Just not vice versa.

Aside from either having a faulty ignition switch (doubtful at this point), a bad ECU is the likely culprit. Double check to make sure ALL of the grounds are bolted down. It's possible the ECU isn't grounding properly. I just don't want to believe that you managed to snag 2 bad ECUs as that's highly rare.

[serah31500]

Hijacker wait so a manual ecu wont run the vert? That is what I used in place of my auto one because I thought the auto one was faulty.Do I need to be looking for another auto dohc ecu to try on my car?

[wmdavis007]

No...either ecu will run a manual but only an automatic ecu will run an automatic.

[serah31500]

Oh yeah baby its alive!!!!!I guess it was my crappy luck 2 fubar ecu's!!!Wtf are the chances!We took the ecu right from my buddys car and into mine and it started up first crack.I just had to scream out a big OMG!!Thanks everyone for all your help!!