ECU disconnect/reconnect No Start

[mdmellott]

Okay. I fat fingered something but can't see it. Everything was working fine before I disconnected my ECU harness connector. I disconnect the battery first. All I was doing is looking at the pinouts on the ECU harness connector. I reconnected the ECU and then the battery. Everything lights up when I try to start the engine but that's about it. At the On position, I hear all the little sounds I should hear from various components waking up. When I turn the key to Start, I hear the starter motor make a click once as the motor gear kicks out to the flywheel but then nothing else happens. I killed somehow. Before I start to messing with anything else which was working fine until I disconnect and then reconnected the ECU, does anybody have any idea what I could have done, or have not done yet but should have, to cause this?

[Buzzman]

That sucks. Is this part of the IACV troubleshooting thing you've been doing?
Almost sounds like a weak battery now.
Check battery voltage, or maybe put a charger on it for an hour or so.
Reseat the ECU? I took mine out when I had the IACV problem a few years ago (I had to get it repaired) and I recall that it was a bugger to get back in and all the plugs seated.
I also seem to recall that I had to unplug another harness that was in the way. Check to see that nothing else under there came loose.

[mdmellott]

Yeah. This is kinda weird. I was only looking at the ECU connector to check out the wire colors and pinouts to the IACV so that I could respond with info to someone else's post about a mysterious ECU / idle issue. Everything was in perfect operation before I disconnected the ECU. The battery is less than a year old and currently measures 12.1V. I didn't unplug anything else except for disconnecting the battery before unplugging the ECU. I'll dig into it tomorrow and find out went went wrong.

[04pathse]

12.1 volts is generally not enough / barely enough voltage to turn over engine, try jump starting or recharging battery.

[mdmellott]

Thanks for the reply. Jumping it was my first thought so I tried that but it did no good. The 12.1V is the reading I got from a voltmeter I have in my dashboard. It's not perfectly accurate but close enough to show me if there is a voltage problem. I just checked it with my Fluke multi-meter and got 12.44V. A perfect battery is 12.6V. Hopefully, I figure this out tomorrow.

[mdmellott]

After conducting the starting system diagnostic procedures indicated in the FSM, all tests pointed me to replacing the starter motor. I knew its solenoid was fine because I could hear it kicking out the pinion gear but apparently the motor was completely shot. I had a hard time believing the test results were telling me to replace the starter motor. I know the only thing I did wrong when I reconnected the ECU was that I did not have the connector fully seated into the ECU at first before I tried to start it up. I thought it seemed a little loose but I also thought I had it right. I was wrong. It didn't start. I rechecked the ECU connector, found my mistake and corrected it. The engine still would not start. At this point my starter motor had burned out. I still have a hard time understanding how it could have burned out. Perhaps after 18 years it was just on the edge of giving up the ghost and I just managed to push it over the edge. Whatever. I just replaced the starter motor assembly and it fired up like a champ. Lesson learned: Always have your car breakdown in your driveway and don't be a loose screw. Yeah... I didn't learn anything. Just thankful it happened at home and not somewhere else.

[Slumpert]

Awesome you sorted it out.
To me it would seem easier to install inline fuses at the wire harness connector at the throttle body not under the dash but I haven’t done either yet so /shrug.
As a interim plan I do like the idea of replacing that 15amp fuse with 7.5.