What could be the problem???

[AutoRb]

Alright guys, I have a s1 rb25 in an s13 that I just swapped in and it doesn't want to start. I have spark, fuel and everything else it needs to start but it just wont do it..... reason i know it does is because it has started before and ran.

Story: I have done everything on this swap by myself cuz I have no friends.... I did my own wiring, I put the engine in the car by myself, everything.....The swap is almost done but now it just doesn't want to start. So I know I could have a problem that im just over looking. When I had the car running the it would idle really high and had a low vacuum reading... 8 InHg at idle. The CAS would also get hot after a while, so i would turn it off then it wouldnt start until it cooled down. Then my starter went out, looked everywhere for one and I could not find one. So then I opted to rebuild the one I had. Got it Back freshly rebuilt, put it on and the car did nothing. Would not even try to turn. I took it off then went to vatozone to have it tested and it spun really slow. I took it back to the place I got it rebuilt at and the guy said it works fine..... Finally found a starter I could order so I ordered it to see if the one I got rebuilt was crap. I put the new one on and it did the same thing. Nothing. Oh and Ive tried 2 batteries also. So whats really bothering me is that the car would start (when the cas was cool) prior to my starter going out and now Ive tried two rebuilt starters it doesn't want to start anymore... I never messed with the car between the time I pulled the old starter out and putting a new starter on. So I dont know what could be the problem.... Also the ecu makes a clicking noise when I try to start it then move the key to the off position.

Bad wiring?
Bad ecu?
2 bad starters?
I don't know....
Im pretty much at the point where I want to throw the car off a cliff. Ive dumped to much money on this thing it doesn't start!

Somebody please help....

Thanks, sorry for long post.

[AZhitman]

Hang tight - Let me get someone in here that knows a little more than I do...

Stay tuned.

[the converted]

I'm going to guess that this was an automatic car that was converted to manual? I would start by checking all the wiring that you did there. The clicking noises is the relays working, and is a good sign. Check back in and we can help you work through your other problems once you get it starting again.

[AutoRb]

You sir are an amazing guesser! Yes I forgot to mention that.... it was an auto then i put an rb20 5spd on it. If you dont mind me asking, how did you know that??? What wiring do I check? The lower harness?

Thanks for the help!

[Darius]

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say he looked at your username

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with wiring so a start signal is not sent to the starter. The first thing you should do is verify that the Park switch is jumpered. If that is okay and it still is not turning, put the key in the OFF position and the transmission in neutral, and jumper a wire from the + battery terminal to the signal wire terminal on the starter solenoid. The starter should turn. If it does not, your starter has an issue. Turn the key to the ON position and do the same thing. If it starts and runs, then it would be the ignition switch or the wiring between the ignition switch/key tumbler and the starter signal terminal.

[AutoRb]

Lol yeah but I never said what kind of transmission I had...

I dont know if the safety switch is jumped but im assuming it is cause it started before this whole ordeal.

Anyways thanks for the tip Ill try that out and see what happens. Ill come back with the results when I do it.

[the converted]

Find the auto to manual swap how to, it's covered pretty well in there. There really isn't a ton that can stop a starter from spinning in the first place, so I took a guess.

[Eikon]

Here's my guess...

I think you have a bad CAS.

If your wiring was bad due to auto vs. 5 speed issues, why did you car start previously? It used to start... then you replaced your starter and now it doesn't start. Did you change any wiring in the process? If not, then I don't think the wiring is the issue.


I think your CAS is bad and that is causing your problem. Granted, I haven't had an RB for like 3 or 4 years now, so I'm a bit rusty, but I don't remember my CAS ever getting hot like you described in your first post. I mean, sure, it would get warm like everything else in the engine bay, but I don't think it ever got notably "hot". With a bad CAS and the resulting lack of CAS signal to the ECU, the car will not start. I'm thinking it had some bad bearing inside, they built up friction and then heat as a result, and then melted something inside perhaps? I know you hate to just throw parts at a car and hope its the fix, but if it were me, I'd source another CAS and give that a shot.

Try getting in touch with Ricky @ Raw Brokerage (Coolwhip here on NICO). Find his banner ad on the site as he's a sponser. He will most likely have a spare CAS sitting around that he can get you a good price on and get it to you quickly.

[the converted]

If it was a bad CAS, it would at least crank though.

[Eikon]

Ah yes.. I didn't read correctly. I didn't catch the part about no crank.

Maybe one of the wires for the starter is bad?

[elwesso]

I would check the starter relay. Super common problem on older Q, and I bet they are basically the same thing on the RB's.. After all, VH45 is just a mixture of all the best features of the RB, SR, and KA..

Does the RB have a starter relay, or is the solenoid triggered right from the key switch?? If there is a starter relay...

Find the starter relay, and unplug it.. Look at the diagram on top of the relay, it should have something on there that says

1-2
3-5

1-2 is the relay power, and probably will have 2 larger wires, 3-5 are the 2 smaller wires. Grab a paper clip or something like that, and connect pins 3 and 5. If it cranks, that means its something messed up before the starter, like an ignition switch or something like that.... if it doesnt crank, that means its most likely a connection at or around the starter (IE a trigger or power/ground)

I guess the main thing I would do is make sure you have power going to the starter. Unplug the trigger wire going to the starter and check that you have voltage when cranking....... IF you have voltage, that means the solenoid is being triggered but either power or ground is messed up on the starter.

[AutoRb]

Alright guys, I fixed it!!!

I appreciate all the inputs and tips on what to do!!
Honestly I don't know what I did lol I took my lower harness off, cut all the transmission crap off cuz Im not gonna use any of it. Cleaned it up a little bit, made it look neater, then put it back on. Fired up on the first turn of the key lol.
So it works now! Thanks again guys!