Our Community is 940,000 Strong. Join Us.


motor swap, now won't start


supermaltese
01-10-2007, 04:50 PM
engine out of 86 into 88 (13b). prior to swap 86 ran fine. clutch seal blew so I took the engine from the high mileage 86 into the low mileage 88. Now it won't start. I replaced the engine harness today which took 7+ hours. It has fuel and spark, and starter is good. I'm about to shoot this car. The 88 had broken apex seals but still started and ran and could be driven up to about 45 mph. All I did was the swap.

drftk1d
01-12-2007, 01:05 AM
is the ignition connected

supermaltese
01-12-2007, 10:16 AM
my bad (yes the ignition is connected), I forgot to mention in my post that it cranks and fires fine, just won't start. my best guess is either electrical or vacuum. how do i check for vacuum leaks? all the hoses are in really nice condition and there aren't any cracks. of course to get the harness installed i had the throttle body off which meant removing most of those hoses.

ExTrEmEDrIfT
02-08-2007, 06:42 PM
:edit: alright my bad didn't see this thread was a month old should have your problem fixed im guessing..


well something is'nt hooked up probably a sensor problem .. doubt its vacuum and if you have fuel and spark then its narrowed down to just a few things .. maf,tps? check them all..alright my bad didn't know this post was a month old don't know if you got your problem fixed by now

supermaltese
04-12-2007, 09:50 AM
update...had the fuel lines reversed, duh!

new and old problem - - i'm only getting half power, and extremely slow acceleration. this is the exact same problem that i had before the swap. replaced computer, no change. what about exhaust or ignition module?

what other things could cause this? keep in mind that the engine ran great in the 86 body and only developed the same problem w/symptoms as the 88 after the swap.

drftk1d
04-18-2007, 09:13 AM
only half power when? At a certain RPM or from the start?

Tim McCreary
04-26-2007, 12:07 AM
Have you tried swapping out the engine computers (ECU) to see if the problem persists? I cannot recall if they are a different plug configuration though. Also make sure that you have the proper coil wires going to the proper plug wires (leading and trailing, front and rear).

One more thing. Was there anything that you did to the original motor prior to it running bad (like changing plug wires, plugs), fixing a leaking sneeze pin or wiffle bearing, etc. Usually, you can work backwards and find out that maybe you bumped or broke some wires in the process, even if you just changed the oil.

Add your comment to this topic!