Car Won't Crank or Start Please Assist!!!

[Luvs2slide]

Car is a 1989 S13 with Redtop uncut harness and uncut lower harness. Did the splicing according to Heavy Throttles page. Car was originally a AUTO. I did the jumper wire with the Black/yellow to the White plug for the neutral safety switch. I get power to the inside of car...ie dash, headlights turn on. I have a Greddy turbo timer installed which also turns on. How can I check if the starter is good? I'm pretty sure my ignitor is good as well as coil packs and new spark plugs. The clutch DOESNT have the sensor where you have to push the clutch down to start. When I turn the key to the first position ( ACC i think) there is a click by the driver side fuse box. When I turn key to next position (ON) there is BOTH a click in the pass. side fuse box as well as the drivers side fuse box. :confused: Can anyone help me start this thing please!!!

[koukimonster139]

1. your car is 240sx
2. fsm
3. to test a starter take it off and apply voltage
4. fsm
5. im sure you've wired something wrong

[OBEEWON]

Check all your wiring especially your grounds. Check for corossion, and make sure the nut on your starter is tight, as well as the cables to your battery. The simple stuff first. If not then you might want to double check how you wired things.

[Luvs2slide]

1. your car is 240sx
2. fsm
3. to test a starter take it off and apply voltage
4. fsm
5. im sure you've wired something wrong


Is there a way to check the starter while its in the car???

I'm positive all the wiring is good. Everything is soldered, heat shrinked and taped.

[Luvs2slide]

Check all your wiring especially your grounds. Check for corossion, and make sure the nut on your starter is tight, as well as the cables to your battery. The simple stuff first. If not then you might want to double check how you wired things.

As far as grounds go, is there a diagram which shows all the grounds? I did paint my engine bay with epoxy paint...however, I put a multimeter to all the grounds and they checked out fine; less the 2 ohms.

[Luvs2slide]

I heard that some people run a hotwire from the ignition switch to the starter...is this a good thing to do???

[Sileighty_85]

Screwdriver!!! Nah I'm kidding.... Yeah its fine ur just bypassing the ignition box relay If you look on the starter/solenoid you'll see a big wire and a little wire. just get a like a 14guage wire (or whatever ya got doesnt really matter) put one end on the batt or that fat wire on the soleniod and tapp the other end of it on the small teminal on the solenoid (be prepared to jump cuz its gonna startle you) if you do that and u get nothin then the starters no good.

[Luvs2slide]

Screwdriver!!! Nah I'm kidding.... Yeah its fine ur just bypassing the ignition box relay If you look on the starter/solenoid you'll see a big wire and a little wire. just get a like a 14guage wire (or whatever ya got doesnt really matter) put one end on the batt or that fat wire on the soleniod and tapp the other end of it on the small teminal on the solenoid (be prepared to jump cuz its gonna startle you) if you do that and u get nothin then the starters no good.


I took a wire and put one end on the battery positive terminal and then touch it against the starter earlier...is this a method of testing if the starter is good? I did this while a frined was trying to turn the key to ignition...all it did was ake little sparks on the starter. Do i have to touch it against the main plug on the starter to crank it manually???

[Sileighty_85]

I took a wire and put one end on the battery positive terminal and then touch it against the starter earlier...is this a method of testing if the starter is good? I did this while a frined was trying to turn the key to ignition...all it did was ake little sparks on the starter. Do i have to touch it against the main plug on the starter to crank it manually???

All you have to do id touch that positve wire from the batt to the little brass square terminal on the starter solenoid and the starter should try to spin. if it does nothin ur starters bad. and also u shouldnt need anyone to turn the key so cut that part out.

[Luvs2slide]

All you have to do id touch that positve wire from the batt to the little brass square terminal on the starter solenoid and the starter should try to spin. if it does nothin ur starters bad. and also u shouldnt need anyone to turn the key so cut that part out.

So I dont even need the key in the ignition then? I could crank the motor just by doing the starter test???

[Sileighty_85]

So I dont even need the key in the ignition then? I could crank the motor just by doing the starter test???

well if you want to crank the engine then yeah put the key in and just turn it to the "ON" position then do the starter thing. but this aint gonna work if ur starters bad.

[Luvs2slide]

Ok guys, still no luck...I fixed all my grounding points, and Im not 100% sure they are in the right spot though; two behind each headlight, one from the coilpacks going to the firewall, one coming from the lower harness grounded to battery tray, one from the passenger side harness, and the negative battery terminal which attaches to the passenger side fender then grounds to the intake manifold. I disconnected my turbo timer, re-jumpered the clutch inhibit switch ( black/yellow to white), I do however had a ton of leftover plugs that aren't connected...I know some are left unplugged but there are three that are bothering me:
1. white plug w/11 wires under the steering wheel
2. one grey plug from the ecu with a 2 big wires that are black/white and white
3. one grey plug from the Fuse Box that has 2 big wires black/yellow and white

#2 is what the plug that was jumpered looked like it goes to. I called Jeff @ Heavy throttle and said it shouldn't be connected.

I had another starter put on the car that was tested and passed @ autozone. I tried to do the starter test to crank the motor but I didn't know until now that to CRANK the motor you have to have the key to at least the "ON" position.

I'm almost out of ideas guys. The only thing I can think of is somewhere where I spliced the the SR-->KA ECU connector and the 2 plugs by the Passenger fuse box didn't connect right. I've been thinking that since the car was an automatic, that the car STILL doesn't believe its in neutral...I dont know....Do you guys have any ideas????

p.s. Sorry for you guys having to read such a long post. :-/

[Luvs2slide]

bump. Cmon guys none of you have ever done a automatic to manual swap and then Sr'd it??????:aw:

[Luvs2slide]

Do I need to add the neutral position sensor from a manual car to get this thing to run over?

[dizthaiboi]

nope u don't. i did auto to manual swap on my s13. all i did was bypass the neutral safty switch.

[Luvs2slide]

nope u don't. i did auto to manual swap on my s13. all i did was bypass the neutral safty switch.

Does that mean all you did was jumper the 2 wire plug together right??? This thing is not cranking at all!!!

[Luvs2slide]

Got the motor to start and cranked and all. There was an open in the lower harness to the starter. Fired up first time after I fixed it and wired it up correctly. Thanks for all the help.