b16a turning over, but not starting

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Makahana187

New Member
my b16a swap is done and when i try and start it, the engine just turns over but never actually fires. when i put starter fluid in the intake it acts like it's about to fire, but then quits when i let the key back into the run position. i'm suspecting that there's probably some air and old fuel in the injectors because i can smell the old fuel start to burn. is it necessary for the fuel injectors to be bled/primed or should i just try and burn the rest of that fuel out of the lines until i hit new fuel?
 
I believe when ya turn the key after the injectors have been takin out an theres air in the line.. the fuel pump pushes the air through the rail back into the tank (throught the return line).. but i many b wrong?? So u should b go there.... good plugs,wires,dizzy(cap an rotor)... idk just tryin to give ideas... GL
 
double check your grounds, Battery, thermostat,transmission, valve cover.

take a spark plug and put one of the wires on it and place it on a metal part of the valve cover. Then have someone crank it over, careful how you set it so it doesn't fall and I would not recommend holding it cause it may shock the crap out of you.

Pretty much the most common issue with swaps.

If there is no spark, good chance its a bad grounding, then go from there.
 
double check your grounds, Battery, thermostat,transmission, valve cover.

take a spark plug and put one of the wires on it and place it on a metal part of the valve cover. Then have someone crank it over, careful how you set it so it doesn't fall and I would not recommend holding it cause it may shock the crap out of you.

Pretty much the most common issue with swaps.

If there is no spark, good chance its a bad grounding, then go from there.

i checked the grounds and all of them seem to be tight, no wiggle in any of them
would there be any other reason for the car not to spark?
 
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YouTube - What not to toss into a small fire another angle
gas ignites quiet well even after sitting for a year as in the case of this video, it was maybe 6oz at most and it was just getting dark. Even started the truck it was sitting in.

If its not starting even with starting fluid then check your compression and timing.
Checking timing marks helps out and so forth. the B16 has to markers that should point to each other on the cams when you reach TDC as the timing on the crank is marked on the pulley and the timing cover. Then check the distributor timing from there.
 
i don't honestly think it would be the timing because while the engine was out i changed the timing belt and made sure to align everything as it was...unless the engine was out of timing when it was shipped to me, but i'm highly doubting that
 
i wouldnt put it past being out of line. It's always worth a look

My b16 arrived from hmotors with either the intake or exhaust cam about 25 degrees out ofr TDC. good news was the valves were not screwed up, and i changed out the belt anyway, and reset the timing.

If you can get a hold of a compression tester, run that and see what your numbers are. A compression of 0 or really low may keep you from firing.

also check if your injectors are getting power.
 
alright i'll take a look, but it won't require me to take the engine back out of the car, will it? and i'll end up checking if the injectors are getting power this weekend, thats another thing i had thought up doing
 
to check the timing you DO NOT have to take the engine back out.

Just line up the cam marks on the top end towards one another and the crank has has a a mark that lines up with the timing cover. Double check a manual for something like a b17a (91-93) integra, b16a Del Sol or pretty much anything that runs an almost identical engine. You can download a service manual online, but having a physical one is much nicer. I don't remember where I downloaded mine anymore but look around on this forum im sure you will find a link.

Compression check is pretty much a must at this point if you have spark, and smelling fuel/using starting fluid and it still wont start, Good chance its your compression. if your timing on both the engine and distributor is all right.

Had a 22RE Toyota truck that wouldn't start because of a completely cooked head gasket and warped head, so it made 0 compression. It would occasionally fire up but it never ran under its own power other than the starter.

Where did you buy your engine?
 
alright i really appreciate the help. i wanna get this car running so bad just so i can drive it again and see how the new engine is...i didn't think you had to pull the engine out, but just wanted to make sure haha
 
You sure the fuel pump is pumping? Check the pump, filter. If you're sure you are getting good spark.

thats another thing i'm replacing, the fuel filter was all jacked up when i pulled it off and emptied it there was some chunky crap that came out. i'm guessing thats not good so thats for sure getting replaced
 
i just got my new fuel filter and i know i'm at least getting fuel to the fuel rail. i took the hose off to see if its pumping fuel and it is. so right now its either gunked up injectors that i got some sea foam to try and clean out with, the injectors not getting power (i still think they are; i'm using the wiring harness from the car and before the injectors worked fine) which i'm going to test for, or its my timing. if it is timing its on the distributor end because i replaced the timing belt when i first got the engine and made sure to keep everything in line and how it was
 
and again, it could be the old gas. i know i'm kinda beating a dead horse by mentioning it again but since this engine is a little higher compression than my original d15, itprob needs that new gas
 
Spark, fuel, and correct timing. With these three things, a car will start.

Start with the simple stuff. Pull the plugs and make sure you have spark. Check to make sure you are getting fuel. Check to make sure the timing is not off. If all of these things are present, your car will start.

You could be flooded. Check the bottom of the plugs and see if they are wet. If so, wire up a switch to your pump and shut it off. Crank a few times to get all that fuel out. Once it starts, flick the pump back on.
 
i got it started. the fuel injectors werent getting power. hooked em up and it started right up
 
i have same sounding problem, how do you check the injectors getting power? wouldnt my ecu send the cel code for that if that was my issue?
 
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