HELP!! shell into a runing car-- 1st start up problem *PICS*

[turbo98eclipse]

hey guys--

i dropped my new engine/tranny in yesterday, put in my new starter, battery, wiring harness and eprom. i get power to the dash/windows, but when i turn the key the engine doesnt turn over... the fuel pump cycles but there is no starter action. i checked for the connections and did some research and it appeared my starter relay wasnt connected. so i plugged in what i assume (from the diagrams) was the starter relay, but still nothing. i can hear the ignition switch clicking but noting under the hood. i also dont hear the starter relay in the car clicking so im assuming im overlooking something simple. there IS a blue connector behind my "radio" that im not sure what it goes to... see pic #1

the power wire is on the starter, but the small black/yellow wire that connects to the starter was a bit loose. so i made a solid connector (see attached pic #2) just to check if that was the problem, it wasnt. the FAT black/yellow ground for the starter is grounded on the tranny bolt with a nut holding it on the back side. (see pic #3)

i had a new key made from the dealer when i got the shell... it open the doors fine and operates in the on position, so im sure thats not the problem. the clutch pedal is also contacting the safety switch

are there any other possibilities? something i may be overlooking?

thanx!!

 

[crash89]

Make sure you have the ground connected from the firewall to the intake.. I was chasing my tail having the same problem, checking relays and starters and grounds etc.. come to find out that one little ground was the culprit! Good luck.

 

[turbo98eclipse]

Any visuals of which ground you're specifically talking about? Thanx for the suggestion!

 

[Hughes]

Any visuals of which ground you're specifically talking about? Thanx for the suggestion!

Sorry for the crappy pictures, I used a flashlight to highlight where the strap is and then the last picture shows where the ground attaches to the firewall!

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[turbo98eclipse]

wow def didnt know a ground went there... ill try that tomorrow. hopefully i can think of another reason this thing isnt starting by this week. any more advice would be appreciated!

 

[1995gsx20g]

try hotwiring the starter.

with the ignition key on, connect a wire to the S terminal on the starter and hold it on the battery until it starts.
-this rules out the starter being bad and its in the wiring. if your ground and power wires are ok

 

[turbo98eclipse]

try hotwiring the starter.

with the ignition key on, connect a wire to the S terminal on the starter and hold it on the battery until it starts.
-this rules out the starter being bad and its in the wiring. if your ground and power wires are ok

welp... snuck some time in today to do this... and it turned over. after 20 tries or so of it not starting completely up, i decided to spray some brake clean into the intake. it STARTED but ran rough! so i thought about it and the car had been sitting for like 2 years... which means the gas in there was probably just that old... looks like i may have about quarter tank in there... any advice on how to get it out w/o dropping the tank? i saw some people saying in other threads to jump the fuel pump relay-- is this the best route to take?

and as far as the key not working to start the car, any other suggestions on what it may be? im thinking it has something to do with the relay (someone CONFIRM that i have the relay connected in the 1st pic i posted please..) but if not, maybe i should just hook up a start button/switch and call it a day?

thanx for the help so far guys !!

so after doing more and MORE research it looks like the starter relay is the one to the LEFT in pic 1, not on the right like all the manuals/online diagrams point it out to be... only thing is that i didnt see a connector that goes to that. i may have got it tangled when i was putting the whole harness back into the car. anyone know if this [starter relay] connector is on the same wiring harness as the ecu connectors or if its on a separate harness already inside the car?

 

[mike96]

i have a complete car harness out of the car at the moment i can get you a good pic of where everything goes behind the stereo but there should be 4 connectors there one black, one white, and two blue (a big one and a smaller one) that one in the first pic looks like the smaller of the blue connectors. also it may be a "duh" question but the black wire with the yellow stripe is connected at the starter and the single connector under the battery right?

edit... sorry just re-read your post again. you said that the starter power wire was redone. if i am not mistaken look at your first pic. that group of 4 wires that disapears behind your hand should go to the other relay...

 

[turbo98eclipse]

i have a complete car harness out of the car at the moment i can get you a good pic of where everything goes behind the stereo but there should be 4 connectors there one black, one white, and two blue (a big one and a smaller one) that one in the first pic looks like the smaller of the blue connectors. also it may be a "duh" question but the black wire with the yellow stripe is connected at the starter and the single connector under the battery right?

edit... sorry just re-read your post again. you said that the starter power wire was redone. if i am not mistaken look at your first pic. that group of 4 wires that disapears behind your hand should go to the other relay...

thats what i assumed too... but nothing was there. on a side note, i found where that random blue connector went: it was hidden behind and twisted w/ the rest of the harness

but i took a look at my old harness (the cut one that came with the car) and the new one thats in there now. the old one was from a 95-96 gsx 5spd... the new one is from a 97-99 auto. as you can see, the wire which i THINK would go to the relay on the one thats in there now (97-99) looks different from the one that used to be in there. maybe they changed relays over the years? so should i splice the old connector onto the new harness or is there really a difference in the relays themselves (ie: get a "2gb" relay)

im close to solving the problem... ran into a few links someone else may find helpful in the future

5spd w/ AT harness, apparently you have to jump 2 wires on the at harness in the engine bay (scroll to the bottom) --Eclipse 5-speed Swap

this one helps show the starter relay (posts 9 and 10) --http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/294958-2g-starter-solenoid-wire-no-12-volts.html

 

[mike96]

i am thinking it is.... the connector on the right in the first pic of your last post does match the connector to the starter relay on my 96 talon harness. the one on the left i have no idea, never seen it before..... but, if it does go to the starter relay then the black/yellow wire should go straight to pin 71 on the ECU. i apologize but i need to get some sleep. i only got about 2 hours last night and i am starting to get a headache. from the looks of what i have found you are on the right track, easy way to check is take a piece of wire and jump the connector from pins 3 to 5 on the one you think goes to the starter relay and the starter should spin. if it does then you can go either way with the fix. pull the plugs out of the connector and put them in the one for the 96 starter relay or just go find you a 97-99 relay and be good with it. sory i cant be more help tonight. good luck.

also this might help
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/246385-starter-issues-wont-crank-over.html

 

[turbo98eclipse]

i am thinking it is.... the connector on the right in the first pic of your last post does match the connector to the starter relay on my 96 talon harness. the one on the left i have no idea, never seen it before..... but, if it does go to the starter relay then the black/yellow wire should go straight to pin 71 on the ECU. i apologize but i need to get some sleep. i only got about 2 hours last night and i am starting to get a headache. from the looks of what i have found you are on the right track, easy way to check is take a piece of wire and jump the connector from pins 3 to 5 on the one you think goes to the starter relay and the starter should spin. if it does then you can go either way with the fix. pull the plugs out of the connector and put them in the one for the 96 starter relay or just go find you a 97-99 relay and be good with it. sory i cant be more help tonight. good luck.

also this might help
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/246385-starter-issues-wont-crank-over.html

ha-- no prob. i think ive got enough info to get this thing started via turning the key tomorrow. ill keep you guys updated!