I haven't seen anything tangible posted yet to get this beast running,
so I'll take a stab at it...
1st thing to know is- Was the motor that was removed actually
running, no matter how bad, before it was yanked? If it was running
then suddenly locked up, that's ok. But if it wouldn't fire then, this
problem may just be a continuation of something that was wrong before.
If it was running, let's go on...
Double check to make sure that you plugged the coil in, or if it
doesnt have an actual connector, did you connect the wires to the
correct terminals? If this is fine, go disconnect the battery for 1
minute, hook it back up, crank the engine for about 5-10 seconds. I'll
assume it still wont start. Turn the key off, then turn it on and off
two times, then turn it on and leave it at the on position (not the
start position) Watch the check engine light, it should go out, then
start flashing at you. Count each flash, then there will be a quick
pause, then it will flash quick at you again, followed by longer
pauses. You are reading the codes from the computer. Look for a code
12 to come out first. You should also see a code 55 probably too.
Write all the codes down and let us know what you got. What I am trying
to find out is if you have a problem with a stinky little system that
Dodge calls the ASD circuit, which is the auto shut-down circuit, which
has a ASD relay which could be bad.
We'll address that later if we find you have an ASD code in the
computer.
Anyway, since this took you a whole 5 minutes, now you can do
something else. I assume you know the correct way to check for spark
(correct also means the correct way that wont fry your computer, coil,
etc.) If not-this is the easiest- unscrew a spark plug, stick it back
into the plug wire properly, then lay the spark plug on the exhaust
manifold or some good solid metal ground, preferably in a way such that
the gap is easily seen and the ground electrode or where the threads are
at is touching a good section of the manifold. Have someone crank the
engine, while you watch the spark plug. No spark jumping down there
huh? Ok, then put that plug back in and yank the coil wire out of the
cap. You need to find a way to attach the coil wire to the plug
solidly, then lay that on the manifold or electrical ground. Crank
again. Still no spark? It starts getting trickier now. You may have
problems with the cap/rotor/wires, but that aint keepin it from
starting-you'll find that out once it runs. Next you need to find out
if the coil, hall effect switch, module, etc. are all ok. Let's check
the coil and stop there tonight until you can do these other things and
get back to us. Unplug everything from the coil, get an ohmmeter out.
Find the resistance between the small terminals if wires hook onto them,
or between the pins if there is a connector that plugs in. Also
measure the resistance between each one of these and the part where the
coil wire is pushed into-making sure you have good contact on the metal
spots. Also check the resistance from the coil wire spot to the body of
the coil. What you are doing is checking the primary and seconday sides
of the coil. If there is a break in the windings, you will get little
or no resistance if the break shorted the windings to the body when you
check with one test lead on the body of the coil, and you will get
infinite resistance when you check with the terminals. Get back to us
with all of your numbers, and we'll see if you have to put a coil in it,
or if we need to go further. (Keep in mind that a fried coil can also
mean you have other fried parts too...It may not have just fried on its
own.)
Sorry so long, just wanted to cover the bases. By the way, it is
CRANKING, right, just not actually firing up and running, right?
Otherwise, check the archives on my "How to diagnose a starter" post
during the summer, it got rave reviews!
Patrick
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:11:24 EDT