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So, i’m back with my 1988 3.8 riviera again..after a few months passed of driving i found i had a blown head gasket, not knowing until it was already too late, loud harsh knocking in the engine, since i’ve put so much time and money into the car i did not want to rid of it, so i went for a salvaged engine route..note this is my first engine replacement, although with tons and tons of advice and tips from experienced co-workers so that helped a bit, so i got everything out swapped over my accessories, being in columbus ohio..it was -20 something outside when trying to do this with a very cold garage i let it sit for about 3 weeks before i touched it again..come back and my transmission bellhousing had a nice large crack/split down the center, it doesn’t go all the way down but its about 5 inches long, not being in a position to replace it, i asked for advice, and everyone said to put it in anyway, as long as everything is mounted correctly and connected it shouldn’t give me too much issue..so i did, the passed few days i’ve worked vigorously to get everything back in, hooked everything back up, after so excited to FINALLY be done after all this time of borrowing cars to get to work. I filled all fluids up, put my battery that had been charging back in the car, and i go to start, but i get a no crank no start isssue…
so on with what i’ve done to test whats going on (sorry for the huge story just want to give everyone as much information as possible im at my witts with this car)
also note there is no click for the starter and when i turn the key, every light inside turns off until i release the key.. but i did go to the battery and do a test with a battery tester also no light dimming when just lights on. connections on battery are tight and brand new no corrosion as well as the battery is a brand new interstate battery, so what i’ve done so far is first i checked everything over at the battery side..everything looked ok, so since my car is so easy to access the starter, i just took it off and got it over to a bench and tested it with just alligator clips and a donated battery, the starter kicks out and spins just fine so i put that back, also looking at my alldata application making sure my starter was wired correctly, everything seems fine there.. also the engine does turn over manually with a socket just to get that out of the way of diagnosis..but i also tried hooking a alligator clip to the starter power terminal and directly touching the battery, nothing happens(with the key in the on position) which i believe i saw in a scotty kilmer video. nothing so far..
SO the conclusion so far i’v come to is that i have a ground either NOT hooked up somewhere or not hooked up correctly. there was a ground wire that wasn’t connected on the same wire strip as the starter power wire so as a quick fix i figured, i just bolted that to the sub frame of the car..now another 2 wires in the back of the engine up top, running along the same wire strip as the alternator wire, i saw those to be ground as well i believe….i hope atleast..so what i did is put them between the bolts that hold the power steering pump to the engine..hoping that would work..no go yet. so im sure i need to break out a multi meter tomorrow and test everything properly going to the starter, because i know my battery and battery connections as well as the starter are all good. my SECOND theory from what i was looking up is possibly a neutral safety switch issue? maybe the transmission doesnt see that its in park? i hooked up the shift selector to the transmission where it goes..but my step dad told me maybe to take it off, move the gear shift around and back all the way up and re-add it? said maybe it needs adjusting..but i don’t know..
as i said i’m sorry this is so long,i’ve just worked so hard on this car(for me atleast) and kind of a disappointing end to a lot of solo effort. and although i haven’t done any multi meter testing or anything( which i will try in the morning) just wanted to see what people here at the etcg forum thought, or any of your suggestions, anything at all that may spark something in my mind to get this old thing running on the road and on its way to work again.
thanks in advance,
Terry
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Well, I am from Columbus Ohio as well and have been living through this crappy winter too… Wow this is an awful winter… Anyway, on to your issue..
Have you tried to move the engine by hand, either at the flywheel with a turner or a pry bar, or from the main bolt in the front? Since you said this is a replacement engine, I am wondering if it is seized up… Try to get the engine to to turn over… Turn the engine clockwise as you face the engine…
Second, it may be something not grounded as you suspect, or a bad ignition switch…
If you suspect the trans is keeping it from starting, then disconnect the linkage and ensure it is in park or neutral..
Lastly, If you bought the engine from Buckeye Auto Parts I would suspect the engine is SHYTE… I have bought many supposedly good engines from them that turned out to be bad… Wasted a lot of my time.. I will NEVER buy from them again…
-Karl
Thanks for your reply Karl, yeah i turned the engine manually with a socket on the crank bolt, turns fine, i actually did that before i even bothered putting it in, also after it was in, and i got it from a place called HEM auto parts? was 150$ and with my minimum wage budget at the moment it seemed like a great chance..granted when it was delivered it had a bunch of old hoses crusty and melted wiring attached (which i made SURE were all thrown out), also i dont hear a clicking from the starter when i try to turn the key so i assume its not an issue with a seized engine…but tomorrow once its not so cold and dark im going to check all my fuses, and do some multi meter testing see what i find.
here is a picture of how the engine arrived
and also here is the picture of the transmission crack before putting it in. with a 10mm 1/4 socket beside it for size comparison
HEM… yeah, The Russian guys…
Anyway… check all your fuses, that is good… Also may want to do a voltage drop test as well… The answer is probably right in front of you… Keep it up.. You will find it..
-Karl
Just saw your pics… Just ensure the crack on the trans is not going to interfere with the flywheel turning, or else it could jam up and give you the exact problem you are having…
A rookie mistake many guys make is when they do not seat the torque converter fully in the transaxle (into the trans oil pump) and they torque down the transaxle to engine bolts trying to tighten the transaxle to engine when it doesn’t want to go…. resulting in a cracked transaxle case….
An engine and transmission should slide together ‘relatively’ easy… It should never need pulled onto the engine with any force.. if you ever have to turn a bolt REALLY hard to get a trans to bolt up to the engine… STOP!! something is wrong.. Most times the Flywheel and torque converter are crushed together and will not go any further… thus the transmission case breaks…
Just a tip….
-Karl
Do yourself a favor and try to turn the flywheel manually now that the engine is mounted… I am guessing that you can’t get it to move…
-Karl
definitely will try that in the morning…i hope thats not the case…i will be very frustrated if so lol lots of work for a non professional ><
bothered me to the point i couldn’t sleep so i went down really quick and tried…counter-clockwise the engine turns but takes quite a bit of force, clockwise the engine turns pretty smooth
OK… Good news…. Go to sleep now…. And for the future remember this… unless it is a pre-2000 Honda engine, only turn the engine clockwise…
Night, night… Pursue your diagnosis tomorrow with a rested head….. The answer is in front of you…
Cheers!
-Karl
so now that im out here i checked all of my fuses.. all seem intact and fine. as well as my relays seem functionl,so i went and put a multi meter on the batt, turning out 19V..did also when i turn the key the inside lights turn off but not the headlight they dont even dim. hooked up a wire from negative batt post to to start ign wire, no volts going at all with the key held in
also when i turn the key all the way on and back off theres a strang squeeling noise coming from my throttle body, only happens for like 2 seconds..fuel pump fuse is out for now,was hoping to prime the engine with oil but no crank yet
It sounds like something isn’t hooked up correctly. Its hard to say exactly what it is. When replacing an engine, you disconnect everything. Also, don’t forget to check the battery connections themselves. Dirty connections can cause issues like this. For now, check what you have going to the starter. This video might help.
Good luck and keep us posted.
I just had another thought. If your bell housing is that messed up, it might cause an issue with starter alignment. You might consider loosening the bolts that hold the trans to the engine and putting a jack under the trans to try and force it up a little into a better position. Use a block of wood between the trans and jack to prevent damage. I think ToyotaKarl might be onto something with his theory that things might be getting into a bind. However I would think that you might hear a ‘click’ or something with the starter trying to engage now that i think about it. Either way, that crack scares me a little. It may be fine, I’m just concerned if it will cause other issues.
A couple of things..
Is there a security system on the car?
Is there a different type flexplate/flywheel that may not match up to your starter teeth.. I.E. more or less teeth than the original?
Have you tried to pull the starter out and leave wires connected and see if it starts?
May be a problem with ignition switch or neutral safety switch..
Just shotgunning now..
Karl
yeah ive taken the starter off and tested it, while connected to the car’s wiring harness it was a no go, but when i took it all the way off and test with alligator clips and a battery on my workbench it functions as normal, also flexplate and starter are all original from the old engine, im almost starting to think its the neutral safety switch, but would that explain my battery giving me a read of 19V at the posts? both terminals are tight and very very clean
Check your batteries in your multimeter/voltmeter or check the car battery with another meter…19v is way wrong… also dont gloss over your ignition switch yet..
Karl
yeah my dmm is pretty old..atleast 10 years, so maybe that’s an issue i’m going to buy a new one thursday in the mean time i’ll ask to borrow one from a buddy, also took my neutral safety switch off, only two bolts on top of trans to have a look and here’s what i found
is that normal(OK) amount of corrosion or do you think this should be cleaned up or replaced?
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