RB20DET Conversion won't start

[Belly_up]

Thanks for the info Steve, there's some good stuff there.

I got the error codes out of the ECU, and it got an error 13, which is apparently a Coolant Temp Sensor error. Does anyone know if this is referring to the sensor near the block, just near the pressure reg, or the one on the radiator? i suspect the one near the block is for the ECU, and the one on the radiator just runs the gauge, does that sound right?

And should this error stop the ECU from starting the engine, or is it something it should be able to ignore? (i'm going to fix the sensor anyway)

Another thought i had is that maybe i need to connect the neutral switch from the (manual) gearbox up, which i haven't done yet. would this be affecting it as well?

Thanks again for any help guys,

Adam.

[blind_elk]

Thge ECUtemp sender and the gauge temp sender are next to each other on the pipe returning to the top radiator. The ECU sender has a yellow plug. The sender in the radiator is a switch for the A/C thermatic fan.

The fact that the ECU sender has a fault shouldn't stop the engine from starting.

What you have done (pull a coil/plug) is the simplest way to test for spark. Its likely the igniter module (on the top of the engine at the back) is faulty. See if you can get hold of another one.

[Belly_up]

Thanks for the tips blind_elk, i'll investigate further this weekend and report back on how i go.

Cheers

Adam.

[blind_elk]

see if you can clear the error (ECU reset). Often, something silly like disconnect the connector on the sender while engine running will trigger the fault code.

Clear the code, then if it reoccurs, its likely the sender is faulty.

[Belly_up]

I have a sneaking suspicion i may have killed some of the wiring in that area, damn nissan engineers. There are two wires in the ecu loom that are identically marked (black, red trace, silver spot) and the same gauge, sitting right next to each other. One of them is the IGN +12v line for the ecu, the other is some random ground line. So of course first time round, i spliced 12v into the wrong one didn't i?, turned the igntion on to see if i had 12v at the ecu connector (thankfully without the ecu plugged in, and all i got was a very warm, slightly melted ground line : ( I was hoping that it might have just melted the insulation off the wire, and that the core and surrounding wires were ok, but it seems now that i've killed the sender wire. The sender itself seems ok, reads 2.2k, which is better than open or closed i guess. hopefully it's just the wire, and hopefully just that one. But it does mean i have to pull the loom out from the intake manifold, unwrap the whole thing, check the wires and re wrap it all.

Oh well, i guess it might be a good chance to pull the injectors out and see if they're working.

[Belly_up]

well after a weekend spent troubleshooting the various components, unwrapping the entire loom, replacing the wire i melted, putting the loom back together, removing the fuel rail (without removing the manifold!) testing the injectors, unblocking 2 of them, cleaning up all the ground points, and lots of head scratching, i finally got the thing going.

I hadn't killed anything, which was a relief, but in the end it turned out that i didn't have 12v to the coils (which i should have checked ages ago of course...) because the coils get there 12v feed from a different point to the rest of the loom. I piece of wire, and 1 spade terminal later, the car fired immediately, after only cranking for like 1 second. So now after 18 months my nicely rebuilt RB20DET is finally running. I am the happiest guy in the world at the moment : ).

Now i just have to get the rest of the car roadworthy....

Thanks heaps to all the guys who offered assistance and advice, it was all helpfull and much appreciated.

Cheers,

Adam

[Steve]

Great to hear it all finally paid off. If you get the chance, post some pics up - always nice to see a unique project come together. Perhaps even a few words on what to watch out for, just incase there is anybody else out there planning a similar engine upgrade.

Cheers

Steve

[Belly_up]

Yeah, i think i'll do that, considering how many people are supposedly doing engine conversions out there, there is surprisingly little information to be found, and i'd love to be able to save some other people the hassles i've had.

Adam.