89 accord 2nd motor swap help

[petey882]

ok i have an 89 accord lxi 2 door i bought for 300 bucks found a motor from a honda specialty junkyard the first one i got i changed it out and it wouldnt run checked compression and had #1 210 #2 120 #3 210 #4 150 so i took the motor back out and the place i got it from gave me another one and said it was tested and good so i put it in yesterday and it runs but it is rough.... it is running almost exactly like the one i pulled out it is backfiring through the intake and has hardly any power it seems to idle smooth but when i rev it up and let it come back to idle it usually cuts off but will crank right back up... so i took the plugs out #1 and # 4 are black like exhaust and #2 and #3 are white colored.. ive changed the plugs and it has a new cap and rotor on it has new injectors and fuel pump and filter but its just funny this motor is running exactly like the one i took out... does anyone think this could be a computer problem i really dont want to pull the motor out again the car does have 279000 miles on it please help someone its drivin me crazy would a bad computer cause it to do this

[Pico]

could be a bad injector relay, that just a guess

[petey882]

if it was the relay wouldnt it not work at all isnt there only one relay for all the injectors

[Dr_Snooz]

I'm having a hard time believing your compression test results. A new engine will only manage 180 psi. If you were getting 210, then you did it wrong or you have a hulking great big supercharger on it.

Start by double-checking the timing. Second, get out there and drive it. Unless it's completely undrivable, give it some time to work out whatever crud is in it from the junkyard.

[petey882]

i know the timing is right i changed the timing belt before i put the motor in and all my marks were lined up i triple checked that... it does seem like a timing issue but the motor i pulled out that was originally in the car when i bought it was running the exact same way doesnt the computer control a lot of the timing its just weird how they are running the same way and its two different motors

[petey882]

and no i did the compression test right... i took all the plugs out and put the tester in the hole and held the ghas wide open and turned the motor over and thats what the guage said

[Civic Accord Honda]

yeah it could be the computer or wireing problem, also wondering if teh cat is clogged

[petey882]

i gutted the cat so thats not the problem someone told me it could be the distributor but wouldnt it not run at all if it was the distibutor... anyone know where i can get a used computer cheap its 88 accord lxi 5 spd fi

[petey882]

ok so i changed the distributor and thats not it i also checked the timing belt and marks and they are on like they should be but is still runing very rough and has no power please someone help me figure this out

[Bluntman]

Does the check engine light come on after you drive it? If it does check the codes when the light comes on. Leave it running and count the blinks.

[petey882]

ive only drove it one time since i changed the motor and it wasnt but a half mile and it just didnt have any power at all but the check engine light never came on

[LX-incredible]

Are you sure you have the firing order correct? Only things I can think of would be that, bad injectors (yes new injectors can be DOA, I've had it happen), or the injector wiring.

[petey882]

ye sthe firing order is correct or it wouldnt run at all.... i havent checked the wiring yet its been raining the past two days so havent been able to work on it this is really becoming a pain in the butt

[petey882]

ok so i was messing qwith it and tried pulling the plugs on the injectors while it was running so i pulled #1 and nothing changed so i plugged it back in and pulled #2 and the motor about cut off and the sdame for #3 and then i pulled #4 and nothing changed the same as #1 would that be bad injectors or could that be the computer how can i check the injector to see if it is good or the wiring coming to it

[petey882]

ok so i swapped the two injectors i thought were bad but it is still doing the same thing can someone please help i really need this car running could the computer be making it do this or what

[LX-incredible]

Wrong, If you have 2 plug wires swapped the car will still run. Firing order is 1,3,4,2. With #1 being on the belt side of the engine. The cap should be marked. Please check it again.

I doubt that the wiring to 2 injectors would be bad... You can check for voltage between the red/black injector wires and ground with KOEO. The ECU grounds the other side (brown, red, blue, yellow) to fire them... Your $10 typical walmart multimeter may be too slow to pick it up. You can also check the injector wires at the ECU for voltage with KOEO. They are located at the top of the white ecu connector. Colors are brown, red, blue, yellow.

[LX-incredible]

One more thing... Did you change the distributor when you swapped motors?

A chipped or missing tooth on the ignition reluctor (directly under the rotor) will somtimes cause 2 cylinders not to get spark. That would either be 1 & 4 or 3 & 2.

[petey882]

i got it fixed guys my buddy that helped me put the motor in put the plug wires on and didnt have them in the right order i feel like an idiot go ahead talk smack i know you want to

[petey882]

could me running the motor like that with the plug wires switched around wrong have messed the motor up cause now when i drive it it keeps stumbling as the rpms are building and then i put it to the floor and kind of bogs down sounds like it wants to rev up but its not and then i stop and tryu reving it up and it will but sounds like its struglling and wont rev past like 5500-5800