running on two cylinders

[pemo928]

i just put a 96 jdm integra type r motor into my 92 civic cx hatchback. everything is done except the motor only fires on two cylinders. the ecu is only sending an output for cylinders 1 and 4 to fire. we've double checked the wiring and cant find anything wrong with it. does anyone know what triggers the ecu to make the output for the cylinders to fire. i also put a different ecu in and the same thing happened so its not the computer.

[nexusone]

i agree. check your plugs first. grab a voltmeter and check the impedance of your wires also. make sure that they're all good. they wont be the same because of different lengths, but you'll be able to spot a bad wire.

[austrian type-R]

Change the spark plugs. I just had your problem a few weeks ago, my 2000 miles old plugs was damaged, I don't know why. Replaced it and, yeah. First I thougt ECU, wiring or even compression is in the butt. I have never thought on my new plugs.

[pemo928]

i replaced the spark plugs already and checked them again and they're ok. i also checked for bad wires they're also ok. if anyone has any other ideas please let me know.

[217gsr]

Are there any exposed wires under your hood or on the wire connectors to your ECU? You may have fried your ECU.

A long time ago, it happened to me. After I extended the wires for an injector, I forgot to cover the exposed portions with electrical tape. Ultimately, that fried the ECU and left me running on 3 cylinders.

[waveoff]

I had problems with wiring inside my distributor which caused my engine to only run on a cylinder or two and misfire like crazy. Check the wiring to the distributor on the outside and then check the wiring under the cap around the coil and such. Make sure everything is insulated and no connections are shorting out or arcing to one another. All it took was reinsulating everything to make my problems go away. Good luck.

[pemo928]

i checked the ecu by putting another one in the car and the car still experiences the same problems. i also checked the distributor for any such wiring problems and everything appears ok. please help anyone with any other ideas.

[pemo928]

i think im going to take the car into a shop and just let them figure it out. there are two shops by my house. one said $150 diagnosis and the other said $60 an hour. ive had good experiences with both places before. with the situation im in which deal do you recommend?