Honda Prelude Forum - PreludeDriver.com

I recently replaced water pump and timing belt...put it all back together...all with the help of 12 videos posted on youtube, which were very helpful...unfortunately my 92 honda prelude h23 motor turns over but will not start...grrr where did I error and all help and advice is appreciated

Simple things first:

You had to take a lot of stuff apart to get to the timing belt. Has all of this been put back? If the car is cranking but not starting, I'd take a careful look at your ignition system (spark plugs, wires, etc) to make sure they are all hooked up as they should be. You may have just forgotten to plug a harness into the distributor or something like that.

Failing that, you'll have to start digging deeper, but first just give it a fresh look and double check to make sure everything is all hooked up. The first step to troubleshooting a car that won't start is always to verify that it's getting fuel and spark.

Always start smallest and work toward largest. As Spiffy said, verify that you are getting fuel and spark first, then trace your way back through all the steps you took for removal and install.

Are you absolutely certain you got everything lined up in the right places to get the timing set correctly? If the timing isn't right, it very well won't start.

You did reconnect the ground wire? (hey, it happens --- i did that once, didn't put the ground back on the mount and spent HOURS trying to figure out why the engine wouldn't start!!)

Hard to diagnose these kinds of problems... Just backtrack and work your way through it. Good luck!

Sorry I (we) can't be more specific. But keep asking questions if you need and maybe we can hit on the right thing as your report progress for what you find.

its all good advice and thanks so much...went back over videos posted and hey guess what...some how I missed the part of the balance shaft pulley needing lined up...go figure lol...but seriously, never attempted this amount of skills before and videos saved me a TON of money...now that its alive and started it dies when I stop after it gets to operating tempature...dialing timing?? idle adjustment?? whats next? teach me oh great one lol...

If it's stalling after it gets to idle temperature certainly adjust the idle according to the specs in the service manual (see our manuals section). Also make sure that all the vacuum lines are hooked up and that you properly bled the coolant. Check again for any error codes from the ECU.

And yes, use a timing light to make sure you've got the timing dialed right in. Remember to jumper the service connector if your car is so equipped.