I really screwed this up - help please!!

[Jesus-Ninja]

OK - So I thought I was going about this the right way. My plan was to stip back the wiring loom in the car, tracing wires back until I had the bare minimum, and then get the engine out, the loom out, plug it all together on the workshop floor and fire it up, before getting things running without the auto box.

I'd been taking out chucks of obvious stuff, and starting the car in between each "stage". I'd got to the point where I had a lot of loose plugs which were doing nothing, so started cutting these out, but somewhere I've screwed something up. The system is dead - won't even turn over. I've checked obvious things like battery charge and fuses, but nothing.

So, I'm at my whits end, adrift in a sea of loose wires. I suspect the best thing is to start from the bottom up, and I could use a starter on what the bare minimum is that I need to get the engine running.

Any assistance is gratefully appreciated. Car is a 1998 LS400 VVTi. All I really need is an engine, ECU and starter motor that are all playing nicely together.

Thanks

 

[pajman]

That one could have an immobiliser , could be your problem .

 

[Jesus-Ninja]

Immobiliser is still plumbed in, and am still using the original key and barrel. Would the immobiliser cause the engine to not even turn over. From memory (when I was messing about ages ago, reprogramming a spare key) the engine would turn but not fire.

 

[George_R]

Not only could but indeed had one. The only one vvti ecu without immo is one from UZS155 chassis

 

[Bushwhacker]

Could be the Park/Neutral Position switch (NSW on non VVTi engines) isn't sending a 12v signal to the ECU?
No Park/Neutral signal and the engine won't crank over.

 

[Jesus-Ninja]

Cheers, Vince. Yeah, I had a look at that this morning. I woke up really hoping I'd just knocked the thing out of Park, but nothing so simple. Got 12V on the STA feed into the ECU, although wierdly, I get 12v even if I put it in Drive, so I guess I've got something wrong, although it was all a bit of a rush this morning before I went to work.

Will have a good nosy tonight