i blew my motor months ago in my 1997 dodge ram (manual)....
now i bought and installed a dakota motor myself. the motor came out of an automatic, but i transfered the flyweel and clutch/preasure plate...i also had to transfer my old crank position sensor because the automatic one was too long....
well after i had finished installing the motor and connecting everything, double checking... i cranked the motor, and it turns over, but doesnt start. the engine light is on and stays on as i crank...
i changed the coil, didnt help... i took a test light to the coil, and aparently its suppose to blink when you crank the motor.. well it doesnt... i also checked it with a multimeter.... so i guess im not getting spark to my coil, so its pointless to change the distributor if i dont even have spark to the coil, right? well...
i realized somthing else, even though i cut the wire goin to the siren, the truck was still giving off an alarm, i figured there could of been a kill switch to the spark that was keeping the car from starting, i fixed that problem, but the truck still doesnt start. i have fuel pressure, i checked the valve on the fuel rail, but how do i know that the connectors on the injectors are spitting any fuel?
any who..... i cant figure out this problem, HELP PLEASE!!!

 

im also using the same wiring harness... and just to be sure i checked all suspicious wires that look like they were bad, so the wireing harness shouldnt be an issue

 

If you are getting fuel but no spark I would say it is 1 of 3 things.

1. the crank sensor is bad
2. the cam sensor is bad
3. The alarm is causing your problem

If you fixed the alarm I would probubly start with whichever sensor is cheapest.

 

Is it the same motor as what you had before? because the computers are very specific about what they'll run.

 

the motor looks exactly the same, the person i got the motor, said it was the same motor, but i didnt tell him my truck was a manual...

 

The engines are basically identical internally. You should swap over all your old sensors to the new engine to be safe. Swap over intake and injectorsif they looks different too.
Double check all your wiring and make sure everything is plugged in properly. Make sure all ground wires are hooked up. Is any wiring pinched? It's real easy to get the wiring caught between the trans and engine (especially the crank sensor) Did you have trouble installing the trans? Did you install the crank sensor before bolting trans to engine. It's real easy to damage the crank sensor installing the trans, especially on a standard.

Do you have power to your coil and injectors with the key in the run position?
When you turn key to run can you hear the fuel pump run for a few seconds?
Check all the fuses under the hood too.

Good luck

 

yes, the motors are pretty much identical, i did however have to swap the fuel injectors because the connectors on the dakota motor were different, but the intake is the same.
i have been canging alot of things around to see if anything different happens, like: i changed the coil, camshaft position sensor, cap/rotor (befor i realized the coil wasent getting spark)
all grounds are hooked up, i just tripple checked...
even though im not seeing any wires inbetween the tranny and the motor, i am starting to believe that the crank sensor is damaged ( that'll be like $90 =[ ) i did install the crank sensor befor even putting the engine in the engine bay, and when i was transfering the automatic one w/ the manual one, i kind of broke the plastic around the metal sleave that the bolt goes through, but i didnt think it was that big of a deal, i was still able to bolt down the sensor pretty good
i do hear the pump turn on when i turn the key on
i did check ALL fuses like 20 times, and switched relays around and wiggled them around.......

 

Sounds like your doing things right.
Unless you have access to a OBD II scan tool and can look at the crank sensor live data you might have to try a new one.

You can eliminate a lot of sensors by unplugging them and trying to start.
You can unplug TPS, IAC,MAP COOLANT TEMP,O2 SENSORS, and the engine should still start.
You might have to feather the throttle but is should start and run with it all unplugged. ECM will input default values for the disconnected sensors

 

i took out the crank sensor the other night and it was busted i guess because of when i was connecting the motor witht the tranny. last night i just bought a new crank sensor and installed it. now im getting spark to my coil as well as my sparkplug wires. i turn the motor over, and you can tell there is a signifigant differance in the cranking, but its still not starting. im guessing maby the firing order of the wires were moved around befor i bought the motor.
it almost sounds like it wants to start.... could the motor be flooded though?
does any one know the firing order?

 

1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

#1 is on the front driver side