Cougar

Since you state that the engine may be running rich the problem may be due to a bad coolant temperature sensor for the ECU. This is not the one for the dash gauge. These sensors can fail so that the ECU thinks that the engine is cold when it is really hot. If it is bad this may be causing the misfire code also.

To see if there is a fuel delivery problem you can spray some starter fluid into the intake. If the engine tries to run then you know.

You should be able to patch the hole. A small dab of silicone may work on it.

Thanks for the feedback Downbound. Glad that you found the trouble. Owning a Subaru, especially on a snow day,.......Priceless.

Gloyal, I'm not sure what you mean by overloaded unless you are saying that both the low and high beams will be on at the same time. Is that what you mean by overloaded? Glen

I think you should give yourself more credit. A lot of folks wouldn't have tried the things you have done already. Checking and cleaning connectors is a simple thing. They can be a little tricky getting them apart at times but usually not much of a problem. Hopefully reseating the plug wire will fix this trouble.

You stated that the error code is still showing a circuit fault to the solenoid. I assume the tech has made sure that the voltage from the ECU is getting to the solenoid. If not, then that needs to be confirmed. If the voltage is ok then it seems there is a problem in the ECU for that circuit.

You are way ahead of me since you have already replaced those two items. My next thing to try would be to run some Seafoam through the intake to see if there is some carbon buildup causing this. I would keep the wires. I doubt very much they are the trouble unless they are not seated correctly.

To see if the coil is causing the problem you could try swapping the coils and see if the problem moves with the coil change. If that doesn't change the problem you might try installing a new knock sensor to see if that is causing this trouble.

The water inside the lens is the cause of the bulb shattering. The moisture hitting the very hot glass will destroy it. The lens should be sealed and not have any exposure to the outside. If you want to clear out the moisture without removing the lens you could use a hair dryer to heat up the lens and dry it out. Check the seal on the plug and make sure it is ok so moisture can't get back in. If it is ok and moisture still gets back inside then there may be a hidden crack in the lens somewhere.

There still may be a problem with the circuit so I recommend you keep a watch on the tailights.

Have you checked the tabs on the crank sensor to make sure none have been broken off? This has happened to some folks with this kind of problem.

Make sure that spark is getting to the plugs. If there isn't any spark the fuel pump will not work. The pump should turn on briefly when turning the key to ON.

Some of the diodes may be bad in the alternator since you say that the lights flicker. You could check to see if there is any AC voltage coming from the alternator by placing the meter across the battery while the engine is running and a load on the electrical system. You shouldn't see more than .2 volts AC. If you want to see a better voltage reading on the dash meter you may need to clean some connections between the battery and the meter. Cleaning the dash grounding may help also along with the grounding in the engine area.

I wonder if the old switch contacts were causing noise and it somehow got into the circuit for the knock sensor.

One other thing you might check out is is there is any AC ripple coming from the alternator that may be causing the tach to bounce. Place a digital meter in the AC voltage mode and measure across the battery. While reving the engine slightly, see if there is any AC being measured. The level should be less than 0.25 volts.

Yes, I think that is correct. One other thing, in my previous post it may have been more correct to say the magnetic field of the coil collapses instead of electric field. Though the two are related to each other. (Where's OB99W when you need him?)

The coil generates a high voltage when the current running through it is interrupted. The sudden stop of current flow makes the coil's electric field collapse and the high voltage is produced. I think you have a reluctor type circuit in your disty. If it was working before had it worked on then the shop should fix this for you. The replacement parts are expensive.

Thanks for the update. Glad you got it fixed without much trouble and you are welcome for the help.

If you haven't checked the wire connection to the ignition switch under the steering column I suggest you check that out. A common problem is the terminal connection in the connector goes bad. This may be where the real trouble is at.

Good sluthing CornerHard. I wonder what happened to the disty while it was in the shop? Are you sure you got the same unit back?

The problem is due to the alternator or the connection to it so I also agree about checking the connections to alternator. If those are ok then the problem is internal to the alternator. Possibly bad brushes. The other warning lights along with the charge warning light are in series with the alternator exciter lead. So when the alternator has trouble these light are effected. This arrangement also makes the warning light testing possible when the key is turned to ON.

The fuse SBF-2 ties to the fuel pump relay and also the main relay via a red wire. There is a blk/red wire out of the FP relay going to the pump and it turns into a blu/yel wire at the pump end. One thing that is required for the pump to work is that spark to the plugs needs to be working. Have you checked that? The main relay could be at fault also since that provides power to the ECU. Tapping on suspected relays with a screwdriver handle may drive out the gremlin, temporarily at least.

The REV sensor will shut down the pump if there isn't any tach pulses. You now need to see if the pickup in the disty is working. Also make sure then is voltage on the minus side of the coil.

Checking for voltage at the coil will tell the story there.