Cougar

Like the others mentioned the problem is the alternator since those lights are part of the charging circuit. Along with replacing it you should also consider replacing the battery due to its age. It is good practice to replace those two things together. Clean up any corrosion on the battery connections and seal them with something. You then won't have to work on the charging system for a long time.

Very nice job DrKrazy. Keep up the good work.

Well that is good news. I wonder though if something happened to make the plug go bad. The picture of the plugs you showed looked like they were running like they should be. Replacing the O2 sensor seemed to help also. BTW, what is the O2 sensor voltage reading at now that it is running better. Is it around 0.5 volts?

I think the best thing you can do next is get a vacuum gauge and see what it says, like RM suggested. From all the things you say, the problem again seems to be due to either a intake vacuum leak after the MAF or the fuel is running lean for some reason. It may be better to replace the injector than the ECU. If the vacuum readings seem normal then I would suggest replacing the injector. Before doing that though it would also be good to know that the fuel pressure is ok. One thing about resetting the ECU is that it has to relearn the engine running conditions. It is not always the best thing to do in my opinion. I think this applies more to OBD2 than your system. There are proceedures that need to be followed while the ECU is relearning but again, I think this may only apply to OBD2 systems.

To find out more about 'battery kill switches' and other good things just hang around here. Soon you will be able to fix Soobs just like the pro techs do. Some of the guys here are better help than you will find in a service shop. Arigato back at ya.

Here is a link to a site that may help you. Like the PGA golf ad says, "These guys are good!". http://www.troublecodes.net/Subaru/

Glad you got it fixed 2Feathers and you're welcome for the help. Also good to hear that you didn't get your feathers clipped by the dealership with a bad diagnosis. Keep tuned in here, we always have another action packed adventure going on.

Gentlemen, gentlemen....please! Let's not get carried away here. After all, we are talking about good Soobs here.

Have you checked to see if the wires that run between the disty and the ECU are ok? If you have voltage on both sides of the coil and have voltage getting to the disty then the problem is has to be with either the CAS, the ECU, the ignitor, or the wiring between them.

The main relay should open up when the ignition is off. Check to see if the relay is staying closed. Another possibility is the ignition switch isn't turning off as it should. Pull fuses out to see if you can isolate the bad circuit path that way. I doubt that there is a coolant leakage problem causing this to happen. You may have a headgasket or intake manifold leak. First be sure that that there isn't a loose connection somewhere and check things while the system is hot and engine is running keeping pressure up.

It wouldn't cause this to happen. We need to find the source of the power getting to the valve. It would help to know the model and year of the vehicle with the trouble. To help disconnect the circuit when the car is parked find out which fuse the circuit is on by pulling fuses one at a time.

Check the switch on top of steering column. It is probably ON. You may be second person (just kidding) that has had this happened to them. Welcome to the forum. Lots of good Subie info around here.

The problem may be due a problem in the alternator. With the engine off, disconnect the smaller wires on the backside of the alternator and see if the problem clears. If it does you need to replace the alternator. A isolation diode in the alternator has shorted. Be careful when working around the main output lead of the alternator since it is hot to the battery. Disconnect the battery ground lead first if you need to remove the alternator.

The main output connector of the alternator is indeed directly connected to the positive battery post through a fuseible link, which is there for protection if the alternator output gets shorted. There is also a number of other things that tie directly to the battery. Before you start ripping out wires you need to find out what is really causing any problems. I would first try to find out what happened with the starter and why it got so hot. You still need to tell us if there is any continuity between just the main starter cable and the engine block. If there is, the starter solenoid needs to be repaired. Once that is verified to be ok then you need to see how much current draw the battery has with everything like it would be when the car is parked over night. If the current draw is less than 80 milliamps then you are good to go and can start checking the ignition system again.

I see from your reply that the O2 sensor voltages you gave were with the sensor output isolated so there was no possibility of it being loaded down by the ECU circuit. Assuming the sensor is good it still seems to indicate the engine is running lean. This could be due to a intake leak after the MAF sensor or a leak in the exhaust manifold which you said you had. It puzzles me why the sensor didn't change at all with the plugwire disconnected. One thing you could try to do in order to check out the TPS is use a small bulb, like a dash light, in series with the wiper lead of the sensor. If there are some trouble spots you should see them with the light.

I am a little puzzled about the starter still. You stated that it was getting really hot and I assume it wasn't even running at the time. The battery was dieing also. This indicates that a short was happening internally. The problem may have burned itself out. Make sure there is no resistance between the main battery lead to the starter and the engine block. The resistance test you did at the fusible link block may or may not be valid. I wouldn't start tearing the steering apart just yet. At least until the circuit that has trouble on it can be pinned down further. By removing fuses you can find out where to look for the trouble.

You got a great deal on that car Mike. Even if the engine and tranny need work. Nipper covered the possible engine problem well. The tranny sounds like it needs to be repaired. There may be a bad syncro causing the problem.

As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing".

As far as your meter goes I suspect that it may be ok. If you see a small amount of voltage on the display in the voltage mode short the leads together and see what the display shows then. Hopefully it will be zero volts then. The voltage you measured at the O2 sensor while the plugwire was removed doesn't seem right. Measure the sensor again doing the same test but also remove the ECU wire to the sensor. See if the sensor voltage goes higher then. If it does then it appears the ECU has a problem and is loading down the sensor output.

Attention! The reason the starter is getting hot is because the main battery cable tied to the solenoid has a internal short on the connection stud. Remove the starter and repair it. Sorry for the big print but this is very important. I think the stud bolt on the solenoid that ties to the main battery cable is grounding out on the inside of the solenoid. The bolt head inside can twist and make contact with ground if it is twisted too hard. With the starter cable disconnected from the battery check the resistance of the lead to ground. If it is shorted you may be able remove the short without removing the starter by loosening the stud nut holding the cable to the solenoid. Then twist the stud until the short goes away. Retighten the bolt and make sure it isn't shorted. After this is repaired then check to see if the coil body has 12 volts on it. If it does then the ground leads to the engine need to be checked for problem. They may have been burned due to the short.

It is so nice to hear that another Soob will be on the road again.

It looks like your training paid off. Thanks for the update and glad you got it running well. I think you will pass the test ok now.

The problem is most likely due to either a bad CAS which is in the disty, the ignition amplifier, or the wiring between the disty and the ECU. I would try changing the CAS first if it is the same as the 91 model. I doubt the ECU is bad but it is a possibility. Be sure fuses 5, 11, 12, and 20 are good and have power when the ignition is on also.

Glad you got it fixed. Thanks for the feedback.

Along with checking the heads for a problem I recommend you check the intake manifold gaskets for a leak. The coolant could very well be leaking there and going into the intake. Ask me how I know this.