Cougar

I would check for vacuum leaks. The manifold gaskets may be leaking. Check to see if the purge valve has continuity. The coil may be open.

My info shows that the power wire for the power seat is wht/grn and the ground is blk.

If I remember correctly code 5 just refers to the type of transmission the car has.

I agree with Skips's recommendation of checking the fusible links for a loose connection.

I don't think the rim will fit. The change over in '85 called for a different rim I believe.

When you check the voltage see how much voltage you have between engine ground and the output lug of the alternator while the engine is running around 2,000 RPM, with the lights and the blower on high. You should see over 13.5 volts. If not then the alternator output isn't enough for some reason. Possibly due to some bad output diodes. Along with checking the voltages be sure all the connections to the alternator are ok and the belt is tight enough.

You're welcome for the tip. Hope the connection works out for you.

Check out fellow forum member Richierich. I think he has a Subaru shop in Portland still. Great guy to deal with. You can send him a private message or this email address may work also. p1mpdady2k@hotmail.com

When you check the voltage one good test is to check the voltage drop between the main alternator output lug and the positive battery connection. If connections are ok there should be less than 0.25 volts between the two points with a good load on the system.

I think you were close. My info for an '88 model shows there is a switch connector that is near the passenger headlight area

It would be interesting to know what circuit was pulling that much current. Since the turn signal circuit is not on it shouldn't be pulling any current. Even with it on I would guess that it should pull no more than around 5-8 amps. If it is the turn signal circuit pulling the current then something must be tied on to it down the line. Does this vehicle have wiring installed for towing something?

In your first post you stated that the turn signal fuse blew by just turning on the ignition, without moving the signal switch to either position. In post #5 you stated that the fuse blew with just the power lead to the turn signal line tied to the fuse and then powered it from another fuse location to power it and it worked ok. To me it sounds like the problem is real close to the fused power lead and you may have cleared the fault somehow by moving the lead to the other location. Have you tried putting the lead back to the original location to see if it works ok now? Since it works on the other fuse it seems things would have to be ok with that circuit. There may be another circuit that you are missing that really is causing the trouble.

I would suspect the fuel filter is clogged. If replacing it doesn't fix the trouble then I would suspect the pump.

Glad to hear you got it running well. Thanks for the update.

Frank, The connection to the sensor isn't sensitive as long as it just made well. By changing the connector on the end of the lead it won't hurt anything. Since you have installed a new sensor and still have a problem it appears that the wire lead between the sensor and the ECU is open. I would check that for a problem. My info for a '88 model shows the knock sensor is tied to pin 36 of the ECU. The connection also goes through one of the two large harness connectors near the battery area. The problem may be there. By just disconnecting and reconnecting these connectors it may solve the trouble. I wouldn't be frustrated by having the deluxe model. I think it is superior.

The power to the pump will be cut off if the ignition system isn't working. The power is also tied to the pump through a relay so these areas need to be checked. The pump may just be bad also so check to see if voltage is getting to the two leads going to the pump. If you have 12 volts there and the pump doesn't run then the pump windings would be appear to be open.

Having a good ground connection between the base of the antenna and the car body is important and a lot of these type of problems happen that way along with a bad antenna input connection. There are usually two types of noise that effect AM radio signals in a car radio. Alternator noise is heard as a whine that increases in frequency as the alternator speed increases. The other type of noise is generated from the ignition and it sounds like a pulsing noise which increases with engine speed and the ignition pulses increase. Having good chassis and engine grounds are important to keep these from being a problem also.

I also agree with the others about checking for power getting to the coil. This is the first thing that needs to be done when having a problem like this and is probably the most overlooked.

It sounds to me that there may be a problem with the alternator. Some of the diodes may be bad and causing this problem. A load test will tell you what needs to be done for sure.

I don't have my info handy at the moment but I think they tie between the motor and the control switch. There may be a control box in between them but I'm not sure.

I would recommend you check the fuel pressure. I would suspect a weak pump causing the problem.

To check the solenoids for continuity all you have to do is measure their resistance. I think the normal coil resistance should be around 40 to 65 ohms if I remember correctly. If you have good readings then the units are ok electrically at least. The fact that the resistors fixed the EGR problem indicates that the coil for that solenoid is open. You can easily check that with your meter. Another way to verify the return wire connections is to check the voltage on the blk/wht wire at each of the solenoids while the car is running. If the wire to the ECU is ok then you should see not more than around 1 volt on the line with reference to ground. This may be a little easier check than looking at the resistance. If the voltage is high then you probably have a open connection to pin 16.

If you have no error codes and the CEL is still on, the problem may be internally with the ECU. The light driver circuit may be bad. I have repaired those in the past with a new IC. The circuit is basically a transistor switch to ground.

Since you are getting codes for both solenoids it seems that the problem may be with the common return line to them from the ECU. My info shows that a blk/wht wire ties the two solenoids together and also ties to a air solenoid. These all tie to the same blk/wht wire on pin 16 of the ECU. I would check to make sure you have continuity from pin 16 and to both of the blk/wht wires on the solenoids. You should see close to zero ohms between the two points. Also check the connector to them and see if there is a contact problem. It may just be a dirty connection.

The fuel pump may have a problem, the pump relay, or the ECU pump control line may be suspects also.