Cougar

The trouble may be due to a fuel delivery problem. If you have'nt replaced your fuel filter in some time you could try that. The fuel pump may be weak also.

Make sure that the connection to the knock sensor is ok first before doing any replacement. A bad connection will cause the code to actvate also.

The problem May be due to the rough idle but it could be other things also. I would get the codes read to see what they are and go from there.

I assume your car uses the 4 headlight system which is a little different than the 2 light system. Since you had 12 volts at the fuses while the problem was occuring that means your power and relays are ok. When you pulled the left relay and saw the high beam on dimmly I think you were seeing some power backfeeding through the highbeam lighting system which may be normal due to the circuit design. The problem you are having would seem to be due to a faulty ground pin to the lights which is pin 2(yellow/blue wire) of the socket. I now don't think that the DRLCM module is at fault since my drawing shows that the ground for both low beams is commoned together. The only way I can see that either or both lights can be off is due to the socket connection. From what I can see in the manual, the DRLCM module is below the radio in the center console. There are 2 connectors going to it. One is a 8 pin and the other is a 10 pin. The 8 pin connector is black and the other may be white.

The M/B box or main fuse/relay panel is Subaru's name for the power distribution box in the engine compartment. The F/B panel is the fuse panel in the dash. Roger1 makes a good suggestion for the possible cause of this problem.

I would suspect the problem is either with the headlight relays or the in the Daytime Running Light Control Module which controls the ground to the lights. There may be a problem with the left and right relays that tie power to the lights. Fuses 8 and 9 in the main fuse box under the hood supply power to the left and right headlights. When you have the problem again I would check power at the fuses while trouble is happening. As with most all voltage measurements, you reference the voltmeter common lead to a good ground point on the car. If you have 12 volts at the fuses then I would suspect the DRLM module next. If you don't have 12 volts then you need to check that headlight relay for a problem which is also in the M/B box.

The fact that you saw 12 volts on both sides of the injector(s?) means that the coil in the injector is ok. Get a test light and check the output line of the ECU to the injector and clip the ground lead to a good ground. If the switched ground to the injector is ok you will see the light flash as you crank the engine. If the line is not working you will just see a steady light. This means that either the ECU has a internal problem or, if there is a external ground for that line through the ECU there is a problem with that ground lead. I'm not sure if the ECU on your car has a internal or external ground connetion for the injector. I think both types are used. As I stated before, someone here had this same problem and found that the ECU internal ground had a bad connection and simply repaired it to get things going again. The problem with your car may be the same thing.

You will have 12 volts on both sides of the injectors most of the time but there is a period when the ECU will make a ground connection to one side in order to open the injector. You should see a pulsing action when you turn the motor over. I have heard of someone fixing a problem like this by repairing a bad ground connection in the ECU that tied to the injector lines. You could try spraying some starter fluid into the intake to see if that will make the engine fire.

Indeed, there are some here with good electronic skills along with mechanical skills.

Good deal. Thanks for the update.

The y/r wire may be for the tach.

This may mean that the right side timing belt is broken and a intake valve is staying open. A compression check would tell the story there.

This may mean that the right side timing belt is broken and a intake valve is staying open.

I'm not sure. Is there a metic star available? I would check the TPS first.

Welcome to the forum. We'll help you get this car going again. I would first suggest you make sure that power is getting to both sides of the coil. You should see around 12 volts on the plus and minus sides of the coil connections. If that is ok then I would suspect the ignitor as the problem, since you have replaced the disty already with hopefully a known good one. I take it that have checked the plugs while turning the engine over and don't see any spark getting to them.

Opps! I didn't read the thread you posted well enough. I got confused.

You are correct. That is why all the accessories need to be off. I am assuming that the link is blowing while nothing is turned on in the car. This will lead you to the ignition switch area as the fault point since it one of the areas that is hot at all times. The problem may also be near the fuse panel.

Since the wiring has been in water then I would clean the connections of various suspected trouble areas. I don't think this trouble will be too hard to find if it stays bad long enough. Since it corrects itself easily, it seems a connector is at fault somewhere.

If the contacts aren't totally sealed you could use some WD-40 but contact cleaner would be better. Some spray cleaners can damage certain plastics so be carefull if using one.

This same problem is being discussed under the thread titled "No start on cold H-6" so you should read that if you haven't already.

I have a manual for my '01 which I think will be close to your model year. According to the manual and if I see things correctly, it appears the throttle cables tie to the throttle body on the left side of the TB as looking from the front of the vehicle. Using the throttle cables as a reference you should see a wire connector going to a sensor just in front of the throttle control. This is the MAP sensor. The device on the right front side of the TB is the IAC solenoid. The sensor on the right side of the TB is the TPS. Along with the IAC I would check the TPS to see if that has a problem. It may have a dirty contact that is causing problems. Checking the resistance of the wiper contact with a ohmmeter may show up a problem in the idle area of the sensor pot. Getting back to the talk about OBD-2 scanners. From what I understand, Subaru uses the ISO-9141 protocol.

Measuring resistance of a circuit is easy to do. You just need to do things a little different than when measuring voltage. Most test meters are made to measure voltage, current, or resistance. You just need to set up the meter and the circuit the proper way to do the measurement you want. Whenever measuring resistance in a circuit the main thing to remember is that no power should be applied to the circuit you are trying to measure. The meter's internal battery will supply the necessary current to measure the circuit and read that measurement out in ohms. The meter leads usually stay in the same position on the meter as they would when you measure voltage. The functione switch of the meter will need to go to the ohms position. Some meters use the Greek sign 'omega' (looks like a hosreshoe) for that since it is the sign for resistance. By removing the ground lead of the car battery you will assure that there is no power getting to the circuit you want to test. Since the fusible link is blown, power will be removed also to circuits downstream of the link and the battery. By placing the meter function to resistance and the meter leads across the load you will see what the resistance is of the circuit. Tie the red lead of the meter to the protected side or 'accessories' side of the fusible link connection and the black lead to a good ground. The meter will show a real low resistance which is going to be really a short. You can then start disconnecting things to help show you what path the short is on. When doing this test, make sure nothing is set to ON in the car, including any lights, as that will intefer with the reading. When you find the right path, the meter resistance will go up fairly high when the connection is broken to the short. By following the short path you will find the problem. If the fusible link is blowing with nothing really on, including the ignition, then I would check the steering column first since constant power appears there tied to the ignition switch.

If you have a ohmmeter, you can use it to help eliminate the various circuit paths to find the correct one.

I think the least expensive way to make the most improvement in sound quality is to replace the speakers. Normally though they should be a significant part of the system cost since they really provide the sound your ears hear. If you can afford to invest around 100 dollars or more in new speakers I would try that and see how the sound is then. Some speakers don't work as good as others with a particular amp due to various electrical characteristics of the speaker. The interaction between the two can be good and sometimes not so good. This is even more so when a crossover system is involved. Your current speakers may need more drive than your current head unit can provide at the sound level you want. With the little extra power the Sony had it may make the difference. If better quality speakers don't help here, you may need to go back to the Sony line for a better sound.

I think the problem is still due to a bad ground and the ground you really need to repair may be under the dash. Did you try using my troubleshooting technic I posted earlier? You don't need to spend a lot of money on a new ground system. You just need to find the right ground connection that is causing the problem and repair it. If you find that applying a good ground wire between the battery and the dash area corrects the problem you could just run a new ground and not bother repairing the original ground.