Cougar

As Gloyale stated, the CEL light should turn on with the ignition switch along with the warning lights. You might try replacing the plugs on the bad side since it is a pretty easy thing to do. One of them might be bad. It isn't a common issue but it does happen at times.

It does indeed sound like one of the two tank level sensors isn't reading correctly. If you drove 95 miles on the 5.5 gallons of gas that would put your mileage at about 17.25 miles per gallon. This is a lot more what you would expect to see instead of the 7 or 8 you had originally thought you were getting. You stated that your husband is a mechanic so he should be able to fix the problem himself without much trouble. You can get at the sensors through some access covers above the tank, inside of the car. Sometimes you can just clean the contacts to fix the problem. Using some Techron in the tank might fix the trouble also. If you need some help with this let me know, the CAT roams near the Chugach mountains also. One other thing to note in case you aren't aware of it. You should not try to fill the fuel tank all the way up in todays cars. There is a charcoal filter in the fuel system that is designed to remove fuel vapors but if it gets liquids inside it, it will damage the filter.

I didn't realize you had double posted this issue. Here is my previous post: I haven't heard of a Soob with that bad of mileage before so I wonder if what you are seeing on the fuel gauge is really a true tank level. There are two fuel level sensors inside the tank and I suspect that one of them isn't working correctly. When you filled the tank did it show full? If not then that would be a clue to a faulty sensor. You could also refill the tank and see how much fuel it takes to fill it again and then calculate your mileage using the amount it took to fill the tank. Sometimes using a product called Techron in the tank has cleaned the fuel sensors for some folks. There could also be a problem with the coolant temperature sensor for the engine which is making the engine run more rich than it should be.

I haven't heard of a Soob with that bad of mileage before so I wonder if what you are seeing on the fuel gauge is really a true tank level. There are two fuel level sensors inside the tank and I suspect that one of them isn't working correctly. When you filled the tank did it show full? If not then that would be a clue to a faulty sensor. You could also refill the tank and see how much fuel it takes to fill it again and then calculate your mileage using the amount it took to fill the tank. Sometimes using a product called Techron in the tank has cleaned the fuel sensors for some folks. There could also be a problem with the coolant temperature sensor for the engine which is making the engine run more rich than it should be.

You very well may have a blown fusible link like others have already stated. NorthWet tells you where they are located. If the horn works you know fuse 5 is good.

Please check the lights that don't light up and make sure the bulbs are good. Some folks have found out that both bulbs were simply burned out. The reverse issue might be due to a grounding problem. The lights are turned on through the switch using a switched ground connection.

It seems from what you say here that DRL lights are working since the light switch is off and the head lights are on, but the DRLs should turn off if the hand brake is pulled up a couple of notches or more. So that is a something a little strange. I'm not sure if the DRLs use the high or low beams on your car. Have you made sure that the other set of lights are good and not blown out? If you haven't I suggest you do that first. Since the DRLs seem to work this means the power relays and fuses are ok and the trouble is with the return side of the wiring.

I think the tail light relay is located in the dash fuse panel. When you use the switch on top of the column it bypasses that relay and applies power directly to the parking lights. Power passes through that switch even when it is OFF and goes to the relay circuit. The fact that the license plate light also isn't working makes me think there is a fuse problem causing the trouble. It is best to use a test light probe to verify power is getting through a fuse. Check the fuses located under the hood also.

I suggest you have the engine compression checked since that will tell you a lot about the condition of the engine. These engines have a head gasket issue usually in their lifetime so it might be a good thing to replace the heads with the newest version if the engine checks out okay. Resealing the engine is the way to go if you want to keep it going along with the timing belts and other normally replaced parts while in the front of the engine. The work will most likely cost you several thousand dollars to have done but the engine will be good for a long time. Body rust around the wheels was another issue these cars have also.

You can purchase used key fobs on Ebay for a reasonable price if you want to get one. Be sure to get one designed for your model year if you do that. Since you stated the dome light wasn't working I have to wonder if the trouble you are having with the security system is due to a intermittent power problem.

If one of the connectors goes to the ignition switch area it might be for the key warning chime circuit. I don't have my data right now but will try to check it out when I do.

One way to help you find a short on a circuit is to replace the fuse with a brake light bulb. Get a bulb socket with some pigtail wires and place a brake light in the socket. Then solder the wires to each side of a blown fuse. The lamp will limit the current available to the short to a safe level as the lamp will now act as the load for the circuit. The lamp should be at full brightness if the cicuit is a dead short. By disconnecting suspected areas of trouble the lamp will either go dim or off when the problem is disconnected from the supply lead.

Spray some starting fluid into the intake and see if that gets some engine fire going. If that doesn't work then you need to check spark through the plugs. If that is okay then you need to check the compression. For the blinker problem try cycling the emergency flasher switch a number of times to see if that makes the blinkers work. If that doesn't work then you need to start checking power through the circuit with a tester.

Thanks for the update.

One thing to note here; you can get newer style end wrenches and sockets from tool suppliers like Craftsman that will still allow you to remove bolts with stripped heads along with other style of heads than just hex head. Check out the Craftsman spline end wrenches.

Since the car is pretty old I suggest you replace the starter even though just the solenoid contacts may be bad at this point in time. More than just the contacts ware down over time and you don't want to do the job again for something else on the starter having trouble. The starters are pretty interchangeable I think. There are differences between models with automatic and manual transmissions I think.

Thanks for the update.

You checked for 12 volts on the plus side of the coil but did you also check for power on the minus side of the coil along with seeing if that connection makes pulses while cranking the engine. If the test light stays on steady while cranking the engine then the disty isn't sending ground pluses to the coil for some reason. You should also make sure no fuses are blown. Especially fuses 5, and 11.

You are correct about the relays turning on with the ignition Loyale 2.7 Turbo. The last sentence in my previous post about the relays turning on with the light switch is incorrect, so "my bad". I had forgotten about that apparently and was just relying on my sometimes faulty memory banks when I made the statement about the coil operation. The headlights do have power going to them via the relays anytime the ignition is turned on. It is the light switch that completes the circuit to ground for the lights in order to turn them on and select which ones are turned on. Thanks for keeping me straight.

That looks like it needs to replaced alright.

It sounds like it is time to purchase a meter.

Good info from Loyale 2.7 Turbo. Though I think the last sentence is a little mistaken. The relays for the headlights switch power, not ground, to the lights. The switched grounding for the lights passes through the light switch and determine which set of lights gets turned on. The relays are turned on by the switch also by making a ground connection to the relay coils.

The trouble you had with the brake lights and head lights pointed to a bad chassis ground connection as the trouble. Good job! The brake light switch is tied to power that passes it on to the brake lights and then to ground to turn on the lights when the pedal is depressed. If the grounding for those lights has a problem the circuit will seek any connection to ground it can find, which was through the head lights somehow. The fuel sensor problem may be due to another faulty ground connection to it, so add a temporary connection to ground to the sensor ground and see if that changes things. If that doesn't make a difference then the power connection from the gauge to the sensor needs to be checked.

I think you have a grounding problem. Clean the battery to chassis ground and the ground for the taillights. You could also try running a temporary ground to the rear light to see if that proves a bad ground connection.

Usually there is a head light relay for each side of the car and it supplies power for both the low and high beam lights for that side. Power passes through the relay and to the common wire of the light plug. The other two wires of the plug connect a ground connection for the selected light which passes through the light switch. You stated that you saw no power getting to the low beams so that may mean the light switch is not turning on the relay in the low beam position, which is usually turned on by making a ground connection to the relay coil. To verify that the low beams will work when power is getting to them you can manually supply power to the lead you saw power on for the high beams while the switch is in the low beam position.