Cougar

I tend to think the problems are due to either dirty relay contacts for the ignition or fuel pump, or the fuel pump itself is intermittent. Just because the pump has good pressure does not eliminate it as a problem. It can still be intermittent.

My info shows that one side of the pump is tied to ground. The power side has a blue/white wire that goes to fuse #19. Power is fed to that fuse via the red/white wire from the ignition switch, which switches to power from the green fusible link. I would check to see if power is getting to fuse 19 first. If it isn't, then check the ignition switch and the connector for a problem.

I would try to see if you can find a bulb from a different manufacturer. Have you checked to see if a local auto supplier has these bulbs available?

The alarm systems of most cars do that when the power is disconnected. Using the key fob or placing the key in the ignition and turning it usually resets the alarm.

Both of the loads have to be tied to the battery any way you do it. The noise is most likely coming from the light switch. You could try placing about a 100 microfarad capacitor across the switch. Be sure to watch the polarization of the capacitor.

A filter can just be a capacitor tied between the power lead and ground or a choke coil in series and a cap to ground. The cause also may be due to a bad diode in the alternator. To see if you have a bad ground lead causing this you can run a lead directly from the negative battery post and to the component ground that is having trouble. If that doesn't remove the trouble then the noise is coming through the power wire most likely. You may be able to use a 1000 microfarad capacitor @25 volts connected close to the power input of the device and get the noise out. Be sure to observe the polarity if you do this.

I had some aftermarket plastic protectors on my '88. I bought them with the new car. They bent around the side and worked well.

My guess is there is a problem with socket itself. It may have a bad connection and is causing excessive heat to the bulb contact. I would try replacing the socket to fix this.

I'm not sure why you want to change the switch out but if you are because of electrical problems and haven't firsted checked the connector in the steering column then I would suggest you check that. Others have had problems with the main power connections there.

You should be able to fix this yourself with no problem though the plug may be hard to get at.

Good job on the repair Chris. To One Lucky Texan: I think you have the wrong signature message. To go with your avatar I think it should be; "Gort! Klaatu Barada Nikto!"

The high voltage is seeking the lowest resistance to ground. You might try changing the plug out to see if it is bad or if you can swap the wire for number 4 with another you can see if the problem is the wire itself or the plug. It may be best to change the wire anyways as a 'low resistance path' may have developed through the insulation by now. The fire can be a little scary but it usually isn't a problem and happens fairly commonly. Though if there is a fuel leak near this you can bet other problems will be happening and the fright level goes way up.

Another way to say what Snowman is telling you is this. Whenever there is resistance in a circuit, and current is flowing through that circuit, there will be voltage drop across that resistance. (The circuit in this case is the wiring between the battery ground an the alternator ground and current being used by whatever loads are turned on) Since the two ground points should be tied together with a good ground wire (zero resistance) there should be zero voltage drop between the two points. Any current that has to pass through a ground lead that has a resistance will cause a voltage drop. The amount voltage drop will change depending on the amount of the resistance in the lead and the amount of current flowing through it used by the other loads. This voltage then is robbed from the devices it should be going to. The bad wire becomes a load 'in series' with the other loads. Because the bad lead resistance is in series with the other loads it takes away voltage that should be dropped across them. The test is simply checking for voltage across two points that should ideally be tied together with no resistance between them and therefore no voltage drop across them. One key point about this kind of test is there must be current flowing through the suspected trouble areas while testing. If no current is flowing then no voltage drop will take place. Doing a little study of Ohm's Law and basic DC circuits will be of great benefit to you. You will be able to track down problems like this with ease. It would be time well spent and you will use it all through your life.

Not to bring up more bad possibilities, but I hope one of the piston rods hasn't broken and is causing this problem. A compression check will show that up.

Are you saying that you measured 9 ohms between the negative battery post and the alternator ground? If so, that is a real problem. I'm not sure why you stated ohms for a reading doing step 4, as the test was checking for a voltage drop and should be measuring volts. Did you see a drop and then check the resistance? If you did that then you would also have to isolate the battery so there would be no voltage tied to the circuit while measuring the resistance. If the ground checks out ok, read my post #8 if you haven't already. The problem with voltage drop is in another area.

I have a copy of that book coming in the mail. Check out Ebay for used service manuals. They have a good assortment of them.

The fact that you read 8 volts on the dash meter before you start the engine and you can still start the car means the battery has enough charge, as indicated by your voltage readings at the battery. The problem you are having with the low dash meter reading is due to a bad connection between the battery and accessories. The smaller wire from the battery supplies the power to the accessories. Also check the fusible links for a bad connection there. Even with good connections the meter may read about 1 volt lower than the actual battery voltage. This is a common characteristic of the system due to wire losses.

The sound you hear is whine from the alternator. If the grounding is ok you may need to add a filter to stop this.

I would guess the problem to be with the fuel pump rather than the MAF.

If you can get access to the contacts you could try spraying some WD-40 on the contacts to clean them and then check the resistance. Some people have had success with that.

Check the maplight area for a screw going into a wire for the light and making a ground for the circuit. The light is turned on by a switched ground.

I would check for the presents of gas in the oil. It would be good to know what the oil pressure is also.

Looking at my manual it appears there is two sensors and they are in the transmission.

I like the Sears Die Hard Gold. The Optimas are very good but I don't think they are worth the higher cost unless you are doing some wild things with the car.

Yes they do. They fit in a socket and have at least three contacts.