Cougar

A normal car engine has a 4 stroke cycle of the piston. The positions are intake, compression, power, and exhaust. When the disty is 180 degrees out, it is trying to fire a plug (180 degrees away) while the cylinder the rotor is pointed to, is on the exhaust stroke instead of the compression stroke.

I would have the compression checked for a clue to the problem.

Frag makes a good point. You may have replaced the wrong sensor. Are you sure you replaced the correct one? The correct sensor has only one lead to it. The temperature sensor for the ECU has two leads. You should be able to measure the resistance of the sensor when the engine is at operating temperature. Remove the lead to the sensor before you take the reading. Tell us what you get for a reading and we should be able to tell you if that is correct. If the sensor is ok and you already replaced the gauge then the problem would seem it would have to be with the power too the gauge. I would check the voltage to the input power side of the gauge, it may be low.

It would appear that the air passage in the throttle body is plugged if you have no vacuum with the engine running. Have you checked that? My service data shows that there should be 12 volts on the blue/white wire to the motor when switched to the second speed. If you have voltage there then the coil in the motor is open. You may be able to open the motor up and find the problem but if not, a used replacement motor shouldn't cost too much.

Thanks for the heads up about the EGR valve fellas. I didn't know that.

It isn't the ECM. You could try running some Seafoam through the intake and the other half in the fuel tank to see if that helps things.

You may find that the heat generated by the resistors will melt the solder after some time.

I would think that if the choke was the problem then you would have noticed it after the carb was changed out and not this far down the road.

The box under the dash you are talking about is the ECU I believe. This is the brain for the emissions system. The device you picture looks to be a solenoid valve for the fuel evaporative system but I am only guessing. The device uses 12 volts to open a valve and that allows whatever is in the tubing to flow through the valve. I have heard of problems with this being caused by a problem with the alternator. To see if that is your problem try removing the leads to the alternator and then turn on the ignition. If the noise is gone then you need to change out the alternator. Be sure to disconnect the negative battery lead before working on the alternator. The main alternator lead is hot to the battery and will short if you contact ground with that lead. Make sure all the leads are isolated from ground when you reconnect the battery.

If the plugs are in good shape I would check the EGR valve and clean it.

I would check the solenoid valve that is associated with the code for a problem. Also check the hose connections to the canister for a problem.

Glad you got it going Daniel. Thanks for the update.

I haven't needed to replace any of my bulbs yet so I haven't really looked at one of these yet but I assume you are talking about a miniature bulb with leads on it. There has been mention of different colors for these bulbs. I see there are also red, blue, and green ones available from Radio Shack along with the clear ones. Here is a link to them. http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=2032058&kw=12%20volt%20bulb

You will need a code reader that uses the ISO 9141 protocol. Here is a link to the unit I purchased. It will handle all the common protocols and the new CAN BUS also. At the link you can type in a error code in the window to find out what the error is. http://www.iequus.com/item.asp?cid=7&pid=3110

Sweden, In answer to your questions I would do the following: In order to find out why the car won't start you should first determine if the problem is due to lack of spark or lack of fuel. Since you get a return on the CAS code after replacing it there may be a problem with the wiring to it or it is just a response to the problem you are having. Check to see if there is spark getting to the plugs the next time this happens. One thing you can do is carry an extra plug and plugwire with you for when this happens next and then remove one of the wires from the coil and install your test set in place. Place the plug on a good engine ground and see if it gets spark when you crank the engine. Another way to check the ignition is to purchase a pen sized voltage tester that electricians use. The tester lights up a small light when it is placed near an electrical field that is energized. The tester does not have to touch the plugwire to make the light turn on. You can get these at an electrical outlet or hardware store for about $20 US dollars. If you don't have a problem with the ignition then you need to see if there is a fuel delivery problem. I would carry a can of starting fluid with you to be ready for when the problem happens again. When it does, spray a small amount of fluid into the intake and see if that helps make the engine start up. If so, then check the filter and fuel pump for a problem. A while back I purchased a Innova 3110 code reader. The unit not only does most of the common protocols it also does the new CAN BUS. If you are interested in getting a nice scan tool I would check that out. I got it for around $170 dollars on the net. It sounds like you can also borrow your friends code reader since Chrysler and Subaru use the same protocol, as Ferret pointed out.

According to my manual for an '88 model there is a black/white wire feeding power to the gauges from fuse #12. There is a red/yellow wire coming from that end and then becomes b/w at a connector.

If spark is getting to the plugs then the engine sensors should be ok. I would suspect a fuel problem then. Try spraying some starter fluid into the intake to see if that helps the engine try to fire up. If it does, then you have a fuel problem most likely.

Your welcome for the help. Glad you got it working right.

Except for the voltage gauge, all the other gauges mentioned have a regulator going to them. I would suspect the problem is with the power getting to the gauges. I think it is a common line that supplies all the power to them. I have a manual at home and can research this further if you need more info. Nice tip from Mark on the test jig.

The resistor is used to limit the current to the coil in the run mode. It will drop the voltage to plus side of the coil. You can measure the voltage on the plus side of the coil to ground. If you have about 10 volts there with the key turned to 'ON' then you should be ok. If the voltage is at 12 volts or more, then you will need to add a resistor.

If the starter is on with the rest of the accessories then there may be a short somewhere down the line causing this. To see if this is true I would do the following test. Remove the BATT. lead from the switch and then remove the lead that goes to the starter. Then briefly touch the two leads together to make sure the starter works. Then remove the RUN or ON lead and touch that lead to the BATT lead. The cars accessories systems should come on but not the starter. If the starter runs also then there is a short to the solenoid somewhere. If things are ok you should be able to figure out which lead goes back to the correct switch positions and see if things work ok. It the starter still turns on in the RUN position then there is a problem with the switch.

Replacing the ECU yourself is not a problem. Please don't keep making different posts for the same problem. Just continue on with the original thread.

The coil uses that oil for heat transfer. Replace the coil with either a good used one or new one.

I'm not sure how you made the car start by grounding the minus side of the coil. You may get the coil to fire one time by doing that but that would be it. The purpose of the pickup loop is to intermittently open the ground connection of the minus side of the coil as the magnetic action of the reluctor goes past the pickup. This type of thing is what points did in the older car systems, just a little differently. They made a intermittent contact to ground. When the timing lobes would open the connection to ground then the charged field in the coil would collapse and make a spark. When placing a test light probe probe on the minus side of the coil and to ground you are watching the action of the pickup loop. Most of the cycle, the minus side is at ground potential. When the circuit opens up for the firing of each cylinder then the voltage through the coil goes high because the ground connection has been removed and lights the light up. I think your next step is to replace the pickup loop as it appears to be intermittent. Temperature can be an issue with this type of setup.

I think you found the problem. Some driving down the road will tell the story.