Cougar

My '88 manual shows that the SPFI ECU has 3 plugs and the MPFI has 4 plugs. Neither model matches the color of the disty wires you show.

A timing belt may have slipped or the distributor may have moved position.

There may be one by the fuel pump. I know some models had two filters.

You should recharge a low battery using a charger. Using the alternator to charge a low battery puts undo load on it and can possibly damage it.

Your battery may be low on charge or has a problem. I would suggest you have a load test done.

My '01 OB LL Bean has the same button. I would have prefered a continuously variable control. I may try designing one if I can find the time.

I would check the compression and compare it with the other cylinders. If that seems ok then you may have a bad plugwire or ignitor. You could try swapping them to see if that changes things.

Thanks for the feedback on the sensors Subynut. That is good to know. Have you checked for a leak at the intake manifold gaskets?

Thanks for the info Sregor13. I have never looked for this connector before and would not have expected it to be there. Did you ever try starting the car in neutral to see if the engine would start that way?

The sensor tells the ECU where the position of the crank is so it determine when to send a signal to the ignition to fire the plugs. Without the CAS signal "you ain't got nothin" sort of speaking.

From reading the new posts I also think that checking the battery condition would be good to do. The alternator will put more load on the engine as more power is needed from it.

The ignitor may be the problem if you have no spark.

They supply the high voltage to the plugs.

To check for spark I would grab a spare plug and put it in one of the plugwires and then place it on a good engine ground point. Then crank the engine and see if spark is getting to the plug. If you have no spark, then check for voltage getting to the plus and minus sides of the coil.

As you may already know MorganM, whenever measuring resistance you need to remove power to the circuit you are working on. When measuring resistance you also should isolate the device you are measuring by removing at least one of the leads from the circuit so the reading will not be influenced by other devices in the circuit. You should be able to check DC voltage to any of the sensors or systems on the car with no problem. You just need to be sure you don't short the power lead to ground by slipping the probe to ground or touching the ground probe at the same time. Another thing you can check with your meter is noise getting into places it shouldn't. By setting the meter to measure AC volts and measuring the power to the device you are looking at you should see close to zero volts. This test won't work with RF frequencies due to the response of the meter but can help in most cases. Keep getting familiar with the meter and you will soon be grabbing it for all your electrical problems. It is a great tool.

The capacitor should hold its charge if you remove the capacitor from the circuit with a switch. By disconnecting the ground or power lead there is no current path for the discharge to occur. You should try to find the current drain by placing a test light in series with the negative battery lead. Start pulling fuses one at a time and when the light goes out you have found the path the current is being drained on. If you don't find it with any of the fuses check the alternator by disconnecting the leads to it. Sometimes the blocking diodes can go out and cause this problem.

I would use a test light probe to check the voltage with to see what is causing this. It may be the solenoid.

If there is condensation in the housing you should be able to heat the housing with a hair dryer to clear the moisture out with the bulb pulled out.

I would try spraying a little starter fluid into the intake to see if that helps get things going. If that doesn't work then I would think you have a timing problem. You could try moving the distributor while cranking the engine to see if that will help. If it tries to start then you may be a tooth off with the distributor.

The ECM has no control of the starter motor. You need to check for power getting to the starter solenoid. This is the small wire to the solenoid. If you have an automatic and no power to the solenoid then the inhibit switch in the shifter area may be the problem. You could see if the starter will work with the shifter in neutral. If it does then the inhibit switch is the problem. If there is power getting to the solenoid wire and the solenoid doesn't work then there is a problem with the solenoid. As far as testing the valves, you should be able to supply them with 12 volts and see if they work.

The picture I have in the manual isn't very good but it shows the switch in there. You should be able to find the switch by looking how the the shifter works. It ties to the switch mechanically somehow. Look for the B/Y and B/W wires. When you find them, jumper them together. Following the other wires should lead you to the connector also.

It may be for an '88 model year. I have a manual for that one. I will be home on Friday and check it for you if you don't have an answer by then.

Make sure the small wire on the positive battery post is ok. Also check the fusible links in the box mounted on the coolant reservoir for a bad connection.

With the key turned to 'run' you should see voltage on the plus and minus sides of the coil. '

When you jumper the solenoid you are bypassing the safety switch. You need to to check the switch using a test light to see if voltage is getting through it when the key is turned to start.