Cougar

You appear to be having problems with the ignition system going from what you state about the problem. It sounds like the starter is turning the engine over with no problem. Get a can of starting fluid and keep it in the car for when the troubloe happens again. When it does spray a small amount of the fluid into the air filter and then try cranking the engine. If it now tries to run then there is a fuel delivery problem. If you still have no response from the engine then you need to look for an ignition problem.

Along with checking the fusible links under the hood and no trouble is found there then check the grounding to the dash area. You could try running a temporary ground wire from the battery to see if that helps.

I suggest you try replacing the PCV valve with an OEM one. The installed one may be bad even though it isn't very old.

The first new car I owned was also my first Subaru and how I came into family. It was an '83 GL-10 wagon. I had the car for about 12 years and it was the least expensive car to maintain I have ever owned. I replaced the brake pads, battery, water pump, and intake manifold gaskets in the time I owned it. All of the GL-10s I owned had the digital dash.

Since you have good compression (which indicates the valve timing is ok) and even using starter fluid doesn't help get things going I would have to think that the trouble is with the spark. Check the voltage getting to the plus side of the coil to make sure that is getting 12 volts while trying to start the engine. If that is ok then perhaps the ignitor which is located under the disty may be the trouble. EDIT: I see I am a little late with this info. I suspect your problem was with the wire connection to the ignitor.

The OP has already stated power is getting to the plus side of the coil. The problem is on the minus side of the coil. Either there is a short to ground on one of the wires connected to the terminal or the coil is open.

You may have head gasket problems causing the overheating. Bad intake gaskets might be causing the idle problem. Listen for air leaks around the gaskets or see if the idle changes by spraying some WD-40 around the gaskets.

Replace the PCV valve.

You stated in post 14 that you see voltage on the plus side of the coil but not on the minus side of it. This means either the coil windings are open or there is a short to ground on the minus side of the coil. Remove the wire connections to the coil on the minus side of it. Then check the voltage on the minus side with the ignition switch ON. If you now have 12 volts on the terminal then the pickup inside the bottom of the disty has a problem and you need to replace it or if there is another wire tied to that point it might have a problem. Check the resistance to ground on each of the wires. One will most likely have a low resistance to ground which is causing the problem. If you still have no voltage on the coil terminal then replace the coil, it is open.

Well as Barry on "Storage Wars" would say, " I knew it!" I wouldn't feel bad about that problem. I think it is the type of problem that would have made a lot of folks shake their heads.

Glad you found the problem and thanks for the update. I assume that wire needed to be tied to the ignition switch START position to provide power to the fuel system and possibly other areas also.

From what you have stated about the diagnosis you have have done it seems to indicate you have proven that spark isn't getting to the plugs. If that is the case then you need to verify that 12 volts is getting to the minus side of the coil while cranking the engine. If the correct voltage isn't getting to that point then you need to check the fuses in the dash. Make sure fuses 5, 11, and maybe 12 are getting voltage to them. Whenever there is an ignition problem power to the system is the first thing that needs to be checked.

The MAF sensor might be causing the problem.

Since this is a conversion I guess a lot of wiring changes have been made. I still suspect the ignition switch has a problem with the ignition contact getting power to the fuel pump while in the START position. Check to see if power is getting to the fuel pump relay, or fuse 13 if you are still using the original fuse panel.

I will be able to check my service data when I get home on Friday to verify that those fuses positions that I mentioned earlier are correct. In the meantime I suggest you check them out just to see at least. Using the slits on top of the fuses to place your probe on makes an easy check. You say the CTS makes the ECU think the coolant temp is 77 degrees. Is that when the engine is hot or just after startup? If that is when the engine is hot then replace the sensor, as long as there is no error code for it like a wiring problem.

Shawn, Check to see if the ignition contact position of the ignition switch is working ok in the START position. Check for power on fuse 11, 13, or 18 of the dash panel while in the starting mode. Those are fuses on a WRX but I think they are the same for the Legacy also. If you don't have voltage on any of those fuses then the switch is the problem. Fuse 11 is tied to the fuel pump relay coil. Since the engine is running ok once it is started I can't see how there would be a problem with any of the sensors. It appears to me that the fuel system isn't getting power to it in the START position.

The resistors only add a series resistance to the circuit which reduces the available voltage to the blower motor and that won't damage it. Things that will damage the motor are things like restricting the rotation of the motor shaft or overvoltage conditions from the alternator. If the alternator is working in the normal output range and nothing is slowing down the motor by rubbing on the fan cage then a new motor should fix you up. To see if your meter will block DC voltage put it in the AC voltage function mode and measure the voltage of a battery. If it blocks DC you won't get a reading in the AC mode. The reading will jump briefly showing the connection spike in voltage but then drop to zero volts.

Any good electronics part store should have one. Radio Shack may even have something close to it. Get one rated for 200 volts. Digikey is another place but they may have a minimum price per order.

That is correct Mikaleda. You have to know the capabilities of the meter you are using. I wouldn't say all cheap meters won't block the DC component while in the AC mode and I guess not everyone will have the same opinion of what a cheap meter is. To me a cheap meter is under 100 dollars but to others it may mean it is less than 30 dollars. If you do have a meter that won't block the DC you can add a .5 microfarad capacitor in series with one of the meter probes to block the DC from getting to the meter..

Those wire colors are correct I think. Using a test light probe check to see if you have light pulses on the minus side of the coil while you crank the engine. If the light is steady ON then there is a possible problem with crank sensor. If there is no light then the coil has an open wire.

Check the DC and AC voltage across the battery while the engine is running around 1,500 RPM to make sure that is ok. There should be no more than .1 volt of AC voltage.

It might not use a cable. It may be electronicly driven and use a speed sensor.

I have a friend with an '05 Outback that had the same problem. He replaced his CD unit also with another used one.

If you aren't getting power to the coil when the ignition is turned ON then check the fusible links and the fuses in the dash for power getting to them using a test light probe. Use the slits on top of each side of the fuses to make the checks. If the fuses are getting power to them and the coil isn't then the trouble is between the fuse for that circuit and the coil. It is a logical sequence to find the trouble.

Well I wouldn't be surprised if you still are blowing fuses after you replace the resistors. The reason being is they are located after the motor in respect to the input power to the circuit. So if there was a short to ground on that side of the circuit, which is really the return side basically, the motor would just run at full speed. The resistors would be bypassed by the short to ground but the motor would just tie to ground and run at full speed. If the motor is working ok (you should test it by applying power directly to it with a fused line) then the short is after the blower relay and before the input to the motor.