Cougar

Hi Al, I kind of figured you must of done some sort of trouble shooting for awhile. You have a good collection of tools also. As far as repair goes; to the person who would have to replace the ECU instead of fixing it like you did, they would be facing about a three hundred dollar bill for a rebuilt ECU and labor to put it in. Not sure what you are doing currently but it seems a lot of auto repair shops need techs with good electrical skills. Going to component level repair of an ECU shows good knowledge in my book. It seems a number of shops have techs doing work on vehicles that have no idea what Ohm's Law is. I think the alternate Darlinton device you have in mind should work nicely. Looks like you will have to turn it around to match the leads up. I'll still have the other IC's here if you need one. Let me know how it goes but I'm sure it will be no problem. Glen

Your fuel pump may be getting weak. A pressure test is in order. My car would start to studder when I needed extra power. A new pump fixed the problem.

That should be fine as long as you can get a fairly accurate temp reading . Be carefull when opening the radiator cap if you take it off while it is running. It may be better to leave the cap off while it is cool then test the coolant after about ten minutes of warm up. The coolant temperature should be in the "Well Done" range. Ha ha. If the coolant is not getting warm then you may have a stuck closed thermostat and that would not be good. If the engine temp gauge is working ok it should show the engine is hot after about 10 minutes of idling and you have a stuck thermostat, I would think. With all due respects to GD's comment of not measuring the coolant temperature at the top of the radiator, I disagree. If things are working ok the temerature of the coolant will be pretty close to the engine block temperature since the coolant flows out of the engine to there. If the thermostat is stuck closed then it will be obvious there is a blockage by the low temperature reading. It is also very easy to test the temp there. If I want to check the temperaure sensor I will use an ohmmeter to check the resistance of the sensor and compare that to the data sheet for temp/resistance values.

I would think this would work with your unit Ruppster but I can't say that for sure. If you could still get that unit that was on Ebay I would go for it. I just checked the Ebay posting and it is up for sale again. It's a super buy. Here is the new link. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43948&item=2430517396

I think there is a very good chance that they are the same. If they fit the same I would think the temperature setting is the same also. You may have a thermostat issue also like the other poster said or your temperature gauge is not working correctly. The engine temperature has to more than you are really seeing I would think. I would verify the coolant temperature with a thermometer.

Here is a link for a CD version on Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6762&item=2431502964

You sound like you are up for the task to me Chip. I think if one is willing to try is a big factor in doing these things. Sorry I can't give you any advice from past experience on an install for one of these as I have not done one as of yet. They are fairly easy to install I believe. I would purchase the factory wiring service manual if you do this so you will have a reference book to go by for the connections. You could also check with the dealer and see if they have any recommendations for a particlar brand of unit to install. One caution though is, installing this may effect the warranty of the car unless they do the work, so I would first check into that issue with the dealer before doing anything.

I agree about the intake manifold gaskets. My '88 GL-10 had that problem. There is a coolant channel that runs inside the joint of the manifold. You may be able to listen for an air leak while the engine is running by placing a piece of water hose to the joint and your ear. After I caught onto it, my leak it was so loud I didn't need the hose to hear it. Hopefully it's not the head gaskets, but it may be them also. If you take the intake joint apart I would replace the three bolts that are on each side with new ones and use some antiseize compound on the treads when you put the bolts back in.

Your welcome.

Hi Al, I worked on one of these ECU's for the same problem about 6 years ago. I sent away for the IC's and I remember I had some extras because I had to order a minimum of fifty dollars in parts. Digging through the many pieces of paper and other things in my desk I found the other three IC's I had left from the repair order. If you want, I'll sell you one of them for fifteen dollars and you can pay me later when funds are better for you. I could send it to you Monday if you want. Thanks for the link to the data sheet. I printed a copy out to keep with the IC's as I did not have one before. Nice job of trouble shooting this problem Al. You obviously know electronics pretty well. You stated previously that you were short on funds. With the kind of skills you have it seems you should be working somewhere that would be willing to pay well for your kind of talents. I grew up in Seattle and I know Port Townsend isn't a real big place to find work though it is sure nastalgic with the old fixed up Victorian homes. Do you work in the local area?

Your welcome for the help Lorryb. Thanks for the feedback on this. Knowing what fixes the problem helps us learn also. As the saying goes: "Drive On".

Andy, Looking over your diagram it looks like you can use what you have except for the LED's. You need to tie the anode side of the led to positive side of the fan motor connection and the cathode side to ground. The thermo switch LED will need to have a lead run from a positive 12v source connected to the anode of the LED. The cathode lead then needs to be tied to other side of the thermo switch. This will make the ground for the LED when the thermo switch closes. You will also need to add a current limiting resistor in series to the anode of each LED unless you purchase the type that already have one. Using a 2 thousand ohm, half of a watt resistor should work fine for the series resistors. If you want to eliminate the kill switch you can use an on-off-on single pole double throw type switch. The center position will be the kill position.

Hi Al, The CEL light should come on in the KOEO mode as a test to let you know that the lamp is ok. Hopefully the bulb is burned out or there is a bad connection to it. If things are ok there then you may have a bad circuit in the ECU. I have in the past replaced an IC in a ECU before for that reason. The ECU light would not work. We have to do emissions tests here in Anchorage and if the lamp doesn't work then you are done with the test until it is fixed.

Here is some info that Bratcrazy found and posted in the older model board: Has anyone here sent there radio to Clarion for repairs? I found this address for the Clarion factory repair. All they want is $80, flat fee to fix your radio. At: CLARION REPAIRS 661 W. REDONDO BEACH BLVD. GARDENA, CA. 90247 Make check out to: CLARION !-800-347-8667 for service ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Not sure if you have a Clarion model or not. If it's a Panasonic or other brand you should be able to do a search and find a repair facility.

Well if you broke one of the timing tabs off it sounds like you'll need a new gear I'm sorry to say. Having the link to the Endwrench article should steer you right as far as setting everything up. Sorry for my misinfomation on checking the distributor. I need to keep reminding myself there is newer technology in these engines.

Since you moved the crank and the cams seperately you could be 180 degrees out on the distributor. You should check how things line up with number 1 piston at TDC on the compression stroke. I assume your spark is still good.

Hi Ruppster, Sounds like you had some good times up here. Maybe you'll make it back someday. We just may have crossed paths in town sometime. I work up on the North Slope as a telecom technician. I worked for Arco many years and am now with GCI doing the same job, week on week off schedule. There is talk of having a tax since the oil revenues are not what they used to be but so far there are none and we are still getting a PFD.

Thanks for the heads up Rallynutdon. I am used to dealing with older technology.

I would check the antenna connection in the back of the radio and make sure it is tight. You may also have a coax extension that should be checked. My Loyale had one. Also check the antenna end for a problem and that you have a good ground connection.

As mentioned, you need to find out if you have spark getting to the plugs first. If you have spark then you need to see if fuel is getting to the engine. Spraying some starter fluid into the intake will let you know if it will run or not. If those things don't work then I would check the timing. You may have slipped a tooth on the belt. You can move the distributor while trying to start it to see if that will help. Mark the position before you move it though. It also sounds like you have a bad short somwhere that is killing the battery.

That's a hugh discount if it's for real. Is that off the factory sticker? If so, that eliminates a lot of depreciation on the car. I would go for it if you can afford it. You will have a new warranty and have a better car to get you around and it sounds like you get around a lot.

Welcome to the board Ruppster and thanks for the intro. The car looks great and will be an excellent one to start you down the Subaru road. Too bad you didn't have one in Alaska as you would have really appreciated it during the winter. I live in Anchorage and my current model is a '01 LL Bean. It's my third Soob.

Have you checked for a vacuum leak problem?

Thanks for the good info GLC. I thought MPFI came out in '88 and was not aware it was already out for a few years. Good to know about the changes also.

I don't think the '87 GL-10 had MPFI like the '88 did if I remember right. Having the turbo makes a difference also I believe. It may work with a '86 turbo. Comparing the numbers will keep you straight. Have you checked for voltage getting to the ECU before you say it's bad?