Cougar

Verify you have voltage on the red relay wire while the pump is supposed to be running. Like when you first turn the key on for the first couple of seconds. If that is ok then check the blk/r wire on the other side of the relay and make sure voltage is getting to that point. If those points are ok then it would seem there is a connection problem between conector B97 and R57 for the blk/r wire.

I agree with Nipper's good advice about the ignition switch causing the trouble. The starter circuit gets cut off when the shifter is not in the 'P' or 'N' position. It appears that the switch contacts for the START position are making contact while in the switch is in the RUN posiiton. You might be able to clean the switch contacts and fix the trouble or if you can reposition the switch contacts somehow that should clear the trouble also. It is hard to say what damage has been done to the bendix gear of the starter and the ring gear.

With the ECU being dirty are you guys saying it is mounted in the engine compartment and not inside the passenger compartment? As far as the neutral or shifter switch causing the trouble, I think you are on the right track by cleaning it.

The ECU should shut down when the ignition switch is turned off. The only power going to it should be for the memory. Check to see if any of the fuses in the dash have power on them while the trouble is occurring. This may help us pin the trouble down if you find something live there. I know you already did check some of them.

You're right. Fuse 5 is very important for the ignition to function. A quick test to see if the fuse is ok is to see if the horn works. If the rest of the wiring is ok then your good.

Whenever you have ignition problem the first thing you need to do is make sure power is getting to it. If you haven't verified power is getting to the coil on the plus lead that needs to be done. Also verify all the fuses in the dash are ok. Making sure the horn works will verify one of the fuses for the ignition system is ok. Fuse 5 I think.

Verify all the fuses in the main panel under the hood are ok. If they are ok then verify power is getting to the ignition switch and through it.

Verify power is getting through fuse 11 in the dash, it supplies power to the pump. If that is ok then check the relay to see if it is operating and working ok.

Here is another product you might try mixing in the fuel. They have excellent products that work. http://www.kanolabs.com/engCle.html

Clicking from the starter motor usually means the solenoid contacts for the starter are nearly worn out. They make a high resistance connection so the motor can't get enough current to run it.

To fix the problem you are most likely going to have to replace the alternator even though it appears to be charging the battery ok. Normally the alternator provides a backfeed voltage on the lamp lead when it is working normally and that turns off the warning lights. When you turn on the ignition without starting the engine the lamp lead is near ground potential and that turns the warning lights on using power which comes from the ignition switch.

The location of the sensor on the engine could very well be critical to the sensor operation. The design engineers may have located it there for a reason and moving it may change the operation of the sensor.

Yep, you got it. All you need is reasonably tight. If the stud does turn and cause the problem it is pretty easy to turn it back slightly and clear the short. Over tightening the battery post clamps is a real common problem. It stretches the clamp out and damages it. Tightening the clamp just enough so it dosen't turn on the post is good enough and making sure the connections are clean are a good thing. It is amazing how many folks have electrical trouble just due to dirty battery connections that get over looked.

Glad you got it working. The bad short inside the starter was most likely due to the head of the stud bolt for the main cable connection. The bolt can be over tightened which causes the square head inside the starter to move and then contact chassis ground. When power is applied to it....Blam.

Thanks for the info about the fuel lines and the fuel pump circuit Gloyale. Some things I didn't know about.

I am guessing the trouble had to do with the external voltage regulator somehow. I know the engine can still have ignition power getting to it under certain conditions of the regulator, even though the ignition switch is turned off.

Good deal. A family of happy Soob owners. It doesn't get much better than that. You can also fix them when they need it. The skills your son is picking up now will most likely be a big help in his life later on.

I'm not so sure removing the mechanical fan is going to save you much in mechanical problems. The electric fan is now going to have to work much more than it would have normally. You also may find the water pump life span doesn't improve as much as you hope it will. I could be wrong though.

There are no fuel lines under the dash of the car. Think of the possible problems that could happen if that was so. The lines run under the chassis body. Due to the nature of the trouble you describe my best guess is the problem might be with the ignition relay or possibly a loose fusible link. The links are in a small plastic box mounted on the coolant reservoir. Make sure they are making good contact. The device you describe sounds like it is a relay. There are a number of them under the dash that are used for various things. The ignition relay for your vehicle should be near the steering column and might be causing the problem due to bad contacts. I doubt the coil is bad and suggest you not replace it unless you first prove it is bad. The ignitor would be a better thing to replace if you are just guessing at the trouble. They fail a lot more often than the coil does. If you don't already own a test light probe or digital meter I suggest you get a probe at least so you check for power. A meter is the best to get. Your money would be better spent on one of those items instead of a coil. You say you can't hear the fuel pump. You should be able to hear the pump run for a couple seconds when you turn the ignition to ON. The pump will then turn off until the engine starts up.

You may have an ignition problem. See if you can start the engine by spraying some starter fluid into the intake. If the engine still won't run using the starter fluid then you most likely have an ignition problem.

Check for intake manifold air leaks if you haven't done that already.

To verify the thermoswitch circuit for the fan is working ok you should be able to jumper the connector to the switch and verify the fan turns on. It sounds like you have things under control now. The Kings aren't running very well at this time so they have restrictions going on for them. While we may have the good fish here you guys have the great cheese. Love that extra sharp cheeder.

I'm not sure why the fan stopped running when jumpered the connector that I assume went to the thermo sensor. This is the opposite the way I think it should work. If you remove the jumper does the fan turn back on?

A standard Bosch relay will work just fine for what you want to do.

My info shows the green link should tie to the ignition relay. It sounds like the link has been bypassed somewhere. Is there a jumper on the bottom side of housing?