Cougar

Alternators run pretty hot normally. Hopefully the battery is charged up and not placing an extra load to the alternator. It would be nice to know what the current draw is on fuse 4. There may also be some bad diodes inside the alternator so doing a load check on it may be a good idea..

You're welcome for the update. As far as the pink wire goes, I think the OP was refering to a pink multi-pin connector for the ignition switch.

If you haven't charged the battery up using a battery charger I suggest you do that. If you haven't tried starting the engine with the MAF disconnected try that and see if it will run then. If it doesn't run then spray some stater fluid into the intake ans see if the engine gets going then. If it does run for a bit then the injector circuit needs to be checked.

I called Ben yesterday about this after the advice about the ignition switch was given. At that time he had already found out the four fuses were not getting power to them and he was going to look at the switch when he had time to get at it. I assume he will have gotten this fixed the next time he checks in. He was busy with a dog sled team when I called. It's one of the outdoor things us Alaskans do, besides driving our Subarus.

The transistor that went bad inside the ECU was tied to another transistor that controlled the ground side of the wire tied to the pump motor. You are correct about it the trouble being a constant failure.

The pump relay actually "closes" the contacts to send power to the pump. Check the power at the relay contacts to make sure full power is getting to that point and use chassis ground as the reference. If that is ok then check the power side of the connection at the pump to see if you have full power there also. If you don't then there is a bad wire connection between those points. If you have good power there also then the problem may be with the ECU if the ground for the pump motor runs through it.

After looking at some data for a 83 model it looks like Dj7291993's comment may be right on the money. The things mentioned that are not working seem to tie to the Accessory position of the ignition switch. The info shows fuses 5,6,7, and 8 are powered through the ignition switch. I suggest you check to see if voltage is getting to those fuses with the ignition switch in the RUN position. If there isn't any voltage getting to them you could check the wire from the ignition switch that ties to those fuses. My data shows the wire color is blue. The white wire on the switch supplies power to the ignition switch so if you jumper those wires together and the things then start working you have proved the Accessory position of the switch is bad. The trouble could be in the connector for the switch also. The easiest thing to do first is to just jumper some power to the supply side of those fuses and see what happens. If the accessories work then you need to check the ignition switch accessory position out. Good call Dj7291993.

You said there was very little voltage on the minus side of the coil. Remove any wires tieing to that side of the coil and then check the voltage on the minus side of the coil with the ignition switch ON. You should see close to 12 volts there. If you do see that then one of the wires that ties to that point is going to ground somehow. I assume you are aware that the fuel pump won't run unless the ignition is working.

It sounds to me that there is a problem with the power supply to the display. If that is the case you may need to replace the dash.

Check the bearings of the belt tensioner while your are there also. If the pulley wobbles from side to side you need a new bearing.

To check the antenna connection for the radio out you can just use a 10 foot piece of wire and stick the end of the wire into the antenna jack of the radio. If you then have signal reception then the antenna system is bad. It could be a preamp issue.

Even though the fuses may be good you need to check to see if power is getting to the fuses using a test light probe. If no power is getting to some of them check the fusible links under the hood and the ignition switch for a problem.

I would go with a factory one.

You say you jumpered the coil and got spark. What points exactly did you jumper?

The ground is made through the mounting clip of the coil I believe. Make sure there isn't any rust between the case and the mounting clip. Also make sure the connection to the engine is clean.

I don't think you caused any kind of trouble from what you say you did. It sounds to me that the battery has a problem. If you haven't cleaned the battery connections using a battery post cleaning brush I suggest you do that. If you can't get the battery charged like it should be you will need to purchase a new battery.

THe vent doors may be controlled by vacuum air from the engine, so check the air line going to the dash from the engine, if that is so.

One side of the switch connection should already have voltage on it when the ignition switch is in the START position. All you need to do is jumper the connections to the switch with a wire if you want to see if the switch is causing the problem. You could also measure the voltage across the switch contacts while trying to start the engine. A good switch with closed contacts will show no voltage across the wire connection because it should be shorted across the contacts. A bad closed contacts switch will have voltage drop across the contacts due to the resistance of the contacts connection.

Yes, it is a switch that closes at a preset temperature.

You didn't state if the AM and the FM both are having trouble. If they are then hopefully the trouble is due to a loose antenna connection to the radio. Using a fairly long piece of wire touched to the antenna connection of the radio should tell where the trouble is at. If the signal gets a lot better then the antenna lead needs to be checked. The antenna is built into the rear window glass I think. The small antenna on the roof is just for the GPS system I believe.

Make sure the battery warning light turns on when you turn the ignition on. Current has to pass through that light to the alternator field to get the alternator action working. If that is ok then check the voltage at the alternator output lead. It should be between 13 and 14.8 volts. Charge the battery up with a battery charger before using it in the car again with the alternator.

The trouble with the starter was explained in my previous post. It had a shorted fault condition on the starter side of the solenoid contacts. By working on it you apparently cleared the short. I'm not sure what is causing the relay or solenoid chatter.

Ok. My info doesn't show a r/g wire for the dimmer control and the only ground wire I see is for the switch.

If bypassing the yellow wire to ground makes the lights work I would suggest you check out the illumination control module for a problem.

I'm not sure what black wire you are refering to. Regardless, there should always be 12 volts on the red wires when ever the lights are on and that should never change. The lights are controlled by the return side of the light circuit through the illumination control module. That is where you should see a change in voltage in reference to chassis ground. If the reading is always high it means the illumunation control circuit is open. You can prove it by grounding the yellow return wire of the lights and that should turn the lights on.