Cougar

Checking the compression on both sides of the engine should show up a timing belt issue if there is one.

Replace the PCV. A leaky one can let oil flow through which will cause all kinds of white smoke. Enough to make a very good smoke screen.

Good points made by Naru. I was wondering about extra high loads on the system also. Checking to see if there are some bad diodes inside the alternator by measuring for AC voltage across the battery is good also. There should be less than .25 volts of AC with the engine running. Check the voltage between the alternator output stud and the positive battery post with the engine running around 1500 RPM and with the lights and heater running. You should see less than .5 volts there if the connections between the two points are ok. I'm not sure what to make of your "voltage" test you talked about in your first post. If you actually did a current check and saw a 2.5 amp draw something is very wrong. You say you did the check between the battery and the regulator but isn't the regulator inside the alternator?

Check for leaky intake manifold gaskets.

Before getting into any serious hunt for electrical troubles it pays to check the power getting to the faulty area and for any trouble codes. It can save a lot of time and effort. Hopefully a new sensor will get you going again.

By looking at the pullies from the side you should be able to determine which ones line up with eachother. If I rememeber correctly the AC unit had a seperate belt but I'm not sure. As a note, check the idler pulley for any side play while you are in there. The bearing for it wears out and can cause the noise you heard. If there is some movement to the side the bearing needs to be replaced.

Check the continuity of the wire between the sensor connector and the ECU to make sure it is ok. Check the resistance between it and the shield wire also if you can to verify they aren't shorted together. If those tests show good then the trouble is most likely with the sensor output.

Just use the starter motor to turn the engine over.

Sorry for the typo. I must have been pretty tired when I did that post. I made the correction to my previous post. The word should have been pin, and number 7, not 17. Looking at this again I meant to check the power going to the OBD2 connector, not the check connector. Check pin 1 (red wire) on the OBD-2 connector and make sure power is getting to that pin. Fuse SBF-2 supplies power to that pin.

Here is some good info on the subject that should help you in finding the trouble. In the troubleshooting sequence we dertermined the coil was getting voltage but not the ignitior so that should be done. http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/pdf/electrical/ignition.pdf There is a way to read the code errors directly from the ECU. Here is a link that should help you do that. http://www.troublecodes.net/Subaru/

Good deal. Thanks for the update.

Ok, so the coil is getting power. The next thing to check is to see what codes may be active. Have you checked them yet for clues to the trouble?

Bank 1 refers to the side of the engine with cylinder #1 so that would be the right side. Sensor 2 is after the first CAT I believe. If the signal wire from the sensor to the ECU doesn't have a short to ground on it and the resistance of the wire connection is within specs then the sensor is most likely the trouble.

Looking for a problem with the ignition system without first testing for voltage getting to the coil is akin to looking for a fuel system problem on a car with an empty fuel tank.

In this case the crank sensor does appear to be the trouble. Make sure the signal wire from the sensor to the ECU is ok first. If that checks out ok then I would suggest replacing the sensor and the engine should fire up.

In post #3 you stated all the things needed to fire the engine are there. Is there any way the positions of the plug wires could have changed on the disty? If that is good then try spraying starter fluid into the intake and see if that gets the engine going. If those things don't help then the weak flash of the light on the coil may mean the crank angle sensor in the disty is faulty.

Changes for the good were made in '03 to the Forester. If I was looking for a used one I would start from that year. This is more than what she had in mind but it is a nice one. http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=56583201&listingRecNum=25&criteria=prMx%3D7000%26sf1Dir%3DDESC%26prMn%3D0%26alMdId%3D21165%26mkId%3D20041%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D21165%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId-pseudoPrice-pseudoYear%26zc%3D98125%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26yrMn%3D2003%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26alMkId%3D20041%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=cartalk

The O2 sensor can also be a cause of misfiring, especially with the mileage you have on the car.

I suspect the sensors may be ok. There may be an issue with the power to the ignition system. The first thing to check is the fuses if you haven't done that already. If they are all ok then check for power getting to the ignition coil. Check the ECU codes would be a good thing to do also on the hunt for clues to solve the trouble. Nice job on the conversion BTW.

It sounds like the fuel pump is ok. The crank sensor is mounted above the crank sprocket on the front of the engine. Did you check the voltage on the yellow wire going to the coil as I stated in my earlier post? If battery voltage isn't getting to that point there isn't much use in checking other areas for trouble.

The trouble you are having is a classic description of a bad fuel pump. Just as you first suspected and others here have stated. Try changing the filter first but if that doesn't work replace the pump. The same thing happened on my '88 GL-10. Going up a good hill it would buck due to lack of fuel. After some time the pump finally died while driving on the road. One of the very few times the car left me stranded on the road. After a new pump was put in going up the same hill was no problem.

As a side note about the fuel pump circuit. Some models control the fuel pump operation by running the return side of the power to the ECU which then makes the ground connection inside it. In this case though the return just ties to the chassis. A new pump should get you going again.

There should be power on the yellow wire to the coil with the ignition switch on. If there isn't then check fuse 16 in the dash fuse panel and make sure voltage is getting to both sides of the fuse. If that is ok then there is a break in the wire to the coil.

After looking at the service data again I noticed the wiring to the senders also ties to the ECU on connector B135. Perhaps there is a bad connection at that point. Try reconnecting that connector and see if that helps.

I agree with Nipper. Try adding a ground jumper to the connector wire at the tank tieing to ground and see if that makes a difference. If it does then repair the faulty ground connection.