Cougar

That was pretty handy having a spare coil on hand already. Thanks for the update and glad to hear you solved the trouble.

I am thinking this trouble may be due to the coil.

Without any doubt, the alternator diodes are bad. You should never have that much AC voltage if the alternator was ok, even if the battery was nearly drained. I would be concerned if the level was even 2 volts. A new alternator is needed and it would be good to check the condition of the battery also. Get it fixed ASAP so damage to the battery is limited. As a side note about measuring AC voltage across the battery. With older analog meters the DC voltage isn't blocked out when you measure AC voltage and will be added to the reading. So you have to know your meter operation so you don't get fooled. As far as I know none of the digital meters have this issue so it makes seperation of the two voltage components easy. If there is any doubt about how the meter is set up just place the meter in the AC voltage mode and measure a DC voltage. If the DC is blocked the meter will read zero after an initial surge is made by placing the probes across the voltage source.

I think Subaruguru has the problem pinned down. I thought of the same thing myself when I read the post. When this kind of trouble happens the reluctor tabs for the crank sensor need to be checked. There are two sets of tabs and they each control a pair of sparkplugs. The firing is controlled through the ECU. Here is a link that shows some good shots of the engine. Check out the 34th picture. It shows good detail of the reluctor tabs behind the crank sprocket and the crank sensor above it. http://lovehorsepower.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48:1995-subaru-legacy-outback-timing-belt-and-water-pump-replacement&catid=10:subaru-legacy&Itemid=64

See if pin 7 of the check connector has 12 volts on it. If it doesn't check fuse 15.

Are you saying that there is no connector going to the rear of the orignial radio?

I must say, I have never seen a light circuit that isn't fused. You can imagine what would happen if the light circuit ever got shorted to ground without a fuse in line to protect the wiring.

Chances are the bulbs are burned out. He may have been running on just one for a while and then it burned out. The fuses are ok since the highs are working and share the same fuse. The other possible trouble could be with the swich.

Check the SBF fuses under hood and make sure they are all ok. You have a number of issues with the car. I suggest you purchase at least a factory wiring manual for the car. It will help you a lot in finding the problems and fixing them.

Check to see if there are any codes stored and see if the ignitor has power getting to it on the yellow wire.

Someone else just had this problem and it was due to the clock. You could replace the fuse with some wires tied to a brake light. That will limit the current to a safe level and then disconnect suspected areas until the light goes out, which means that connection has the problem on it.

Ya, too much.

I think it may be located behind the dash above the other fuse panel.

That is correct.

My first thoughts on the trouble were stuck relays or bad ignition switch also as others here have stated already. If there are no ignition relays and the ignition switch has been replaced already then there must be a bridged path to power on the ignition circuit somehow. Check for power on the + coil lead while the ignition is OFF. If power is found there then start removing fuses in a effort to find which circuit is providing the power. As a wild guess try removing the rear connector on the alternator to see if that helps. If it does kill the path to power then replace the alternator. To see if the ECU is providing the path somehow disconnect it while monitoring the voltage at the coil.

Your comment about the sensor and the CEL light is correct. The light will change instantly with the status of the sensor signal to the ECU, good or bad. Make sure the connection to the sensor itself is good. If that is ok and you still have trouble then replacing the sensor will most likely be needed.

It's fairly common for these sensors to go bad after time. If the code shows a circuit problem then there may be a bad connection to it but the sensor could just be bad also. It is a piezoelectric device that generates a frequency when it detects certain vibrations. It does ground through the engine.

Sorry for the misinformation. I was thinking of an earlier model. The cat has wandered off the trail. If there is a yellow wire going to the coil there should be power on it that comes from fuse 16.

Good going there Ken. You might check the fusible links and make sure there are no loose connections to them. As for the current draw that wasn't too much really but it is way to high for normal draw while the car is parked and will kill the battery in not too long of time.

I assume you are having a current drain problem on fuse #5. If so the most likely trouble spots are the radio, clock, and door chime. I would try the chime first as a best guess.

As others have stated this trouble is most likely due to a bad connection to power somewhere. Check the fusible links for a bad connection. If they are ok then check the wire connections to the ignition switch for any signs of burning. You may also want to check the battery to chassis ground wire. Since you have a meter you should be able to monitor the voltage on the starter solenoid wire as you try to start the engine. You will most likely be able to see the voltage drop off if the trouble is within the ignition circuit wiring.

If you aren't seeing firing pulses on the minus side of the coil while cranking the engine then something is most likely wrong inside the disty. If there is a crank sensor inside it then it may be bad.

If there is no spark to the plugs while in the START mode then check to see if power is getting to the plus side of the coil while cranking the engine. There may be a problem with the ignition switch in the start position. Check the fusible links for a loose connection also.

If the service manual you have doesn't show the proper wire colors then you should invest in a factory manual. It will show it all. That is why they are so much better than a regular manual. I should be able to find out some info tomorrow when I get back home. I have a CD with some info. From what info I have seen it shows the wiper delay module berween the switch and the motor. Have you located the delay module and checked it?

I forgot that the EA81s didn't use timing belts. In post #5 I think I see something you stated that may be causing the trouble. You stated that the test light probe was showing a dim condition when you tested the + side of the coil. There should be at least 10 volts getting to that point even if there is a ballast resistor in the circuit. If the light is real dim then there is a bad power connection to the coil. Possibly from the ignition switch. When you place the test probe on the minus side of the coil with the ignition ON it is normal to see power there also since the coil passes the DC voltage. When you crank the engine then the light should pulse on and off with each firing pulse because that side of the coil ties to ground with each firing pulse. The ground condition causes the light to turn off since both side of the probe will be at ground potential during the short pulse period.