Cougar

There may be safety switch on the clutch pedal causing the trouble. There is a small wire going to the starter solenoid mounted on the starter. If you can apply 12 volts to that lead and the starter works ok then the trouble is with the safety switch or the ignition switch wiring.

Another area to check is the fusible links looking for loose connections. They are inside the plastic bow mounted on the coolant reservoir.

The problem may just be due to a dirty connection at the sensor. I think it is located near the upper radiator hose connection on the engine.

If the fuse for the blower has power to it while the trouble is happening and pin 2 doesn't have power on it then check the connection after the fuse to see if there is a problem there. You will most likely see signs of burning wherever the trouble is at.

Glad you got the car running well again. As far as solving the code issues the trouble is most likely due to a circuit problem to the sensors so make sure the wiring to them doesn't have some sort of trouble.

GD, I checked my manual and you are correct about the 21 amps for the black link. The manual also stated that the link is designed to melt when there is 190 amps flowing for 15 seconds.

The screw threaded into the plastic is one port for the vacuum line. The other port is in the middle of the plastic and would normally stick staight out the end of the solenoid. It is broken off. A very common problem due to a weak design. Those solenoids are well over 100 dollars new. Some folks have removed similair used devices from other Japanese cars to replace the bad one and at a lot lower replacement cost.

Due to normal wire losses the dash voltmeters can read up to around 1 volt low. As long as you know about the issue it is no big deal. Glad to hear the new fusible links are working ok for you and you now have some spares. I noted the rating that GD stated for the black one. I though it more like in the 40 to 60 amps area. I think the alternator charging currrent runs through it but I would need to look at my manual to verify those things. If the windows still don't work then check the other fuses in the dash and make sure they are ok. If they are good then some other checks are needed in the window circuit.

Looking at the picture there appears to be a screw threaded into a broken hose connection. The coil needs to be connected so a fault code isn't set in the ECU. I don't think having the device disconnected will make much difference in gas mileage.

Check the connections to the dimmer control and the illumination control module. You may also make some progress finding the trouble by moving the wiring under the dash around. The trouble appears to be due to a loose connection somewhere under the dash area.

Since you asked about the warning lights. The warnings are placed in the alternator exciter circuit so they come on in the test mode when the ignition is turned on without the engine running. Power comes from the ignition switch, through the lights and to the alternator exciter windings which are basically at ground potential when the alternator isn't running. When the alternator is running, generated voltage is backfed from the windings and the warning lights now have about the same voltage potential across them which makes them turn off until a problem with the charging system happens. Whenever checking for alternator troubles it is a good idea to first make sure the battery warning light is working since it passes current to the alternator field. For most older systems at least. Years ago I learned the lesson about the battery warning light while working many hours on a charging problem with a Ford truck. After I cleaned the connections for the bulb the problem was solved.

The device in the picture is a solenoid that is used in the vacuum lines for emissions. It also looks like it is broken as that happens a lot and they are very expensive to replace (at least with a new one). It has nothing to do with the trouble you are having with the dash. Your relply shows you have good voltage at the ignition switch which means the trouble is beyond that point. You need to check the voltage getting to the dash along with the grounding for it. Some of the gauges (like the fuel and temperature gauges) have a voltage regulator in the circuit to them. The trouble you are having may be with it. You need to make sure that the regulator is getting at least 12 volts to it and then check the output voltage of the regulator.

We aren't sure yet (at least I'm not) which fusible link may have the trouble on it, or if there really still is any trouble. The poster stated that a regular 30a fuse worked ok, for a while at least. I think even the lowest current rated link can handle 45a. So I have to ask, is there still a real problem here or if just the correctly sized link needs to be installed? I agree with your statement about the solenoid current draw. The amount of current it needs to activate may be about 1 amp or possibly less. From what I have read of the posts I'm not sure when the fuse is blowing out. The poster talks about it failing with the starter but I question if that is really true and is why I asked if the fuse blows while the key is just turned to the RUN mode. There could be a wiring issue in the START mode somewhere but that is pretty rare. Then again, if a 30a amp fuse is working ok I don't think there is a real problem at the moment.

The trouble you are having could be due to bad ground connection from the battery to the chassis so try cleaning that and other grounds. You could also make a ground jumper to verify the trouble is due to a bad ground. Tie one side of the jumper to the battery ground lead and then touch the other end of the jumper to suspected bad ground points. If things clear up when you do that you know you need to fix the connection. The trouble may also be due to bad connection to the fusible links or the power wire to the links so check them out. The ignition switch connections are another possibility. Using a voltmeter you can check for voltage losses at the fuses and other suspected areas.

There are usually three different colored fusible links used in the EA 82 models. Black, red, and green. I think that is the order of their current capability also going from highest to lowest ratings. Hopefully you don't have a mixup on their positions and have a lower rated link in the position for a higher rated link. A link isn't used for the starter motor itself as the starter draws way too much current to use one for that. Starters are tied directly to the battery through the starter solenoid. The solenoid has the heavy duty contacts to make the high current switch connection for the starter motor. The fusible links tie to the ignition and accessories circuits for the car. We need to know if the trouble happens when the ignition switch is turned to the RUN mode or to the START position in order to help you pin the trouble down. You stated that a 30 amp fuse worked ok in the circuit. Is that still true? If it is then there may not be a shorting problem and you most likely just need a fusible link with a little higher rating in that position.

The voltage readings you saw in the car are too high and indicate the regulator inside the alternator is bad but the readings shown from the bench test are good. The sense wire from the battery to the back side of the alternator may have a short to ground on it and is causing the alternator to run full field output. To see if that is the case you will need a voltmeter to check things with. Using a digital meter, it is easy to read the display. To check the wiring to the alternator remove the connector on the back side of the alternator, turn the ignition switch to RUN and then check the voltage of each of the wires. Place the (red) positive probe of the meter on each wire with the (blk) negative meter probe tied to a good ground connection on the car or the negative battery post. You should have 12 volts on each of the wires if things are ok there.

The regulator contols the output of the alternator which ties to the battery and all the electricals tie to the battery. Check Ebay for deals on service manuals. The factory ones are the best ones to get by far.

The CTS is the coolant temperature sensor an you just unplug the connector to it. It might be located on the passenge side of the engine.

Bad diodes in the alternator can also cause the troubles you say you are having. Have a load test done on the charging system to see if it can produce the full rated output. If it falls significantly short of spec then replace the alternator.

Fixing the trouble with the IAC may clear up the CAT code also. The CC trouble may be just due a misadjustment of the disconnect switch on the brake pedal.

This is a no brainer. Driving the car while the voltage regulator is out can cause other bad electrical issues to occur.

I read about the problem you are having on the Car Talk web site. I think the trouble you are having may be due to a bad fuel pump or possibly a clogged filter under the hood. I had a '88 GL-10 model and there was a filter under the hood near the driver area. Your model may be slightly different though. Does anything under the hood match the part the store sold you? The fuel pumps on these cars do go out after time and can act just like yours does. The engine will run a short time and then die due to a lack of fuel.

Both of my '88 GL-10s had the 3 speed EAT transmission.

Some also had MPFI instead of SPFI.

Yes, that's it.