Cougar

If there is an ignitor in the circuit (pretty sure there is one) then you might try replacing it. They go out often.

When you measure the resistance of the positive side of motor while the other side is tied to ground and use chassis ground for the reference of the meter, the meter sees the low resistance of the motor armature coils in series to ground.

If the motor is getting a good ground then the problem would have to be with proper power getting to the motor. The trouble may with the thermo-switch or a bad connection somewhere. The fans draw a fair amount of current so if you tried to run both fans on one circuit that is most likely why the fuses blew.

There is one more piece of the puzzle missing and I suspect it is the trouble. It is the blower relay. It is under the dash near the steering column area I think but I'm not sure. Later versions have 4 relays in a row and the blower relay is one of the 4. Your model may be the same. If you don't have a test light probe to check for power with you should get one. It will help you see where power is getting to and save you time on repairs like this.

I doubt the problem is due to a weak spark. I suspect the real trouble may be due to valve timing. Have you checked the compression of the cylinders yet? If not, I suggest you do that to see if the valve timing is ok.

After seeing your pictures the oil leaks don't seem too bad to me. You should be able to get by if there isn't any internal leaks. The fitting under the alternator is definately leaking. I'm not sure about other spots but it does seem there may be more areas.

We do have to start somewhere if you really are interested in learning about engines and car maintenance. You need to have your own basic set of tools at least and hopefully a factory service manual to work on the car. It also helps to have a place inside to work on the car since we are getting into winter now. It is good to have the excitement about working on the car but your husband has a good point possibly since you have to consider how much time and money you really want to spend on an old car to keep it running. We like our Soobs but sometimes it is better to let go of the old one and look to newer (Soob of course) car. GD has some good advice with his post.

You might be lucky here since you say it is losing coolant. The intake manifold gaskets may be leaking. The head gaskets may also be leaking though. The intake gaskets are a pretty common failure. As far as the repair price goes there is an issue that some folks don't realize and that is repair costs in Alaska are higher than a lot of other places in the USA. The quote for the work you got sounds about right to me.

Glad you found the trouble. Thanks for the update.

When connectors get burned like that it is due to excessive resistance at the connector which cases heat to build up when a high current passes through it. The connector may have been dirty or loose. Replace the connector with a new one and make sure the connections are tight. The temperature sensor for the fan is critical so if it is bad then the fan won't turn on. As far as the AC fan goes I think it should still work ok even though the freon is gone.

Since you stated that you had to bridge the relay contacts of the Ignition Relay to get things working it does appear the relay contacts are bad, unless the relay isn't getting turned on by the ECU. The Ignition Relay supplies power to the ECU, which control various things. It also seems to me you may have some other issues. It sounds like there is a bad power connection somewhere possibly or a bad chassis ground. Check the fusible links inside the plastic box mounted on the coolant reservoir and make sure that they are making good connection. It may also be a good idea to measure the voltages on the fuses inside the dash and make sure they are at 12 volts when things are on. You should also clean the grounding to the chassis under the hood area. Especially the battery connection to chassis ground. In case you aren't aware of it, Subaru mainly uses a switched ground system for things like the lights so if there is a bad ground strange things can happen.

From what you say the problem may be due to a broken wire in the door jam. There are seperate power wires for the master switch and door switch so the master wire lead may be broken. The door switch position could just be dirty also as the others have already stated. Checking for voltage at the passenger switch when switching the master switch on will tell you which way to go to correct the trouble.

The ignition switch just makes simple connections to certain wires depending on the switch position. Check the voltage of the wires for all the positions. I doubt you have a problem with the ignition switch since there would be numerious other problems if it was not working correctly. Your best bet for a bad connection is on the back side of the alternator.

I purchased the Innova 3130 from a sale on Ebay some time ago. It is a great tool and does more than I will ever really need. I think I paid around 175 dollars for it. It was money well spent in my book.

Somehow I was thinking from your statements that the engine had trouble after you worked on it. I could understand the belts slipping while the engine was running hard. Perhaps a bearing went bad. Replacing all the cam belt wear related items may be order.

I have to wonder if you are looking at the correct timing marks for the belts and especially the flywheel. If they are off as much as you stated I don't think the engine would run. I think your trouble may just be with the distributor timing. If I understand your original post correctly the car was running ok before you made repairs on it so the belts should be ok I would think. You can't compensate for incorrect valve timing with the ignition timing. Your disty just isn't in the correct position. Make sure you got the plug wires in the proper positions also.

That was a good idea about using the dryer. Check the connections to the coil and make sure they are making good connection. If there isn't a problem there then I would think replacing the coil should fix you up without any more trouble.

Whenever there is a starting problem it is a good thing to clean the battery connections as they are the most common source for starting troubles. Corrosion inside the cable is also another fairly common problem. The trouble you are having could also be due to a intermittent inhibit switch for the starter solenoid. If you are hearing a good click when you turn the key then the trouble may be with the wire connection to the battery. No click would mean the solenoid isn't getting power to it and the inhibit switch may be dirty or need adjustment. The wire to the solenoid doesn't need to be real large since it doesn't use much current. It is the starter lead that needs to carry the large current to the starter motor so it needs to be a large size cable.

Be sure to check the fuses under the hood first. You could have blown the fuse used for the memory circuits.

It sounds like you got it working. Thanks for the update.

Check the LED in the ECU while the key is ON and the engine not running. If the codes don't flash then try connecting the black connectors together and check it again. http://www.troublecodes.net/Subaru/

I assume you have a car that was built after 1995. The cars after that use OBD2 standards. To read the codes and reset the ECU you will need a reader or scanner device that uses the proper protocal to read the data. You can check out places like EQuus or Actron for models to choose from. The Equus 3010 is a good model I think. Make sure any unit you decide on will work with the ISO-9171 protocal. Any of the Equus models will work. http://www.iequus.com/Product/OBDII/

I think that means there is a trouble code for the transmission. You should first talk with the tech about what is going on if you have to drive it a long ways to get it to him so you won't possibly damage the transmission.

Like Fairtax4me stated, the large wire on the alternator is the output lead of the alternator that ties to the battery. The field lead is on the back side of the alternator and it may be a white/red colored wire. I'm not sure about your car. There should be 12 volts on that lead when it is removed from the alternator and the ignition is ON.

It sounds to me the tech did a good job but there may be a problem with a headgasket. It sure sounds like it at least. I would have him look at it again and check for any exhaust gases in the coolant.