Cougar

If you aren't getting spark did you check to see if the rotor in the disty is turning when you crank the engine? If it doesn't turn then you have a broken timing belt. If that is ok then you need to make sure that power is passing through the coil plus and minus connection points. If that is ok then the CAS sensor inside the disty needs to be checked.

I suspect that the trouble the speedometer gauge is having is due to a problem inside it. You will need to replace the gauge itself. The tach problem may be due to a bad alternator or possibly that gauge may need to be replaced also. To see if the temperature sensor is responding like it should be all you need to do is remove the wire connection to it and measure the resistance of the sensor as the engine warms up from a cold start. The resistance may be approximately one tenth the value from cold to hot. If the resistance changes as the coolant warms up then the sensor is most likely ok so then there is either a wire connection problem between the gauge and the sensor or there may be a power problem to the gauge. To see what is causing the engine light to turn on you should be able to connect the two connectors together that are either under the dash or the hood and read out the code errors. The connectors may be black or possibly white. The rich mixture may be due to a bad coolant temperature sensor for the ECU, which is different than the one for the dash gauge. They generally have two wires running to the sensor rather than one like the dash gauge sensor has. You would be wise to purchase a set of factory service manuals for this car if you are going to keep working on it. You should be able to find a set on Ebay for a good price some point in time. The set consists of 4 seperate manuals I think. The second and forth manuals, which cover the engine and wiring, are the most important ones to have.

"Whoa, hold the phone Alice". I think you just called it. The alternator is very likely to be the culprit here. That or possibly bad grounding between the chassis and the battery.

No, the VSS sensor.

Since resetting the power makes it work again then check for a power connection problem.

If you are taking the voltage readings while the engine is at idle speed then you shouldn't be too concerned about it. The voltage readings should be taken while the engine is running at around 1,500 to 2,000 RPM and preferably at the alternator output lead. You should see between 13.5 and 14.8 volts if the alternator is working ok. You should also check the voltage between the alternator output lead and the positive battery lead if you suspect a problem in the wiring. There should be no more than a .2 volt difference with a good load on line. If it is more you need to check the wiring for a problem. This line is fused for protection against a possible short and bypassing the fuse is not a good thing unless you are just doing a test. Doing the voltmeter test will show up any problem on the lead and is safe to do.

If the process doesn't work then start the engine and turn it off. Then try the process again.

Yes, in that case the trouble is with the ignition power to the solenoid somehow. It could be the connector under the steering column or possibly the inhibit switch for the transmission. But you tried the various tricks for that already I think so the connector in the dash is your best bet. Check for signs of burning on the connector.

I think the biggest trouble you may face is mounting it. If that is ok then the wiring part should be pretty easy. I think there are only three wire connections to make.

The volt readings you got sound fairly normal to me. If the rotor in the disty is spinning ok then you need to check the CAS in the disty. By placing a test light probe on the negative side of the coil you should see light pulses when cranking the engine. If you don't then the CAS inside the disty is bad.

Placing a thin magnet on the pressure plate and then spinning the motor over slowly may pick up the nut also.

If you are talking about running the jumper to the starter motor itself and bypassing the solenoid that isn't really a problem though the starter would not engage to the flywheel that way. Using a jumper cable to bypass the main lead to the solenoid is done to check for a main cable problem along with applying 12 volts to the solenoid to check that operation. The bad thing to do is connect opposite polarity to the battery. You didn't that, as others have.

When a fuse blows out it isn't because the load the fuse is suppling current to has too much resistance. It is just the opposite, either too little or no resistance. Parking lights are a lower wattage bulb than turn signal/brake lights are so they require less current. By changing the bulbs you adding more load to the circuit and may be why the fuse is blowing out. Changing the current load that the flasher has to handle can create problems also, as was touched on by another poster.

If you manually applied 12 volts to the solenoid lead of the new starter after replacing the main positive and negative battery leads along with the battery then still had trouble cranking the engine, I can only think of a couple more possible trouble issues. Either the engine is locked up or the main battery ground connection to the engine has a problem.

Good deal. Thanks for the feedback.

Going from what some others have said when they changed out their old O2 sensors missing problems were cleared up after the change.

You're welcome.

You may not need a scope to find the trouble. If the trouble is just due to a faulty wire connection an ohmmeter should be sufficient I would think.

Replacing the CAT my not fix the trouble. There could be other things causing the error code to appear. The rear O2 sensor may be bad for one thing. You do want to fix whatever the trouble is so the CEL isn't on and you can tell when other things happen.

I have to assume that the one sensor is tied to both the speedo and the ECU on seperate legs and the circuit leg for the ECU has a problem. Do you know which pins of the ECU are used for the speed sensor? If you do then you need to follow them and check for any trouble on them.

Good deal. You have pinned down the trouble. Either the choke is bad or the wire to it has a connection ground. This makes more sense than having a problem with the pump.

Good deal. Thanks for the update.

The trouble is between the relay and the wiring to the pump. It may be a good idea to swap the relay just to confirm it isn't the trouble. It would be the first time I have heard of a relay fail like that if it was the cause. I would think it would be easier to track down the trouble on the original wire rather than replace it but it looks like you have done that already.

The Cat here must be on too much catnip for I now realize that we are talking about a manual transmission and not a AT and was clearly stated in the beginning. Another foepaw on my part. Sorry. I have to agree with you 987687, I don't think there is a second sensor for a MT. The Cat is going back to the cave and ponder this trouble because that is all I've got for now.

Back in post 3 you indicated that the test light would not light if you removed the fuel pump wire harness. If that is still correct then the trouble is with the fuel pump wiring and not the coil wiring.