Cougar

I think your are correct about the ECU having a problem. You may need to replace it.

Glad you got the problem solved and thanks very much for the feedback also. This could help someone else later on.

Thanks very much for the notice on this OB99W. This is good to know. I should have known you would have pointed this out earlier if it was an issue. Looking at my info more closely it shows pin 3 (wht/grn) is for the gauge, pin 2 (blk) is ground, and pin 1 (blk/yel) goes to the ECU.

Did this engine just get some work done to the timing belt area? It sounds like the crank isn't in the correct position to me and that is causing the low compression readings along with not firing. I may be wrong though.

Rvac99, You stated in your first post that you are seeing a rich mixture, the engine is running poorly, and you have a code issue along with a possible temperature gauge issue. You also stated that cylinders 3&4 don't seem to be firing. Have you checked to see if plugs 3 and 4 are getting spark? If not make sure they are firing. For your code issue I am not real sure about what is happening there since you seem to have done the proper checks and still have a problem. One possible trouble may be the connectors to the sensors. I seem to remember one person found out that the connectors to the sensors were swapped. I'm not sure about this case though but it may be something to check out. For your temperature gauge sensor problem I noticed talk about the CTS sensor. The CTS sensor is different than the temperture sensor in case you didn't know that. The sensor for the gauge has only one wire going to it. My data shows it is a wht/grn wire.

I think the relay above the fuses is the one you want.

There are a number of options. You should be able to stick a pin or in something small in between the female socket and the connector. Try to bend the socket so it is a smaller diameter. You can also bypass the connector. Just cut the ends of the bad wires near the connector and crimp on some other new insulated terminals for the leads to tie them together. The female terminal would normally tie to the power side and the male on the load side.

The knock sensor ties to pin 3 of the ECU. Check the continuity of the wire from pin 3 and the plug to the sensor. There is a tie point shown in the drawing indicating a connection to a different wire color near the sensor end. There should be a very low resistance between the two ends of the wire if the connection is good. Less than 1 ohm.

Sounds like a broken belt.

The two codes you gave seem to indicate a problem with the wiring to the sensor so I would check that out. Check for a wiring problem between the ECU and the sensor.

You have the trouble pinned down alright. You might see if you can clean the switch to see if that will get it working again.

Look for the main relay under the dash near the driver side door. It may be connected to a brown wire socket.

A loose external power connection. An easy fix. Thanks for the update.

I assume that added lead for the power to the radio doesn't have voltage on it so the radio isn't getting any power. This could be happening because of the ignition lead that isn't getting power to it. What is the wire color of the lead you are have trouble with on the ignition switch? We need to determine if that is really a problem or not. To see if the radio will work you can just jumper 12 volt power to it from a power source point.

My info shows that the original wire color for the power to the radio is yellow and comes from fuse 17 in the dash.

I thought the blue/red wire was for power to the radio so I guess I had it backwards. Fuse 17 in the dash panel supplies power to the radio so make sure that is good. What is the wire color on the ignition not getting power?

Does the CEL light work and are there any codes flashing?

SBF stands for slow blow fuse. They look different than regular fuses. Most of the relays are faily standard and can be swapped to see if they change anything by doing that. I don't suggest mixing them up though. To see how relays work and test them you will find all kinds of info on them doing a net search.

Which wire are you taking about and was the switch ON when you took the reading? The lead may also run to the starter circuit so it won't have voltage on it until it is in the start mode. I doubt there is a problem with the ignition switch. You have proved the radio is getting power right now but I assume the trouble wasn't happening at the time. You need to check the lead when the trouble is occuring next.

Welcome to the forum. Hope we can help you out and get you back running again. The trouble you are having may be due to a lack of power getting to the devices. Checking the fuses was a good first step in trying to solve the trouble. There is a main relay under the dash that connects power to the ECU so I recommend you check that. Tapping on it may show up the trouble.

Since the switch is working in one direction but not the other it appears the trouble is with the switch.

If the trouble is with the wiring let us know and we can investigate it more.

Glad to hear you got it going and you're welcome for the help.

From your statements it sounds like the trouble is inside the radio. It may be a bad power switch or intermitent connection in the power circuit. To verify you have good power to the radio you should have 12 volts on the blue/red wire of the harness. The yellow wire provides a seperate power to the memory so that is why you didn't loose your presets or clock.

Here is a link to a site that may help you. http://www.troublecodes.net/Subaru/