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1987 XT: No spark, except one spark while turning off? WTF?


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OK I'll go back out there in a minute and start tearing the tape/foamy crap off and investigate.

 

The ground under the passenger seat carpet looked REALLY nice, like it had been recently cleaned or something. It was also a tad loose, so I tightened it. Made no difference, of course.

 

I'm really beginning to think that digging through the wiring is not going to fix the car, I think this thing's destined for the junkyard, a new $200 windshield later :-\

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I took the tape off the wiring harness and found two crimped connections. Problem? They look CLEAN. Like they were repaired at some point in time, absolutely clean. Ahhh :mad:

 

OK,so probably not those ones.Sounds like they are injector outputs anyhow.

 

A more systematic diagnosis w/the voltmeter is required when shotgun repair methods fail.It will save time and money.

 

Harness connection points,ignition relay contacts and fusible links are all on the suspect list.Measure at ECU to see what is missing.

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Pin 24 is getting zero volts, but the two others are getting 12V.

 

And since pin 24 comes from the ignition switch... maybe that's it?

 

 

According to my diagram,pin 24 is only hot when the ignition switch is in the start position.

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The ignition switch is getting 12V to it. Well, one of the four wires gets 12V, the others do not. So should I check for voltage at pin 24 while cranking then?

 

I also noticed one of the four relays behind the radio area was slightly hot while messing with the ECU plugs.... but no clue which is which...

 

Thank you Cougar and Naru for helping me out here, this is a PITA!

Edited by misledxcracker
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I'm trying to figure out what the deal is with those four relays in the dash and possibly figure out a way to test them.... I'm also trying to figure out which other wires I need to start checking out.

 

I'll just hook up a test light to pin 24 with the ECU unplugged and see what happens, I'm sure you're right though, it'll probably come on while I'm "cranking" the motor...

 

Any other ideas/suggestions welcomed immensely; I am gonna start trying to decipher this XT FSM the best I can.

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well i had the same problem the crank pickup unit under the metal plate in the disturber cap went bad on mine there junk yard parts there not cheap new

 

i would be cranking the fule pump primed win key on but didn't run win i stopped cranking it would spark

 

all so see it your gutting power at the coil win cranking

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I know how to swap the CAS out of the distributor. Subaru is not the only one that uses these rather specific CAS units.... Mercury Villagers and Isuzu Troopers do as well.

 

Wow, my Jag does not have a single issue, yet my XT is parked and inoperable..... Should be the other way around! 91 octane and a straight 6 really kills me on gas!

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According to my diagram,pin 24 is only hot when the ignition switch is in the start position.

 

Thanks for the notice on that Naru. I wasn't aware of that.

 

It would be good to verify that voltage is getting to that point in the START position. We can rule out any power issues to the ECU as the source of the trouble then.

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Checked that pin, Naru you were absolutely right.

 

Car runs and drives now. What did I do? Trusting my instincts to a point, I went and yanked another CAS out of an Isuzu Trooper (third CAS) and the XT fired up no problem!

 

Thank you Cougar and Naru for helping me out, at least now I know a lot more about wiring and such :grin:

 

Now watch the Jag take a dump on me.... LOL

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Good deal. Glad to hear you finally got it running. Defective replacement parts are a bad thing and can cause confusion like this. You kind of end up chasing your tail.

 

You're welcome for the help.

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