ECS light on dash?

[Heironymous Josch]

This is my first old school subie, an 83 GL Sedan, and occasionally an "ECS" light comes up below the tach. My best guess is that this is an acronym for Engine Control System but don't know. I noticed a black box next to the fuse panel that appears to be some archaic pseudo-OBD system. Will this light fail me on emissions like a CEL? If so, how can I correct the problem or easily clip the wire that lights it up?

[misledxcracker]

Yeah, ECS = CEL

 

But you've got me on the procedure to check the codes; I've only had EA82s...

[Cougar]

Will this light fail me on emissions like a CEL? If so, how can I correct the problem or easily clip the wire that lights it up?

 

If you need an emissions check then clipping the leads to the light may not solve your delemma. The test station may require that the light turn on during pretesting.

 

To read the codes I think you need to tie the green connectors under the dash together. Here is a link that may help you also.

 

http://www.troublecodes.net/Subaru/

[GeneralDisorder]

This is my first old school subie, an 83 GL Sedan, and occasionally an "ECS" light comes up below the tach. My best guess is that this is an acronym for Engine Control System but don't know. I noticed a black box next to the fuse panel that appears to be some archaic pseudo-OBD system. Will this light fail me on emissions like a CEL? If so, how can I correct the problem or easily clip the wire that lights it up?

 

You have a feedback (computer controlled) carburetor. Either the Hitachi, or the Carter/Weber (both were available as feedback models). It's an enormously complex system that uses some sensors (CTS, O2, etc) to adjust air/fuel mixture in the carb.

 

It is NOT an OBD type system designed to report failures in the emissions systems effeciency, but rather to alert the driver that some part of the feedback "Emissions Control System" has failed. This WILL adversely affect both the mileage and driveability of the car. Unhooking the lamp will probably leave you stranded on the side of the road somewhere down the line because you didn't fix something you should have. Also the testing station may look for the lamp to illuminate durring a "key on" as the computer will light it for a bulb check. Although most EA81's didn't have the feedback system so you could probably get away with it on that account unless you lived in CA.

 

Read the codes - when the ECS light goes on, LEAVE THE ENGINE RUNNING and pull the kickpanel to access the ECU. There is a red LED on the front that will flash morse-code style codes to you. These can be referenced to figure out what sensor or solenoid is malfunctioning. These things are primitive, and without properly working sensors they do not have a "limp mode". They will simply cease to function properly. I had a bad O2 sensor on my EA81 feedback actually cause the engine to die completely at a busy intersection when I stopped for a red light. I had to pull the O2 sensor connector to get it to run again (poorly), and limp it to a friends house.

 

GD