Cougar

You should be able to hear the pump turn on briefly when you turn the key to the 'on' position. Check the relay if you don't hear the pump turn on. Using a test probe light across the wires to the pump will verify that voltage is getting to the pump if you don't hear it turn on. I think plugging the black connectors together near the ECU will make the pump turn on continuosly. Check for spark also when this happens again by carrying a spare plug with you and plug it into a plugwire with the body of the plug on a good ground. You can also have a can of starter fluid with you to see if it is a fuel problem. If you spray some fluid into the intake and get no response when you try to start the engine then it probably is an ignition problem.

Be very carefull when working around those valves! They are easily broken and the new cost of those items is well over $100 dollars each. Been there done that. Oh-oh. I just looked at the picture again and see I'm too late. You may be able to find a replacement from a salvage yard or one of the members here on the maketplace section. Sorry.

The inhibit switch is there so the engine can't be started up unless the shifter is in the Park or Neutral position.

Have you swapped the bulbs that are not working with some others that are to make sure the bulbs are good? If the bulbs are ok then you will need to get a test probe and check the wiring with it to see where the voltage is being blocked to the bulb while the ignition is on. Also make sure the ground to the bulb is ok.

I would check the charging system and make sure that all the connections are ok and the battery is being charged like it should be. Also check the fan belt for correct tension and fusible links for good connections. If the battery is slightly low on charge it will cause this kind of thing to happen.

Your welcome.

Just kiddin ya Zoombaru. I figured the attachment would grow after the problems were straightened out.

That's just the way my factory installed tranny was.

Alright! Perseverence pays off again. Ok, if remember right, the for sale offer was for $500 dollars, right?

Yes, I agree. It sounds like the internal regulator is having some trouble. If you can get a Bosch rebuild I think you will be happy with it. They have a good warranty.

Good point Mwatt.

I guess one or more of the injectors could be leaking then. The disty is easy to replace as long as you mark the rotor position before you remove it and don't move the engine crank position. If you can line the rotor up with a marked position on the two disty's then you should be real close on the timing and not need a timing light to finish the job.

First off, if they put Champion plugs in there I would get the NGK's back in there. They would be the last plugs I would want in the engine. I'm not sure but there may be a cold start valve on the engine. If there is, I would check that. I would also make sure the coolant sensor is providing the correct resistance to the ECU for the temperature of the cold coolant. Unfortunately I don't know how much change there is to the new engines.

Hopefully the O2 sensor is the problem.

I take it then that the problem is still there and the inhibit switch needs to be checked. This is under the car, near the shifter I believe. Did you check the voltage there to make sure it is ok while in the start mode?

I would be very suspicious of the burned connector causing this problem. To check it out I would see what a voltmeter reads on boths sides of the connection while trying to start the car. There should be the same 12 volts on either side of the connector. You need to test this with everything hooked up normally so the current is flowing to the solenoid. Even if this isn't the problem, a burned connector should be fixed. It will only get worse over time. Another way to do this is to measure across the connector while starting. If the contacts are good there will be no voltage drop across the contacts so no voltage will be read. As far as trannys, I think my '88 GL-10 had a 4 speed.

The fuel injector that is mounted in the TB is what you need to check for a leak. Worn bushings in the distributor, as was suggested, may be a possibility also.

I assume you have checked to see that when you push the button, that there is actually 12 volts getting to the solenoid. It shouldn't matter that the old solenoid wire is still on there unless it is shorted to ground somehow. You will just backfeed 12 volts on the line. It doesn't matter where you tie the lead to for the 12 volts as long as it can handle the rather small amount of current needed to run the solenoid coil. You asked about the spade terminal and yes, that is the solenoid terminal. If the solenoid isn't working when 12 volts is applied to the terminal then the solenoid coil is open and you will need to replace it. Using your ohmmeter to measure the coil resistance will prove it.

Yes. It very well may be a pump problem. Great job on the ECU fix Citrushark. To make sure you are still not have a problem with the injector line you can use your voltmeter to measure the pulsing DC voltage on the wire that ties the ground to the injector. See what kind of voltage you get while the engine is cranking and works ok. This will give you a reference to have on hand. When and if the problem comes back then recheck the voltage and see if that checks out. If you have 12 volts then the ECU needs to be check again.

You may be correct about the field wire being the problem. The charging light is usually in series with the field wire and if it doesn't work then the charging will stop. I assume the light works ok when you turn the key from off to on with all the other dash lights on. There may be an intermittent problem. I would pull off the road the next to this happens and stop the engine. Then then the key to on and see if the light works then. The voltage on the lead should be close to the battery voltage if things are good.

Thanks for the very good post Jason. This is good info. There are sources for micro switches if you want to replace it. Newark Electronics is one good one though I think they have a minimum order amount.

Sorry to hear that Ed. The person who did the test has no business being in that job position and it sounds like others are trouble also.

Here is a link for the book at Half.com. Going by the prices, this must be a collectors item. http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1369202&pr=950228

Before replacing anything by guesswork I would check the ECU codes the next time this happens. Don't try to clear the problem until you know what code is setting off the CEL. You are most likely correct about the TPS and maybe just cleaning it would do the job.

I would tend to think the problem you are having with this is due to a backfire. If the problem was electrical then you would be blowing fuses hopefully with that kind of action. Backfires are usually caused by timing problems. You may also be leaking fuel into the intake slowly since this seems to happen only on initial startup. Don't get near an open intake while cranking the engine in case of backfire.