Cougar

You might also check the engine operation using a reader and looking at fuel trim levels and the make sure the coolant temperature sensor for the ECU is operating like it should be. I assume the CEL light isn't on but it does work during the TEST function of the warning lights.

Thanks for the explanation on the lights rverdoold.

Some mirror problems can be fixed simply by resoldering some resistors inside the mirror that become unsoldered over time.

Check the intake manifold gaskets for an air leak along with clean the EGR and idle air valves.

Don't feel too bad about missing that. You are among many others caught by that switch.

Yeah, it's the virgin switch on top of the steering column.

You stated that the A/C seems to start up good and work well. If the clicking you are hearing is the circuit breaker for the clutch circuit of the compressor then I tend to think you have nothing wrong with the A/C refrigerant but there is a problem possibly with the windings for the clutch.

The fuses and relays for the low and high beams are usually shared between both side. It is the light switches that control the power and grounding for the lights. The ground for the indictor lamp may be provided though the light switch.

You will most likely have to get inside the cluster in order to work on the light. There should be a wire going to the light in one of the connectors to the cluster that you could verify power was getting to the light when the highs are ON.

If you have verified that power is getting to the proper fuses for the lights then check the ground connection going to the light switch. The switch uses a ground connection to turn on the lights so make sure that is making good connection to the switch.

If the body of the car is in great shape you might think about shipping the engine to CCREngines and have them rebuild it for you. It will take a good amount of money to have it rebuilt and installed back in the vehicle but you will have an engine with basically zero time on it and with a 36 month warranty.

If the AC isn't turned on then there may be a problem within the ECU. It controls the fan operation by making a ground connection which turns on the fan relay. If the diagnostic connectors are tied together under the dash that will do it also.

MT stands for 'manual transmission'. It should apply if you have a MT.

Looking at the circuit drawing on the link you provided it shows the clutch switch controls a safety relay. If you have that relay the trouble may be with it. You could try bypassing the switch to see if that changes things. If you get no change then the relay would seem to be the problem, as long as other things tying to it are good.

If it is a stick shift then the switch is near the clutch pedal. If it is an AT I think the switch is near the shifter, mounted on the tranny.

Most of the time these cases turn out to be problems with the safety switches. They interrupt power to the starter solenoid. Another issue that is fairly common when the car gets to around 10 years old is the starter solenoid contacts wear out and you just hear a load click when you try to start the engine. The contacts are closing but due to the high wear on them they don't allow the current to flow to the starter motor windings. Some folks rig up a bypass switch to the solenoid so they bypass the safety switch in order to make the starter respond. It works but you need to be careful with that.

Are you absolutely sure the problem is with the ECU? They can have problems alright but more often the trouble is elsewhere.

If power is getting to the coils then the ignition relay is most likely okay. Another simple test is to see if spark is getting to the plugs. You need to do the testing while the trouble is occurring.

On the Outbacks the crank position sensor is located on the crank sprocket at the front of the engine. I tend to think that your issue may be due a problem with the power to the ignition system possibly. It would be good know if the ignition system is working when this problem happens. Spraying a small amount of starter fluid into the intake might help figure it out. If you get no response from that then the ignition system is suspect. Possibly the ignition relay has a problem.

I'll bet the fuse problem Grossgary found was just due to him not removing the negative battery connection before working on the alternator. The main output lead is always hot to the battery. The main lead most likely got shorted to ground after it was removed from the stud and that blew out the main fuse. The moral of the story here should be always remove the negative battery lead first when working on the alternator and use a test light probe to verify where power is getting to. A very cheap and easy tool to use that can save a lot of time and frustration when looking for electrical troubles.

Have you made sure power is getting to the ignition system you have?

I think you will find things will continue be okay now that you replaced the PCV valve.

Check the intake manifold gaskets.

The knock sensor is a high impedance device. The resistance between the output lead of the sensor and ground should be well over 400k ohms. If you have a 2 pin connector to the sensor it appears pin 1 is tied to ground and pin 2 ties to the sensor output. The sensor output ties to ECU connector B136 pin 4.

The wire from the knock sensor should tie to the ECU, not ground. If you saw zero ohms of resistance to ground on that wire then the wire is shorted to ground somehow. I doubt that is really the case but it could happen. If you are really saying you saw infinite ohms that I would really believe. When you test the sensor wire from end to end then you should see a very low ohm reading. If the wiring is okay then the most likely problem is a faulty sensor. They are known to go bad fairly often.