Cougar

The brake light circuit has a pretty direct connection to the battery. There are fusible links inside the plastic box mounted on the coolant reservoir under the hood and one of them carries the current for the lighting and other things. Make sure all those links are making solid connection to both sides and verify power is getting to both side using a test probe. If that is okay then you might check the bottom side of that box and make sure connections are good there. If that is okay then the main connections in the SMJ connector would be suspect or the connector going through the fiewall.

I think it is controlled by the ECU and the battery sense voltage comes from a fused circuit to the battery. Apparantly just the STi uses the three wire system.

On two wire systems the wire going to the fuse panel is the battery voltage sense wire. The other wire going to the warning light and ignition power is for the exciter. The three wire designs has one going to the ECU which controls the exciter I believe.

Thanks very much 1LT.

I think I remember reading something about this issue. This cracked "cap" that is mentioned, is it located on the fuel pump?

Glad to hear you are back on the road. Thanks for the update.

Removing the battery from the charging circuit while being charged can create high voltage spikes, which can doom electronic devices. People get away with it but no good tech would recommend doing it. In the old days before solid state devices were used that trick wasn't a real risk.

Glad you found the trouble. Just for your info, it isn't a good idea to install a larger size fuse for a smaller one. You could end up with some real wire damage under certain conditions. Due to the bad short you got away with this one. You also shouldn't remove the battery connections when the alternator is working. Checking the battery voltage is a safer way to check the alternator output.

Here is a link that you can study that may help you find a solution to the problem. http://www.aa1car.com/library/misfire.htm

If you are sure there is no external control for the injector circuit and have made sure all power connections to the ECU are okay then replacing the ECU may be the next best thing to do. I would first verify the engine runs using starter fluid.

The switch supplies power to the dash fuses so check to see if all of the fuses have power to them.

You need to check power getting to dash fuse panel while the ignition switch is on. You are most likely going to find out some of the fuses aren't getting power to them. The trouble could be with the ignition switch. Both of the wires going to the back side of the alternator should have voltage on them while the engine is running. One wire is from the battery for the battery sense wire. The other wire is for the exciter that comes from the battery warning light. That wire will have no voltage on it while the engine isn't running. It will be energized when the alternator is working normally.

Try spraying some starter fluid into the intake while the trouble is happening. If the engine runs with that then it appears there is a fuel delivery problem. If it still doesn't run then I think MilesFox is correct about the ignition amplifier being faulty. It has fooled a lot of folks in the past. You can get factory service manuals on Ebay. There is no substitute for them.

I'm not sure how you measured the valve timing which I am refering to, not the ignition timing. The error code P0406 refers to a problem with the EGR valve circuit. The Hc error refers to a problem with the communications bus line circuit and that needs to be corrected. Here is a link for some info about it. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/does-er-hc-meani-62611.html

If it backfired that could mean the timing chain has slipped position. You better check the compression. I doubt replacing the ECU is going to fix the trouble.

It might take about 10 minutes to get the engine up to full temperature from a cold start. The gauge should move up as the water heats up.

You need to see why power isn't getting to those dash items, particularly the warning lights. Using a test probe light verify power is getting past the fusible links. Check the bottom side of the holder to make sure those connections are good. If that is okay then you need to check power getting to the dash fuse panel while the ignition switch is on. Verify all the fuses are getting power to them. If they are okay then you need to check the power connections to the dash cluster panel.

It seems odd this problem happened after the alarm system was worked on. That makes me tend to think that something else beside the ECU is causing the trouble but it could be the cause of the trouble. If just the injectors aren't working you should be able to spray some starter fluid into the air intake and start the engine. If you do end up needing a ECU you should be able to find one at a salvage yard for a lot less money or get a rebuilt one for much less than new.

Hopefully you have already verified the fuses in the dash are good, preferably using a test light probe. If they are good then also check the fusible links inside the plastic box mounted on the coolant reservoir. Make sure they have power on both sides of the links and they are making good connection. Some folks have found bad connections under that panel causing trouble. One of those links connects to the alternator so that may be the trouble you are having. It is also important that the battery or alternator warning light works when you turn the ignition switch to the RUN or ON position. The lamp makes connection to the alternator exciter to get the field windings energized.

If you haven't checked the fuses under the hood and in the dash yet I suggest you verify they are good using a test light probe. Fuses should also be checked first if there is a suspected electrical problem.

The wire in the picture is the main output lead of the alternator that ties to the battery. The trouble was most likely caused by a bad electrical connection and that creates a lot of heat due to the high current that flows through that lead to keep the battery charged. That wire is hot to the battery so disconnect the negative battery lead when you work on it to prevent a short condition. You are most likely going to have to splice in a new piece to fix the problem. You could get a replacement from a salvage yard possibly. If you splice in a new piece you are going to have to do a good splice job. Replacing the alternator itself is pretty easy to do. If you get a remanufactured one get one with a lifetime warranty.

The temperature sensors for the dash gauge and the engine are separate sensors. It appears you found the sensor for the engine since it has more than one connection. The sensor for the gauge only has one wire connection as far as I know. By disconnecting the engine sensor it would most likely cause the AC fans to come on. The engine ECU can't monitor the engine temperature with the sensor disconnected.

Along with checking the temperature sensor lead connection you may have a problem with the gauge display. I assume you have the digital dash option and if so they had some solder connection problems with the temperature gauge display circuit and that may be causing your trouble. If the right side turn signals work then the trouble is most likely due to a bad ground for those lights. If the lights aren't working then perhaps there is nearly a short on the line for that side. Those models tend to have head gasket issues along with some other common problems but they are good cars.

It sounds to me also that the driver side cam is 180 degrees out and you didn't rotate the crank 360 degrees before adding the second belt. That would keep that side from firing but still show good compression. Fuel to that side would be going in on the power stroke instead of the intake stroke.

Is this a continuation of a previous post? What are we working on? Is it your '88 GL? If the engine was running before you took things apart and you worked on the timing belts then there is a 95% chance the problem is there. Check the compression.