Cougar

Your welcome Yorab.

As stated, the motor is designed to run on 12 volts. Motors will draw more current if there is excessive load on them that causes them to slow down. Counter EMF from the motor windings causes the current flow to slow down. If the motor is slowed down somehow by force then there is less counter EMF and current rises. This can kill a motor if it goes on too long.

The price you paid sounds good. Enjoy the new ride.

I would hold off on the circuit modification. I remember at least one poster stating that replacing the knock sensor fixed his hesitation problem. Replacing the sensor is pretty easy but I have heard you need to be carefull about how much you tighten it. I think the spec is 16 ft.lbs. but I'm not sure on that. The sensor is around the same cost as the circuit I think. I have also heard that bad ground connections can cause a problem like this.

If the seller is willing to take a thousand dollars off the price for the sun roof it would seem to me the car's selling price is too high. Hopefully you have checked prices for that year in your area.

Before you retighten the flywheel bolts I would get some thread locker and put some on the threads of each bolt. That will keep them from coming loose. If the head of the bolt didn't leave a groove in the clutch plate then you are ok. To see how the the rest of the pieces go together I would recommend you either purchase a repair manual or visit your local library and see if they have a manual you can check out or look at.

Start with the basics, plugs, plug wires, and fuel delivery. The fuel pump may be starting to go.

Working on an F-15E, wouldn't that be fun. I would really like to check out the RF systems on that bird. Along with a test flight. The black return wire you mention is usually controlled by the ECU. It will turn on the circuit to make a ground connection and turn on the pump. Tieing 12 volts to the pump should make it run. If the motor doesn't turn then something is wrong. Tapping on the pump has helped some folks get it going.

Well first off, don't feel bad. You are now trying to learn and my hat is off to you for trying. I learned about the basics while I was pretty young but I was interested in mechanics and didn't have the money to pay for repairs. It sounds like you may have the timing too far retarded which means the spark is going off too late as the piston gets to TDC (top dead center). This will cause the symtoms you describe. I would try to get the timing back to where it was before you started the move. Plugging the green connectors together changes the firing control in the ECU. I would have to do some research to explain it better. The timing will show about 20 degrees before TDC without the green connectors tied together. After you move the disty back to where it was, see how the car drives then and report back. Keep up the good effort.

The problem could be electrical and it may also be the fuel pump going out.

Have you tried looking at the timing or changing the distributor position slightly?

It sounds to me that there may be a problem with the circuit that is supposed to keep the clock memory alive while the car is parked. I think this is a seperate power connection from the main power that turns on the display while the car is running. I am speculating on this as I have never had to work on the circuit before. My '88 manual shows a green wire on the clock tied to continuous power so I think that is for memory.

Good troubleshooting Fang. You did well without the aid of a wiring diagram. Repairs can get done without them but they do take longer to do. Someone else had a similar problem recently that turned out to be a problem in the relay area.

The forth one is for the rear defogger.

If your sister can afford an '03 or newer Forester I would recommend one. They made some improvements to them.

I have a factory manual for that year if you still need some info.

I really can't take the credit here for catching the wiring problem. It was noticed by 89Ru while he was having a problem of his own. I just passed on the info he noticed. Glad you got it going Dneufeld. It was a struggle but perseverance pays off again.

I would check for voltage using a test light (easier to use) or the voltmeter. I would first check for voltage at the connector I mentioned earlier in post #40.

I would check for power getting to the clutch. If there isn't any then I would suspect the relay as the problem. The symptoms you describe make it sound like a faulty relay, though it could be other things, but that is the best bet in my book.

Glad you found it and got it to go. You may have to end up replacing it later. The screwdriver tap trick is one of my favorites.

Reason01, Read my post #40 again. The connector for the lights may be behind the passenger kick panel.

Russ, Are you sure you are on the right pins when you are measuring the voltage? If you were using the power supply pin as your reference then the voltage would change like you said.

You may have the wrong location. The ECU may be near the steering column mounted on the firewall.

You really can't repair these. It is best to just get a new set from a dealer. The relay should be near the radio area and may be the first of four as I mentioned in my first post.

There should be two sets of plugs. One green and one black. They are both normally not connected unless you are doing some troubleshooting.