Cougar

If the injector resistance was too low or too high I would think it would generate the appropriate code. If you have MPFI you could try swapping the injector with another cylinder.

Dry gas is methenol and is used to absorb water in the fuel. I think Skip is trying to eliminate that as a possibility for this problem. Most service stations will have this or auto stores. If you want to try a different control unit you may be able to find one at a locale salvage yard for a reasonable price. Since the control unit is having trouble running with the ignition switch in the run position I would see if you can find a problem with the switch. Maybe a connection is not making contact while in the run position. If you haven't checked the fusible links for a problem it might be good to do so. They may be in a black plastic box mounted on the coolant reservoir. That is the way my '88 was.

What codes are you getting?

Hopefully the other cylinders read the same or close to it. The main thing is to have them within around 20 pounds of each other. It sounds like the valves in #2 are ok but there could be a sticking one as was suggested. You could try replacing the Bosch plugs with NGK's. They seem to work better in Soobs than the Bosch do. If you haven't replaced the plug wires I would do that also with some good silicone ones.

I would try another PCV valve. I have seen a new one fail.

I would check to see if voltage is getting to the coils.

Yes, I understand. The way I understand things is the injector seems to let fuel in while in the start position but is cutoff somehow in the run position. Correct? Everything else seems fine as it will run if fuel is supplied to the engine. It really would help to have the exact diagram for this engine. I may try going to the library if I have time, to research this. Something is turning off the SPFI control unit it appears to me. It could be a defective unit and it may be worth doing a swap with a known good one to see if things will work then; if you can get one from somewhere at a reasonable price. Thanks for the correction about the injector wire hookup. I had not heard of 4 wires to the injector before.

There may be an inline fuse at the back of the unit.

Have you made sure there is not a problem with the plug or the wire going to #2 cylinder? Also check the compressions of the cylinders. Checking the exhaust by placing some flat paper near the end will help check the valves for a problem. If the paper gets sucked back to the exhaust pipe briefly then a valve is bad. This is called the dollar bill trick.

Skip, The injector for Subpennyman's Loyale has two pairs of wires going to it. One set measured about 0.5 ohms. I assume this is the coil to open the injector. The other set on contacts showed about 4.5K ohms. I have no idea what the other set of leads is for unless it provides some sort of feedback to the control unit. Any revelations on this?

After going over the newer posts am I understanding correctly that the motor seems to die after the key is released to the run positon and the residule fuel is exhausted? Edit: With regards to the following paragraph. After looking at my manual again I noticed that this lead is in the 'start' position and not the 'run' position as I first thought. My manual for an '88 shows a wire coming from the ignition switch that supplies power to the SPFI control unit through a 15 amp fuse #20, in the run position. If your car has the same setup, and if the ignition switch contacts are bad, then perhaps the SPFI unit is not getting power while in the run position. The lead from the fuse ties to pin 18 of the SPFI unit. You could try checking that pin and see if you have 12 volts there while cranking. If so, and the voltage drops out while the key is released then I think that this is the problem.

I would check for intake manifold and vacuum leaks.

I would suspect something else is changing and causing a gap, rather than the nut moving.

Yes your right about the current, but most likely the normal flow will be significantly less. Depending what is normally on will determine how much the light glows. You could use a high beam which will give more draw or parallel a couple of them if needed. Since the indicators are part of the system hopefully this problem is not in the steering column somewhere. It is a good suspect though in my opinion.

You are correct that current should be fairly constant, depending what is in the circuit. There is most likely a current surge caused be an intermittant failure to ground somewhere. It could be the coil doing this or something else.

If this were my car I would ask the service department for a copy of the wiring diagrams that cover the areas that fuse supplies power to. I would then replace the fuse with a headlight tied to some jumper leads and start tapping on suspected areas of trouble when you hit on the short the light should turn on or get brighter.

My guess is the thermostat is stuck open, from the symptoms you give.

With 6 feet of snow on the top you ougth to be able to able to start work on it in April. Keep us posted on the progress and your welcome for the help.

Is the fuse blowing out immediately when it is put in? One thing you can do to help find the problem is replace the fuse with some jumper wires tied to good load, like a headlight, and start disconnecting suspected wires tied to the problem area. When you disconnect the wire leading to the short the light will go dimmer or turn off, depending if there are other devices drawing current. If nothing else is drawing current then the light will go out.

My manual for an '88 shows that fuse #3 goes to three places. The brake light switch, the dome light, and the spot lights. The color of the wire from the fuse is green/yellow. You may be able to find the short by checking the resistance of each of those areas compare the readings. The problem should be near the lowest reading. This will take a sensitive meter to do this. For the dash panel problem check and make sure all the fusible links are ok first. These should be in a box mounted on the coolant reservoir. If they are ok then you need to make sure the ignition switch is getting voltage and switching it on in the run position. From the prints it appears fuse #12 is supplied power from the IGN switch while in the run position.

I believe you are correct about the tranny. My '88 GL-10 had the 4EAT and the shift positions went like this: 2 3 D. I don't know what years that model was made, sorry.

My '88 had the 4EAT tranny. The car is fairly common and the price seems fairly reasonable. The door shouldn't be too hard to fix I would think but you will have to get it open somehow to work on it. Using a slim jim may help get it open.

My '88 FSM shows a 'fuel pump relay' in a blue socket that should be near the steering column, under the dash. I assume they are one and the same.

Your welcome for the link. It does sound like a external leak that may not be hard to find.

Here is an easier way to get to the thread. Just click on it. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20291&highlight=sea%233