Cougar

I agree with IMDUE about the ignition power relay being on somehow. It may be stuck in the closed position but I suspicion that your new wiring is turning the relay on somehow. To prove it is the relay supplying power to these things simply pull the relay from the socket and see if the systems turn off then. If they do go off then you need to see what is turning the relay on, if it is ok and not stuck. If the systems stay on, then the power is coming from someplace else and you will have to start looking for other possible sources. You are going to need a wiring diagram to trace this and hopefully you already have one doing this kind of job. If the power goes off with the removal of the rely then I would make sure the ignition switch is not causing this somehow. I can't think of any line "from" the switch that should be hot while in the off position. Only the hot lead "to" the switch. Pulling fuselinks may help pin the area down also.

When you stated you lost the whole load of coolant and mean that the coolant was almost totally gone then you have a real problem. If you mean the coolant stays at the minimum line in the resevoir then I would not be too concerned. You may have a faulty radiator cap or a loose hose clamp that is leaking under pressure while the car is running. These kind of leaks are hard to spot. I think shop can use a die in the coolant that shows up under UV light to help spot these kind of leaks. I would definately have this followed up on.

I think this is it. Since 14.7psi =29.92 in/Hg, then 1psi=2.035in/Hg, 12psi x 2.035=24.42in/Hg. So then your 9psi x 2.035 = 18.315in/Hg. If I am doing this correctly. PSI and In/Hg are close to a 1 to 2 ratio. If you suspect a vacuum leak, try checking the intake manifold gaskets. I have had trouble with those before on a couple of my Soobs. Spray some WD-40 around the joints when the engine is warm and idling and see if that makes the idle change. If it changes, then you know what you need to do.

Before innstalling the towing equipment I would ask the dealer about any warranty issuses this may present with your new car. They may want to install it themselves.

Along with GLCGC, my first thought was to get some NGK's in place of the Bosch plugs. As far as the timing issue, I think there is a setup proceedure you must do first before checking the timing. I am not sure what needs to be done, but some steps need to be done before checking the timing marks, I think anyways. Are you aware of any setup proceedures?

Welcome to the forum 91Pylons. I see from your profile you a reformed, oops-just kidding, a former Subaru tech. Get ready for a lot of questions. Formally trained factory techs are a big help. There are a good number very sharp and helpful amatures here also, as you may have noticed. Hope you enjoy the site.

All you need to do is measure the size of the hole. The speaker size will be slightly larger than your measurement. You shouldn't have a depth restriction to worry about for this position.

I sounds to me the timing belts have slipped. Since you have good compression, spark is good and the engine won't even fire using starting fluid leaves it to a timing problem in my opinion.

If the rear door seal is intact my next check would be the wheel wells. Water gets forced into them.

It would be nice to know how the compression of each cylinder is so doing a check is good. Since the car was running before something happened (a slipped timing belt perhaps) it should run the same after you get the timing problem solved. I don't know if your engine is an interference type or not. Hopefully you don't have a problem there.

If you don't have a digital voltmeter already Tim you should think about getting one. They are real handy to have around for a lot of things and you can get one for around $30 dollars. Electrons are fun to chase once you understand them a little. With a meter you can check your battery voltage and the alternator output. You may not be getting the full output of the alternator to the battery due to a bad connection and this would cause a voltage drop to the battery. You may just have a loose fanbelt also. Then again, this may just be a normal situation but it sounds to me the battery is a little low on charge.

Your bringing back memories of long ago Jamie. A friend of mine had a '64 Datsun 1600 that he treasured. One day we rented a commercial compressor and a sandblaster unit and sandblasted the whole car down in Ballard. We must have worked on that thing until 4 am in the morning trying get all the paint off it. We did it, but we were so tired after we finished. Another thing you may want to look into doing is have the parts chemical dipped to clean the rust off.

You may have a timing issue causing problem. I would check the compression also.

Glad you got it fixed. Thanks for the feedback. Sorry I can't help with the location of the regulator but it seems it is ok at least.

The rocker panels are the covers under the doors on the floor. You can remove them and the wires may be under there but I doubt the wire is bad. From what you say about your speaker problem it sounds like you have a intermitant break in a connection and not a short in the wiring. A short could cause some permenant damage. I would suspect the problem to be in the radio or the connector at the rear of it. I like to use a rubber handled screwdriver handle to tap on suspected trouble spots to help locate them. This may work for your trouble also. Some tapping on the radio should prove it out if it is the source of trouble. It could be the speaker itself also.

Welcome to the club Paul. Hope you enjoy the site. It may be money well spent to have a block check done to verify your suspicions. It is not very expensive to do. There are a lot of very good used Soobs out there also. Unless there is something you really can't pass up with a new one you could save a lot of money with a slightly used one. A close out '04 will be less also as others mentioned and will still have a good warranty. One nice thing about a new one is the financing is good right now.

A dirty EGR valve can cause this to happen I think. As far as the charging system goes, I suspect that it is ok. When you remove the load to it, by turning things off, it is less work for the engine then and it can idle easier. The idle air control should be checked also if the EGR valve is ok.

I would check for the wiring near the rocker panels. Are you sure you have a short and not an open connection somewhere. If it is shorted then I would check for a problem at the problem speaker first if you have not done so already.

You are correct Powderhound. At least that is the way I can turn mine off on my '01 LL Bean. One click up on the emergency brake will turn them off and won't set the brakes.

The warning lights are in series with the field wire of the alternator. If something causes a problem with the alternator charging then these lights will glow. If one of the rectifiers goes out, these lights will glow slightly at idle. It sounds like something has really failed in your charging system.

I would think that all the motors are interchangable so you could swap them. I have never done it though so I am not sure.

Be sure to check those fuselink connections Rick.

I think that is the correct one. After you remove the wire connected to the sensor check the temperature gauge in the dash to see if it changed. If it does change then you know that you have the wrong one.

Well Al, you most likely have this thing fixed by now unless you have been tied up with other things. Do you have any news?

After reading the pervious posts again I see you have replaced the vital parts already. My suspicion now is you may have intermitant power going to the ignition system. There is a ignition relay that has two sets of contacts that close when the key is turned on. One set is fed power through fuse #5 and the other set is fed from one of the four fusible links (a green one). These links are in a small plastic box that is mounted to the coolant overflow bottle. The lid will open by pulling up on it I think. Sometimes the contacts for the links can become loose over time and make an intermitant connection. Check those connections, if you see signs of burning you will know what to do.