Cougar

I think Frank B. has the correct answer. If the solenoid contacts have been replaced along with a different starter being installed then the real trouble is with internal wire corrosion inside the battery cable. If you cut the insulation open at the battery connector you will find the trouble there I think.

TPain you can indeed verify if the ECU is working correctly or not. You need to find out which pin the return (ground) side of the fuel pump circuit ties to the ECU. When you find it then all you need to do is check the voltage on that pin when the fuel pump is supposed to be ON, using a good ground point as your meter refence point. The voltage on the pin will drop to nearly zero volts when the pump is on since it is supposed to tie to ground. Your meter reference is ground so the meter should see very little voltage difference if things are working correctly. If the voltage is more than a couple of volts then that means either the circuit inside the ECU is either bad, the ECU circuit it isn't working for some reason, or the ECU has a bad external ground. The reason the ECU is included in the circuit is to provide a safety for the fuel delivery system. The ECU monitors the engine firing pulses and if it doesn't see the firing pulses when the ignition is on it turns off the fuel pump circuit by removing the ground connection to the fuel pump. The real trouble may be due to a problem with the connection to the disty. Check to see if there are any code errors coming from the ECU. If that is ok then I would question the grounding for the ECU. There are multiple grounds tied to it. To make sure they are ok use your meter to measure the voltage on the wiring for each ground connection while connected to the ECU and power is ON. With your meter using ground again as the reference point a good ground connection will show nearly zero volts, or no potential difference. Ground is ground. A bad ground will have voltage on it due to the resistance in the lead to ground. Usually the resistance is due to a dirty connection. Pretty simple, huh.

Running the turn signals will produce some voltage flucuations normally, mainly due to wire losses. To keep the problem to a minimum make sure the alternator is working correctly and that the battery is fully charged.

The fuse slot may be damaged beyond repair and the contacts will never be the same. More trouble could occur after some time if you try to use it. If that is the case I would remove the wires going to that fuse position and install a new single fuse holder on the wires.

Check the ECU for code errors. Also check the compression to make sure that is ok. If those things are good and you are sure the firing order is correct then you may want to try replacing the ignitor to see if that helps.

I doubt the trouble is due to the ignition voltage. Since the engine won't even start using starter fluid then either the valve timing is off or the ignition timing is not correct. If the compression is good then the valve timing should be ok. Make sure the plugwires are going to the correct position on the distributor cap.

Another sad Soob story. Hopefully you will be able to get at least some of your money back. Get detailed notes on the extra work that needed to be done. In case you go to court you will need good details on the repairs needed to fix the other shops bad work.

Yes, I understand what you say. I just think he missed something when he checked the operation.

I have to question the fact about the injectors really opening if fuel was getting to them under normal pressure.

Good job Ed. That's keeping ahead of things.

I would suspect the trouble was with the fuel pump or something with the fuel pressure if you are sure the injectors were really working.

Good deal. Thanks for the update and enjoy the ride.

The same thing happened to my son's '00 Outback. The trouble turned out to be with the wires connected at the rear of bulb socket on the driver's side. Excessive heat caused the wire insulation to melt and shorted the brake light circuit. There is a short connection to a wire connector so the sockets can be removed easily and replaced.

I wouldn't spend any money for a replacement sensor until you have proved the trouble is actually with the sensor and not the wiring to it. Your money is better spent on a test meter so you can check things. Hopefully you can barrow some cash from someone and purchase a decent meter. It will be a good investment for the future since it can help save you money on needless parts or on repairs you can do yourself.

There may be something wrong with the CTS circuit and not the sensor itself. I think the code covers both areas. I suggest you check out the injector and make sure it is working ok. It may be faulty and letting too much fuel flow. You didn't state how you made sure the fuel pressure regulator was ok but that is possible source of the trouble.

Have you checked the ECU for any error codes yet? If not I suggest you do that. It may provide some clues to the trouble. You may also have a stuck injector causing the trouble. That would not generate a error code.

If the rotor turns while cranking the engine and the passenger side T-belt is ok also then check for spark getting to the plugs next. If that is ok then you need to check the compression to see if a T-belt slipped. You will most likely find where the trouble is in one of those steps.

Check the bulb sockets for the brake lights and look for signs of burned insulation at the socket connection. We had this same kind trouble on one of our 2000 Outbacks. The wire insulation melted right at the socket and caused a short on the brake light circuit. Of course the fuse would be fine until you hit the brakes.

You can get one firing pulse when you turn on the ignition system. There is a crank position sensor in the bottom of the disty that needs to spin in order for the ignition to work correctly. If the disty isn't turning either due to another broken timing belt or broken camshaft there will not be anymore firing pulses.

I think you are going to like the car a lot. Especially if you haven't owned a Soob before. I had a 88' GL-10 that I purchased new and also had another exact same one we purchased later for my wife to drive. They were even the same color, Midnight Blue. The timing belts are supposed to be changed every 60k miles so you should have low mileage on a fairly new set if the maintenance was correctly done on them. If you work on top of the engine area be very careful with some small vacuum line switches for the emissions system. The ends tied to the hose are very fragile and will break easily if the wrong pressure is applied to them.

After checking my manual it looks like you are right on the money about your thinking of the connector. The blk wires are ground and power from fuse 10 is applied through the shift lever switch to send power to either the solenoid tied to the GY wire (4WD) or the Blue wire (FWD).

use a DVM meter to check the voltage of the O2 sensor at the input of the ECU. Compare that reading with the other front sensor and see if they are about the same. If they are then the trouble would have to be inside the ECU.

Along with the rotor, check for a broken timing belt.

You should be able to hear the pump run for a couple od seconds when you turn the ignition switch to the RUN position. If you don't then you need to check the fusible links and fuses for a problem there. If that is ok then the relay needs to be checked. The pump will shut down if the ignition isn't working but it sounds like that isn't your problem here. Regardless you should be able to hear it turn on with the ignition switch as I stated.

Another possible issue could be a loose power connection or chassis ground connection that is moving when the brakes are pressed. If you haven't cleaned the battery connections yet and especially the wire that runs from the battery to the power distribution under the hood I suggest you do that. If that doesn't fix the trouble then try tapping on various main connectors to see if can trace the trouble to one of them.