Cougar

You're right Gloyale...that would be very shady. Try disconnecting the sensor and see if the gauge moves. I think the gauge should show cold when you do that. Shorting the lead to ground should make the gauge show hot. If the gauge doesn't move doing those things then the sensor wire would appear to not be connected to the gauge and the gauge is tied to a different path.

Another possibility is some of the reluctor tabs for the crank sensor have broken off. Checking the crank sensor signal with a scope will show if that is the case or not.

I have to think one of the door lock switches is stuck in the lock position. The switch for key lock could be the culprit also. Try disconnecting the switches inside the driver side door and see if the trouble clears.

When purchasing a used car it wise not to assume anything. Let the buyer beware and be prepared for 'things to happen' if you purchase it. You should be able to get it at a very good price with that amount of mileage on it.

I doubt there is a engine grounding problem. Checking for ignition pulses at the coil needs to be done on the minus side of the coil connection. That is the side that ties to the disty. Placing a test light probe on that lead should show light pulses when the engine is cranked. Since you aren't getting any spark then most likely the light will just be on steady, meaning power is getting through the coil windings at least. Make sure fuse #5 is ok and if that is good then replacing the ignitor may be what is needed to get the fire going.

It sounds like the wiring to the shifter has a problem since placing it in reverse seems to clear the trouble.

Yep. Most likely bad solenoid contacts alright.

To have as much unburned fuel cause the CAT to glow red and still drip out the exhaust pipe would have to be way more than just a simple misfire problem I would have to say. Either the injectors are staying open too long or the FPR is hosed. That's my thoughts anyways, but I've been wrong before and may be here also.

If fuel is actually dripping out the exhaust I will state again the fuel pressure regulator appears to be bad. The glowing red CAT seems to comfirm too much fuel is getting into the engine. I would have to wonder what the signal from the O2 sensor is showing but I think I know already.

Since the vacuum gauge was jumping around it does sound like sticking valves. Finding the plugs soaked with fuel seems strange though. I would have to wonder if the fuel pressure regulator is doing its job in that case.

The test voltages look good to me. I see nothing wrong with the charging system and starter circuit.

It sounds like there is a bad power connection somewhere to the switch. The circuit resistance is too high, causing too much voltage drop across the resistive connection because of the extra current draw of the second seat coil.

The error code states a 'circuit problem' so indeed, the problem is most likely due to a bad connection to the sensor.

Actually, any AC voltage at the battery should be less than .1 volt in my book. Any more than that means bad diodes in the alternator. Clean your battery posts and cable connections using a battery post cleaning brush. Check the fuses for any bad ones in the dash and under the hood. If thry are ok then check the radio harness to see if power is getting to the radio itself. If you have power to it then something inside the radio is bad.

Make sure fuse #5 is good also. If the horn works it is ok. You also should see voltage on the plus and minus sides of the coil when the ignition is ON.

I assume you have already checked to see there is 12 volts getting to the fuel gauge module. If that is good then you could do a little experimenting with the circuit. You could remove the blk/yel wire from the module and tie the lead to a small battery pack. I suggest you try around 6 volts. Place the negative end of the battery pack to a good chassis ground and the positive end to the blk/yel wire. Then see if there is a reading on the gauge. If there is, you will have proven the module is bad.

Just a thought, you may want to take the car into a shop where they can look at the ignition system using a scope. Looking at the pulses with that should indicate if there is really any trouble with the ignition. I doubt the trouble is with the CAT but that could be checked also.

The IAC is the idle air control. For the fast idle problem that is a good thing to check out. Also check for a vacuum leak. That can cause a high idle.

Is there a drawing of the vacuum lines on the bottom side of the hood?

I suggest you clean the ground leads going to the engine to see if that helps clear this trouble. Bad grounding can lead to extra noise being generated in the wiring and costs nothing to try and fix except your time. Trouble due to higher than normal noise pluses is something that Gloyale mentioned also but in a different way. If that doesn't help then I would check the signals from the cam and crank sensors using a scope to what they look like. These signals are used by the ECU to determine a misfire problem.

Since the wires were replaced not too long ago and the engine smooths out when warm I tend to think the wires may be okay. I think there is a cold start valve that may be the trouble or maybe the CTS sensor for the coolant is indicating a hot condition when the engine cold.

Did you check the voltage on the blk/yel wire at the gauge like I suggested you do in the other posting? Starting another thread for the same trouble can cause confusion. Please use the thread you started with.

You didn't state where you read the voltage of the blk/yel wire at. You need to check it where it ties to the meter. The 5 volts you saw on the wht/yel wire is feeding back from the gauge I believe.

I used to have a couple of the exact same models at one time. They were good cars and I think you will like yours also. One had a head and headgasket problem and some other things but we dealt with it. There is a blower relay up near the middle of the dash area. Look for a set of four relays in a row. I think the blower relay is on the left side. The middle two relays are for the headlights and the fourth one is for the defroster. For the fuel gauge trouble you need to check for power coming from the gauge to the sender. The blk/yel wire provides a regulated voltage to the sender. The wht/yel wire provides return to the low fuel light and my info shows a light green/blk wire provides a ground return for the level gauge. It turns into a black wire at the gauge end and should tie to ground. I highly recommend you search Ebay to purchase a set of factory service manuals that will help you immensly with problems like this. You should be able to find the complete set of four manuals for around 50 dollars. Some of the best money you can invest in the car.

What OB99W said.