Cougar

The ECUs don't have a lot of failures but they do now and then. I have fixed them before but I think your best bet may be to purchase one for around 200 dollars or check a salvage yard in your area to see if they may have one available. Here is a real deal if you use Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ENGINE-BRAIN-BOX-ECU-00-SUBARU-LEGACY-OUTBACK-GUARANTY_W0QQitemZ390089601254QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item5ad326f0e6&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

Glad to hear that Howard. Thanks for the update.

Oh, man! I hope the belt didn't slip and cause damage to the valves.

The info doesn't show a connector color so it may be white. The connector (B134) has three rows of pins and the pin A16 is in the center of the middle row of pins. There are 7 pins on each side of it. To Log1call: When I stated that there will be voltage on the return side of the relay coil it is when the pump isn't running. There will be near supply voltage on the ECU pin when the pump is off (with ignition ON of course) or if the ECU is damaged internally. This is basically the same thing as an open switch connection would show.

Thanks for the explanation on the senders Gloyale and I follow what you say there. After thinking about this problem again I have gotten side tracked with the bad alternator idea. If this trouble was due to the alternator then usually more of the warning lights also flicker. In the back of my mind I knew this but ignored it when I first posted. Thanks again Gloyale as your help is always appreciated here.

My info says the wire color for the relay return wire is blue/green on pin A16 to the ECU. Check the voltage on that wire and with everything connected as it should be. Checking the voltage with reference to ground the voltage should be low for a couple of seconds as the pump should turn on with the igntion switch. If the ECU dosen't see ignition pulses it shuts down the pump circuit for safety. Do you have spark getting to the plugs? If not, check for power to the ignition system and the fuses. You should at least see the voltage on the pin go low for a couple of seconds when the key is turned on. If that doesn't happen and the voltage stays high then the ECU does have a problem. You can get rebuilt ones for a resonable price over a new one.

The flickering light is due to ripple voltage coming from the alternator. When some of the diodes are damaged inside it this causes a gap in the charging current and the voltage drops. When the alternator phase gets to good diode set the voltage goes higher then. It is this cycling that causes the flickering of the light. Place a voltmeter across the battery and measure the AC across it while the engine is running about 2,000 RPM. If you see more than .1 volt of AC voltage the alternator is bad.

The flickering light is most likely due to a high ripple voltage coming from the alternator, meaning bad diodes inside it. Replacing the alternator with a rebuilt one should take care of that trouble. There could be a number of things wrong with the window circuits. The switches for each window need to make a connection for the master switch to work each one. Dirty contacts in the switches is a common problem and they can be cleaned if you take them apart. There are springs inside that will fly out if you aren't careful. If you do take them apart I recommend you do it in a clear plastic bag. Another common trouble with the window operation is broken wires in the door jamb. You should get a set of wiring diagrams to help guide you if you want to fix the trouble yourself.

One of the members here sent me some info on the wiring so I can be more detailed here. The power to the pump motor is on a red/black wire and is really pin 2 of the connector that ties to the pump. The even number pins are on that row of pins and the odd numbered ones are on the other row of 3. The ground side of the pump is a black/white wire on pin 1.

Your welcome for the link. There is another one out there also someone did and I think you can find it on this site if you search for it. The trouble is real common. I think once the resistor is resoldered correctly that fixes it. I repaired a clock for one of the members here over 2 years ago for his Forester and it is still working fine as far as I know.

The problem could be a loose wire but it most likely is a bad solder connection to a resistor on the clock board. It is a pretty common problem. Here is one link that shows the trouble and how to fix it. http://www.scoobymods.com/overhead_console_clock_fix-t6386.html?t=6386&highlight=clock

The fuel pump is turned on briefly when you first turn the key to ON. So pin #1 that had the voltage on it for about 2 seconds is the correct pin for power to the pump I believe. As was correctly stated by Hankosolder2, checking the voltage while the circuit is broken may not tell you what you need to know about the trouble. If there still is voltage on that lead when it is connected to the pump motor then the trouble is most likely with the controlled ground for the pump through the ECU. But if the supply voltage goes low when reconnected to the motor then the fuel pump relay is most likely at fault. Since this is an intermittent problem I would suspect the relay is at fault here. When the ECU connection fails it is a hard failure due to a solid state component failure inside the ECU.

I broke one of those vacuum solenoids once in my '88 Loyale. I was a little mad at myself since I figured that it was going to cost me about 25 dollars to replace it from the dealer parts shop. When I got there I was told they had one and the discounted price was 113 dollars. I couldn't believe it. There is two of those used I think, at least my car used two of them. It is just a simple solenoid that controls the flow of vacuum air. Try getting one from a salvage yard if you can. Other cars like Honda use a similair thing also and folks have swapped connectors on them to make them work.

You have a Fluke meter? An excellent choice of meters. Not to worry, with that you can fix any electrical problem.

Fusible links are usually in a small plastic box near the battery. Hopefully you have a test light probe at least so you can check for power. If you don't have one I recommend you get one to make testing easier.

If spark is ok then make sure a T-belt didn't break and the rotor in the disty is spinning.

After seeing those pictures I'm not surprised that you have faulty connections. Hopefully she will clean up nice.

A question to GD. From your reply above it appears that the ground for the pump motor is tied directly to ground, is that correct? I don't have the wiring prints handy to check that.

See if voltage is getting to both sides of the pump leads when you turn the key ON with the meter reference lead tied to ground. If you have voltage on both leads then the ground side of the fuel pump circuit is most likely controlled by the ECU and that may have a problem.

I think the vibration is traveling to the door lock switch. Try tapping near the switch and see if it is more sensitive there.

I suggest you use a clear plastic bag to take the switch apart in.

I suspect that the driver side door lock switch has dirty contacts.

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Thanks for the update. Glad you got it fixed.

The best thing you can do to prevent an unexpected electrical problem while on the road or the car is parked is to make sure the charging system and battery are in good shape and the connections to the battery are clean and sealed. Have the system load tested if you think there is a problem and check for parasitic current drains. If the current drain on the battery is more than 50 milliamps (typical is about 25 ma.) while parked then you should look for a problem. If things are ok there then you can park your car for a month and still have plenty of starting capacity. Worrying about what accessories are on while starting the car isn't necessary. If the capacity of the battery is so low that they make a difference you have trouble regardless.