Cougar

You stated that you have no warning lights when you turn the ignition ON. Well that is a real problem and that will certainly disable the alternator. I recommend you don't do anything more to the alternator until this is fixed. When it is you will most likely have no further troubleshooting to do. Power from the ignition switch ties to fuses 1, 8, 15, and 16 in the dash fuse panel. Fuse 15 ties power to the cluster. Use your meter to see if power gets to those fuses when you turn the ignition ON. If you have no power to the fuses then you need to verify that the ignition switch is okay and the connection between those areas. After that is fixed you should be good to go.

You stated you are having power problems with the cluster. The battery warning light is inside there and it is important that the warning light turns on when you turn the ignition switch from OFF to ON. This means current is getting to the alternator field windings for the exciter circuit. If you have no light then you need to fix the cluster power issue. Make sure the connections to it are good and check the power to it. If you have good power then perhaps the fuse inside the cluster has blown out.

Fuse SBF-2 does supply power to the main relay also and there is a suspect connector between the fuse panel and those areas. The main relay does (correction, does NOT) provide power to the pump. My info shows a black wire with a red stripe ties to the pump motor. If that isn't what you have then what color do you have for that connection? The return wire should be black. When making voltage tests and especially when you are looking for a bad connection it is best to leave things connected so the voltage will drop across the bad connection due to the current draw through the resistance. Probe the back side of a connector to take a reading or use a pin to pierce the insulation and probe the voltage that way. I would only do that if necessary as it leaves a hole unless you put something like silicone adhesive on it. To check for power place the common meter probe on a known good ground point and measure the voltage using the other probe.

There may be but I think that the main grounds tie to a common point on the back side of the engine, including the dash grounds. I could be wrong though.

You're welcome for the help. I didn't look at things carefully before. The fuse I was referring to earlier is SBF-2 and is located in the panel under the hood. That fuse ties to a black/white wire out of the fuse panel and goes on to the fuel pump circuit along with some other things. Make sure power is at least good there. If so, then check it at the relay and see if that it is okay there. This where having a meter and knowing how to use it helps pin down problems.

The parking brake makes a connection to ground when it is used. There is a bad ground for the lights. Try running a jumper wire from the negative side of the battery to a good chassis connection under the dash to see if that helps. Check the battery to chassis ground wire. Clean the contact connections to see if that helps. There is a main ground connection in back of the engine so check it also.

Leave the pump installed. My info shows there is a black/red wire going to the pump for power. The return side of the pump is grounded. Tie a wire from the positive battery post and run it back to the wiring going to the pump. The easiest way to break into the power wire may be to use a pin and stick it into the power wire. Then connect the jumper wire to the pin. Be sure to not short the power to ground or anything else. An even better thing may be to just monitor the voltage on the wire while trying to start the engine. If the voltage is less than 11 volts you need to check the wiring for a problem. Be sure to check the fusible links as that is most likely where the trouble is at.

Looking at some service data that I hope matches your model it looks like there is a fusible link that supplies power to the fuel pump. The links should be in a small box close the battery. In the Loyal model the box was mounted on the coolant reservoir, yours may be the same way. When find the links (3) make sure they are making a good snug connection and are clean. They sometimes get loose contact connections. Just the kind of trouble you seem to have and is most likely where the trouble is at. If it isn't we'll will look further down the line. To see if there is a power problem to the pump I suggest you run a direct connection from the battery to the pump motor. Place a in line fuse with the power lead close to the battery, for safety sake.

While the voltage level at the pump is a little lower than it should be it isn't anywhere near low enough to cause a problem. That is, as long as it stays at that level. The slightly low voltage may be an indication there is a power connection problem between the fuse panel and the pump motor. If there is a connection problem, it will get hot due to the current draw and the heat is causing the resistance of the bad connection to go higher, which will reduce the voltage getting to the pump even further and finally the motor will not have enough power to work. From what you say about the trouble this very well could be what is causing your headaches and frustration. There is a simple way to prove this if you want to check it out. Simply run a separate power connection directly to the pump. If it was me I would run a switched power connection to the pump in parallel with the original power connection. So as you start out the test drive the switch is OFF. Then when the engine starts to die you turn the switch ON. If the engine then continues to run okay you have proven there is a connection problem. You could also just run some wires from the pump connection and monitor the voltage with a voltmeter to see if the volt drops as you continue on the test run. Check the charging voltage at the battery while the engine is running around 1,500 RPM. You should have at least 13.5 volts getting to the battery. Clean your battery connections and make sure the main alternator output lead is in tight and in good condition. Make sure the fan belt isn't slipping. EDIT: There has been some further information while I was typing this. Since you say that the pump voltage is lower than the battery voltage with no load this is really pointing to a bad power connection to the pump.

Like others have suggested already, this kind of problem is usually due to either faulty or dirty inhibit switch contacts or worn starter solenoid contacts. The clue to the latter issue is you hear a loud click when you go to the START mode. The solenoid engages but the starter motor doesn't get any power due to the worn solenoid contacts, which are replaceable. The circuit works by passing power from the ignition switch START contacts, then to a interrupt relay if you have a security system, through the inhibit switch contacts, and then to the ignition lead on the starter solenoid. I think the inhibit switch is mounted on the transmission. I suggest you purchase a factory wiring manual which will show you the things involved with the circuit and the locations of them on the car. It is money very well spent. Ebay is a good place to get them for a reasonable price.

Glad you found the trouble. You might be able to move the switch position and fix the issue without having to replace the ignition switch.

Replacement headlight pigtail sockets are easy to find. The trouble is most likely with it. Use a test light to check for power getting t the socket with the lights turned ON. If the highs are working for that side then the fuse is okay. There is only one fuse for each side of the car lights. If power is getting to the socket and it is making good connection to the lamp then it appears there is a switched ground return problem.

I suggest you purchase a test light probe if you don't have one already so you can verify where power is getting to. They don't cost much and having one will save you a lot of time in trying to find the trouble. As was already stated you need to make sure voltage is getting past the safety switch near the clutch pedal when you depress the pedal. Power from the ignition switch START position passes through that switch and on to the starter solenoid that is located on the starter motor. Either the safety switch is open when it should be closed or no voltage is getting to it from the ignition switch.

When you ask for help with a vehicle it really helps us to know what the model and year of the vehicle is. Make sure power is getting to the main panel fuses under the hood. Especially the main fuse like 'nesok' stated. Make sure the nuts at each end of it are snug tight. Also make sure the battery connections are clean and snug tight. If all the fuse in the main panel have power getting to them while trying to start the engine then check the ignition switch and dash fuse panel fuses for power there.

If you are referring to a pre 1990's vehicle you should have fusible links inside a small plastic box that is mounted on the water reservoir for the radiator. Look for a bad link or connection to it. If those are okay and you have power on each side of them then check for power getting to the ignition switch and after it.

I would use a portable air compressor with an air nozzle attachment to force out any remaining water in the ports. If you want to go further remove the spark plugs and then crank the engine over to force out any water that may have gotten into the cylinders. You may also want to change the oil after you get the engine running again and it has gotten hot enough to evaporate any remaining water inside the engine. I would not remove the heads unless they had gasket issues.

How about a faulty ignition switch or relay.

One thing you could do to see if it is the sensor causing the trouble and not a short to ground issue with the wiring is remove the connection to the sensor. If the gauges goes low then you have proved the sensor is at fault. This is assuming that the gauge shows a hotter reading as the resistance of the sensor goes lower.

The trouble is most likely the with the inhibit or safety switch as it is also called and is a common issue with older cars. It may be mounted on top of the transmission. You could bypass it to see if that corrects the problem.

This kind of problem is usually due to a faulty inhibit switch, or safety switch as it is also called. See if the starter will work when you put the shifter in the neutral position. If it does then the safety switch is the trouble and may be on top of the transmission.

Like the previous posters stated, there is a safety switch between the ignition switch and the starter solenoid. What kind of switch depends on which transmission you have. Bad switch contacts are pretty common. You may be able to just clean the switch contacts to get it working again. If you have an AT then you may be able to simply adjust the safety switch to get it working again.

Glad to hear you got it fixed and thanks for the update. It sounds like there may be check valve in the regulator that was allowing pressure to release back to the tank area.

There should be a check valve in the fuel pump to keep the fuel from back flowing to the tank. How does the engine start if you shut it off and try to restart it 15 minutes later? If it takes some time then you may need to replace the pump. Another thing you might check to see is how the engine reacts and starts up cold after spraying a small amount of starter fluid into the intake.

There should be two small wires going to a connector on the back side of the alternator. Both of those wires should have close to battery voltage on them while the alternator is working. It is also very important that the battery warning light works when you turn the ignition switch to the RUN position. Current passes through that warning lamp to the energize the exciter inside the alternator. That is one of the two wires. The other wire is for the voltage regulator located inside the alternator. As the voltage on that lead goes lower due to increased electrical loads the regulator increases the output of the alternator to balance things out. The voltage across the battery should be between 13.5v to 14.8v while the engine is running around 1,500 RPM and a good load on the system. Another good check to do at the same time is look for excessive AC ripple at the battery. There should be less than 0.1v of AC if the diodes inside the alternator are good. If you check that make sure the meter you are using blocks DC in the AC voltage mode. In the AC mode, the meter will have a zero voltage reading when checking a battery. Another test you can do is check the voltage drop across the main charging lead of the alternator. Check the voltage between the main output lead of the alternator and the positive battery post while the headlights and blower are on full. If that lead is okay you should have less than 0.3 volts across the wire connection. Finally, but certainly not least, is make sure the battery connections are clean and snug tight. Do not over tighten them.

See if the parking lights work when you turn on the switch on top of the steering column. If they still don't work then we need to check for power getting to that switch.