Hi,

This is my first post.  looking for a little ignition system help on my 1994 loyale wagon 4wd manual. 296k miles. new motor at 270k second owner vehicle.

 

so, drove to my girlfriends house for dinner the other night....ran great. came out after dinner, it won't start.  tried the old ether trick to see if i had a fuel system problem. turns over, but no spark.

 

pulled a plug. no spark

 

started testing parts and now i'm stuck.

 

fusible links all ok.

timing belt ok.

i have power to my coil, but no spark on the coil wire.

tested a known good coil resistor.  not it

tried another known good ignition module/distributor. not it.

 

do the ecu's go bad in these cars? my local subaru guy says he's never seen a dead ecu. 

 

indicators of bad edu:

no cel w/ ignition on before attempting to start

no trouble codes blinking.

 

prior to losing spark, i had code 35 for the purge control solenoid, which i replaced with an aftermarket part and the cel stayed on.

 

ideas?  i'm in the dog house with my GF for leaving the little wagon in her driveway.

Edited April 1, 201511 yr by gundoloyale

Any moisture in your disty cap? I've also experienced weak spark (no start) from bad grounds. Particularly the coil not being mounted solid to the frame.  

thanks for responding.  i pulled the cap to check for moisture.  it was dry but the posts were corroded and worn so i replaced it. i get power to the coil, so i don't think it's a grounding issue.

 

ohm reading on coil is in spec also. btw

anyone seen an ECU fail?

don't worry about the code 35, it won't cause the problem.  Fix it later.

 

I've been running these cars since 1988, never had a bad ECU.  But that doesn't mean it can't happen.

 

With your list of items, I guess I'd swap one out, but I have lots of spare parts.  It makes troubleshooting a lot easier.

When you checked power to the coil, are you measuring at the 2 terminals on the coil?

yeah, code 35 was on for month's after i replaced the purge solenoid. unrelated issue.

 

i don't have a spare ECU and no one i've found in So Cal can test mine. i'm assuming mine is bad based on no cel with key on, and i've tested all other elements of the ignition system.

Edited April 1, 201511 yr by gundoloyale

When you checked power to the coil, are you measuring at the 2 terminals on the coil?

yes, and i checked the resistor.  power to both.

Edited April 1, 201511 yr by gundoloyale

I have found a coil that even though it tested OK - klutz following test it tips - still fixed things with new coil.

 

I have once found a car will not start while coil is not grounded by its outer casing to the engine block. Weird, coz never read that they need to be grounded, nor understand as no terminal is connected to the body ....

 

So, the EA82 that won;t spark / start ...is spfi then ?

 

is there a module inside the dizzy then ? They can fail. Early EA82T mpfi 3 plug ECU models had a module in dizzy, four plug ECU then took over the in dizy module function.

 

and, that edit time just below is my time zone not US !!

Edited April 1, 201511 yr by jono

I don't know about anyone else, but I already don't like your girlfriend.    What?  No compassion for broken Subarus?   What do you think will happen if you break your leg and need some help?

   All joking aside, If you think it's the ECU, I'm sure someone here has one they would let go.    Try posting a WTB in the Marketplace.

I'm a carb guy ... computers fail.

I found a guy in santa ana that tests and repairs ecu's.  headed down saturday.  i'll report back.  

update: the power supply circuit was overloaded and failed.  waiting to get it back.