To Cabrio or not to Cabrio...that is the question.

[csrgti]

No problem ,
I look forward to your post that says " it started".

[tolusina]

For what it is worth, I'm working on a how-to, Some Diagnosis Theory and Tricks Using a TCLEDT, (that's short for Two Color LED tester).

I expect I'll be a day or several on this write up, patience please.

Already wishing I had video capabilities beyond what my phone can do, I'll see how it goes.

[cant get a password]

A digital volt meter will work for checking coil wiring you just can't use an analog I have check coil signal many times with a digital meter as well as hall sensor signal.

[CajunSpike]

Delivery on the test light by tomorrow 5:00 pm.

If it isn't raining, will be time to play.

Reading thru the bentley has been very informative already.

[KrautFed]

OK, I re-read this from page ~4 and I'm probably more confused now than when I started. Don't take offense, but I'm not sure why you are throwing parts at this thing, cutting off plugs of a MK1, etc. Again, I'm really confused on this thread.

Answer these for me (so I can catch up)... with the original parts installed (distributor, ecu, etc):

Is this a Katrina car (I asked this on fleurobahn)?

Do you have any fuel at all on the plugs after attempting to crank?

Have you checked for injector pulses at the injector plug while cranking?

Have you checked resistance in the coil when wet and misted with a sprayer?

Have you checked grounds that are on the block (they get corroded easily)?

Do you get CEL when turning the key on? CEL while cranking?

When you tried the junkyard ECU, did you disconnect the battery?

[CajunSpike]

Answer these for me (so I can catch up)... with the original parts installed (distributor, ecu, etc):
original distributor in car now.
not original ecu in car..but same part number.

Is this a Katrina car (I asked this on fleurobahn)?
No. this car was parked too long on the streets and towed away in 2009.
didn't see that comment...yet.

Do you have any fuel at all on the plugs after attempting to crank?
I can smell fuel from the exhaust when cranking because the junkyard cut off the catalytic converter.
The pipe ends not far from the engine at the triangle bolt flange. Fuel gauge shows 1/4 tank.

Have you checked for injector pulses at the injector plug while cranking?
no. not sure how to do this(just got bentley couple of days now, been raining bad)

Have you checked resistance in the coil when wet and misted with a sprayer?
no. I did ohms test I found on the net with both new and original coils, both passed. obd
reader initially showed bad crankshaft position sensor..which was replaced with new. I have a 2nd new one.

Have you checked grounds that are on the block (they get corroded easily)?
took each one off, buffed it up and replaced it.

Do you get CEL when turning the key on? CEL while cranking?
key on cel yes
cranking cel yes

When you tried the junkyard ECU, did you disconnect the battery?
I did try on several occasions to pull power to the car after ecu swap, but didnt ALWAYS do
that. just being honest. made no difference. all ecu's i've tried do show up on vcds-lite.

the 'cutting of plugs' thing was so i could make a connector that would fit in the wiring to the crank position sensor. the made up connector had its wires exposed so I could test voltage without harming the factory wiring.

Sorry for any confusion, just want to make this run.

[KrautFed]

OK Thanks, I think I'm caught up now.

Do you have any fuel at all on the plugs after attempting to crank?
I can smell fuel from the exhaust when cranking because the junkyard cut off the catalytic converter.
The pipe ends not far from the engine at the triangle bolt flange. Fuel gauge shows 1/4 tank.
Don’t take for granted that you are getting fuel just by smell. I know it’s silly. So the car has been sitting since before 2009? There may be a bad fuel/filter/pump issue. Hopefully that ¼ tank isn’t the fuel that was in there before.

Have you checked for injector pulses at the injector plug while cranking?
no. not sure how to do this(just got bentley couple of days now, been raining bad)
Injectors will see 12v in pulses while cranked. Disconnect the injector harness from injectors and check the harness while cranking. If you do NOT get pulses, chances are it’s crank position sensor, ecu, or ignition switch. I know you said you’ve replaced some of those, I’m just giving you the process of diagnosing. Ignition switches in MKIII’s do some funky things when not functioning properly, everything from crank-but-no-start like you to jumping guage needles. Also, the ignition switch if I remember correctly is easily checked by hooking up a new one with minimal effort… you can always return parts to Autozone/Advance/etc

Have you checked resistance in the coil when wet and misted with a sprayer?
no. I did ohms test I found on the net with both new and original coils, both passed. obd
reader initially showed bad crankshaft position sensor..which was replaced with new. I have a 2nd new one.
You have to check (both) with water. Moisture shorts a bad coil and will dramatically increase the resistance. Over time, heat will crack a coil and allow moisture in… its especially bad down here in the South. In my 40k miles of owning a MKIII, I’ve gone through 3 coils and had another DOA from a dealer! Chances are it’s not the coil though, again, just giving you MKIII help. Some preventative maintenance for the coil is to clean and coat it with a commercial electronics epoxy. Funny story here because I did this one time and it requires ALL moisture be removed from the coil, which most people put the coil in an oven on low heat for ~30 mins. I put it in our powder coating oven and my roommate at the time walked by and cranked it to 400 degrees because he was about to do some powder and cure. I come back at 30 minutes and find my poor coil… this is the result.

Have you checked grounds that are on the block (they get corroded easily)?
took each one off, buffed it up and replaced it.
good

Do you get CEL when turning the key on? CEL while cranking?
key on cel yes
cranking cel yes
this is a tell tale that the ECU is probably good… again, see the injector pulse above

When you tried the junkyard ECU, did you disconnect the battery?
I did try on several occasions to pull power to the car after ecu swap, but didnt ALWAYS do
that. just being honest. made no difference. all ecu's i've tried do show up on vcds-lite.
good, just wondering

Armed with a DOVM and Bentley, you should be able to track down what part is getting power and what is not. The injector pulse test is where you can start to rule out ignition problems and go after something like the crank sensor (IIRC, Bentley calls this the engine speed sensor). What I recommend is to check to see (while cranking) if you have 1) injector pulse and 2) power to coil …this will obviously require 2 people. You might also want to start checking continuity between sensors and ecu harness plug.

Dan J Reed is the best there was, is, and ever will be when it comes to MKIII’s, unfortunately, his popularity has swamped him and he no longer accepts diagnostic requests. You can however, search… there is an enormous amount of info on the Vortex, it just takes creative searching. I also have a MKIII Bentley so let me know if you need help deciphering.

If you have not already, bookmark these pages:

Dan’s VW page: http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed...art/jettatech/

Sensor and engine wiring page from Bentley and Dan’s page: http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed...hset/index.htm

[tolusina]

......Have you checked for injector pulses at the injector plug while cranking?
no. not sure how to do this(just got bentley couple of days now, been raining bad)
Injectors will see 12v in pulses while cranked. Disconnect the injector harness from injectors and check the harness while cranking. If you do NOT get pulses......

The statement above regarding 12V injector pulses is 100% bass ackwards, flat out WRONG.
Every EFI system I've ever looked into has done just the opposite.
Injectors are powered 12 VDC all the time whenever the fuel pump(s) run, the ECU pulses the ground.

A3s are no different.
After just spending 45 minutes finding my Bentleys, passed them up about 8 times before I finally excavated deep enough, I can now cite page numbers and current tracks.

97-444, find the injectors on tracks (numbers on the bottom of the schematic) 49, 51, 53 and 55. Notice how all five are tied together across the bottom connecting to the red/black (rot/swartz) wire on track 56, that wire goes up to the boxed '40' (tells you that the circuit continues on Track 40).
Back up to 97-443, track 40, find the boxed '56' which runs up to Pin 21 on the Fuse/Relay Panel (FRP), then to Pin 4/87 of the fuel pump relay in parallel with the fused fuel pump.

That there confirms that Motronic is just like most all other EFI systems, injectors always powered when the fuel pump runs, the ECU operates them by pulsing the ground.
---
Oh, since we've gone this far schematically, look how the fuel pump is wired in.
Just below fuse S-18 in the FRP on track 39, there's a trail over towards the right, gets to the end of the FRP, seems to go nowhere except 'a'.
Follow 'a' back to 97-442, 'a' crosses from one side to the other, connects nowhere, keep going back to 97-441 where 'a' finally makes a right angle down to FRP Pin M/2 Track 12 to pin 1 on the fuel pump.
Pump grounds on Track 11, FRP Pin M/1 up to 31 (Always DIN ground) in the FRP.
---
Still working over ideas on how to diagnose this stuff quickly, easily and pretty well informed with a Two Color LED Tester.
I know I've got to write to a level noobs can understand, and if I do it well, clearly, concisely, those noobs will make a quantum jump away from noobness.

[KrautFed]

The statement above regarding 12V injector pulses is 100% bass ackwards, flat out WRONG.
Every EFI system I've ever looked into has done just the opposite.
Injectors are powered 12 VDC all the time whenever the fuel pump(s) run, the ECU pulses the ground.

My mistake. The last time I did it was with a test light and I just remember blinking = good and no blinking = bad.

[CajunSpike]

Two color led test light has arrived.
Bentley in hand.
Spare new crank position sensor sitting here too.

time to play.

[denniro]

damn, I can't take the suspense.... hurry up already

[stronglikebull]

[CajunSpike]

I'll be working on this tomorrow. Honestly tolusina said he was trying to put together a 'how to debug' on this. Was hoping it would pop up soon.

So....me and Mr Bentley will open the hood in the morning...

Oh...I did indeed acquire that 99 passat 1.8t for free. Thats in my yard too. In fact, I had to put the cabrio battery in it to get it home. It needs the cat replaced...and the replacement came in today.
Car starts and runs with huge exhaust leak. I guess I'm a glutton for vw punishment.....
Really though, I got this because the 03 Chevy Venture engine went kerblooey and died.
Gonna sell off the remains of the Venture.

[hyperlightboards48]

Why was the passat junked?

[CajunSpike]

passat was extra daughters car. started making loud exhaust noises. owner thought the head gasket had blown. parked it under an oak tree, then sent it to junkyard.

Junkyard owner crushed my 91 jetta(junked when cabrio showed up) before I was able to get some parts off it...so to make up, he gave me the next vw that showed up in the yard..which in this case is the 99 passat. car was untouched by junkyard....intact as came from p.o.

other than 5 obd codes which aren't serious, only confirmed issue is front plate on the cat broke its welds...leading to massive exhaust leak.

found new cat for 109 + 20 shipping..already here.

[denniro]

Hi Cajun, is the Cabrio on the back burner? Mine is, I'm trying to get the daughter into the '00 Jetta that I scored so I can take my time on the Cabrio's engine.

[CajunSpike]

Cabrio is an unknown mystery at this point. lots of time, hunting, checking.
Passat is a known quantity. There are definite solutions to an odb code, and it starts.

Saturday I got rained out badly.

Sunday was pretty, but i worked on the Passat.

Installed new cat, engineered my own down pipe cuz had to cut off the old one, replaced mass airflow sensor, spark coil on #3.
found #3 injector wiring disconnected. repaired crushed fuel lines.
ordered ignition control module. That should fix the last computer code.
not running perfect, but the wife drove it around the block anyway and liked it.
it doesn't have any get-up-and-go at this point..probably the icm.

I'll have to get another battery now since the Cabrio battery went in the Passat.
Yes I want the cabrio running, but things have been tough lately to spend much time futzing with it.

[denniro]

Good luck with the Passat. They're very good driving cars, I drive a 2001.5 Passat (B5.5), I've had it for nearly 7 years now and I don't baby it. I've got the 2.8 30-valve 5-speed.

[stronglikebull]

ok my friend...one more car and you're gonna have to go apply for you dealer's license, lololol. i'm still following this thread hoping you get the original problem car running soon

[CajunSpike]

not giving up on it.
its just the passat is closer to usefulness than the cabrio is at this stage.

in any case, i ordered an ignition control module for the passat and it won't be in till next week.

that leaves time to debug the cabrio AFTER I go buy another battery.

and you're right about the vw parking lot.

3 cabbies, 1 cabrio and a passat.
the only non vw vehicles I have are an F150 and a Gold Wing GL1100.



I will admit the 92 is overheating..needs either radiator or water pump.
And the 2nd etienne needs a timing belt and master cylinder.

I do what I can with the free time I have.

[tolusina]

Does the car have an immobilizer and/or an alarm?
How many pins on the ECU connector, 68 or 80?
What is the 10th digit of the VIN?
What is the production date?

[CajunSpike]

Does the car have an immobilizer and/or an alarm?
How many pins on the ECU connector, 68 or 80?
What is the 10th digit of the VIN?
What is the production date?

1) Alarm yes, immobilizer not that I know. The person who cut my key looked up the vin and said it didn't have an immobilizer.
2) I'll have to count the pins. I do know there are lots of them.
Original ecu in car is part number 037-906-259Q
3) Pic for 3 and 4.


Vin Decoder
VIN:3VWBB81E1XM804680
World region:North America
Manufactured in:Mexico
Year:1999
Make:Volkswagen
Model:CABRIO GLS
Body style:Convertible
Drive type:FWD
Fuel type:Gas
Cylinders:4 Cylinders
Safety restraints: Dual Front Air Bags
Standard options:
Air Conditioning, Power Steering, Power Brakes, Power Windows, Tilt Wheel, Daytime Running Lights, AM/FM Stereo, Cassette, ABS (4-Wheel)

[KrautFed]

Does the car have an immobilizer and/or an alarm?
How many pins on the ECU connector, 68 or 80?
What is the 10th digit of the VIN?
What is the production date?

IIRC, the immobilizer is only on MK3.5 Cabrios. The MK3's do have factory alarms, but the alarm won't allow a crank. If the starter is trying to crank the car, it isn't an alarm issue.

[CajunSpike]

IIRC, the immobilizer is only on MK3.5 Cabrios. The MK3's do have factory alarms, but the alarm won't allow a crank. If the starter is trying to crank the car, it isn't an alarm issue.

Thats what I understand as well. The alarm cuts off the starter only.

Since I have a brand new crank position sensor not yet installed, could that be used in some sort of test to generate a spark? Like plug it into the car wiring and pass metal near the tip to see if a pulse/spark happens?

or maybe even setup something with a drill so its a rotating movement like it would be in the car.

g'morning guys.

[tolusina]

As the car is an early '99, best I can tell from Bentley is that the ECU should have 68 pins.

Re, Engine Speed Sensor (crank). According to Bentley, my 1st guess above was correct, it's inductive, not a Hall effect.
Black wire is a shield to chassis ground, does not connect to the ECU.
If you've got a cut off harness plug from another car, connect to the crank sensor red and green wires, DVOM set to a low range ACV scale, crank the engine, you should see AC voltage.
If the crank sensor in the car does make AC voltage, with the sensor connected to the car, unplug the ECU main connector, re-test for AC voltage across pins T68/67 and T68/68. You can ohm test both places too if you like.

I'm pretty sure you've a spare crank sensor, try the off the car test with that one, DVOM on ACV, wave a steel object or magnet in close proximity to the sensor's tip, watch for brief ACV spikes.
---
Cam position sensor...... According to Bentley (I'ma tired of typing that already, a2B it is now) page 24a-20, there should be a minimum of 4 volts across the outer 2 terminals, ugh, why'd they do that? I think you found 12 volts there.

At 4 volts, your new 2 color light will only be half useful here, connect tester leads only to battery positive, probing the center signal wire and cranking should produce a bright/dim green pulse. Also turn the engine slow by hand, you should see bright green when the shutter wheel aperture is open, dim green when closed.

At 12 volts, your 2 color tester shines (eww, pun). Connect tester clips to both battery power and ground this time, crank both slowly by hand, again with the starter, LED is bright green with the shutter open, bright red when closed.
---
a2B, 28a-4 & 5, both 2 color tester leads to battery, probe 1 and 3 as shown in Fig. 4, red on one, green on the other.
Next probe to 2, crank with the starter, one or both colors should flash, not sure here, I'm guessing at least green (ground) will pulse, red (power) may too.

Fig. 5 is way dumbed down, can't hurt, but doesn't tell the whole story. 2 colors, both clipped to battery, probe tip to Terminal 1, crank starter, red and green should alternate, green less bright than red. If this is happening and there's still no spark, the coil is N.F.G., power stage and it's input signal are fine.
The red in this test shows power flowing through the coil primary to an open circuit, green shows that circuit completed to ground. 2 color tester is the quickest, least expensive way to test here.
---
later.........

[CajunSpike]

I'm taking off from work thurs/friday. I'm in a situation where if i don't use vacation, I'll lose it.
That will leave plenty of time to go thru these ideas individually and report back the results.

Will read, re-read, and rere-read all ideas to work with.
gonna make a checklist so no test is skipped.

since I'm mostly doing these tests on my own, would it be ok to get one of those switches that connects directly to the starter to make it crank over? press to crank, release to stop.

now that we have a test for the crank sensor, i'm gonna do that first. wanna see if the new sensor behaves before i try to install it.

[tolusina]

....would it be ok to get one of those switches that connects directly to the starter to make it crank over? press to crank, release to stop.....

What? You don't have one already?
I long ago found those one of the most useful tools. Even easier to connect if there's a heat soak starter relay installed, still plenty easy without though.
Where/how to connect is often one of the 1st things I do when working on a vehicle I'm not already familiar with.
--
Among the many uses you are sure to find for a starter button, one or more symptoms of VWs notoriously failure prone ignition switches are among them, if the car starts with the button but not with the key, head straight to the switch and figure out why.
--
'Bump" the starter to get the Hall shutter in one position or the other, test the Hall and crank sensors as described above, 'bump' to approach timing marks, 'bump' and watch cam position for valve clearance checking and adjusting on earlier models, many many more.
--
I've often thought of wiring and mounting one permanently under the hood, the earliest Civics had such from the factory, needed a coin to fit the slot to operate it, needed because seat belt interlock circuits of the day were so very iffy.

[CajunSpike]

I've been fortunate that every car I've brought home, to this point, always had a working spark system....so never really needed one.

This cabrio is a good excuse to get some neat tools, if nothing else!

[tolusina]

The Passat 20VT.
Do not let cam timing get off due to a failed cam belt and/or tensioner.
The few that I've seen with failed belts and/or or tensioners bent all 20 valves, sometimes damaging the head enough to render it un-useable. Tiny little valves are so crammed into the combustion chambers that when they bent from hitting the piston tops, they very often gouge the cylinder walls junking the block too.
There was an early t-belt tensioner that was very failure prone.
I'm pretty sure the tensioner can be downgraded to a non-self adjusting style similar to what is used on A1s and is very dependable.

Oh, and plastic coolant pump impellers are definitely a Bad Idea™, oil coolers are the same old thing since the '80s.


Other than that, very cool little motors.

[CajunSpike]

awesome info on the passat...this i need to know.

I pulled back the timing belt cover. belt looks in great shape, no wearing on reverse side.
if i get this running dependably, i'll take it back down and change the wp and timing belt.
probably drop the pan to clean out any accumulated 'sludge'.
i'm sure the auto tranny would enjoy some fresh fluid as well.

i'm hoping the ignition control module will clear the final check engine light.

Engine seems to have very little power though(yes cel is on)..could be due to that bad icm.
any way to test if the turbo still works? there is a junk car in pullapart with identical engine and turbo. if mine is bad i'd want to know it pretty quick so I could snag the pullapart turbo.

should also do basic compression test while I'm at it.

[tolusina]

Cheap, H.F. vacuum/pressure gauge set........
http://www.harborfreight.com/fuel-pu...ter-93547.html
Connect it up to any intake manifold vacuum source with a tee, hose it into the cockpit, watch it as you drive. Under hard acceleration, turbo should kick in, gauge should show pressure.

You can probably find better quality at most auto parts stores, I've found really nice old ones at flea markets.

You sure cannot test FI fuel pumps with it, regardless what the ad copy says.
There's a link on the nB+ in my sig with basic vacuum gauge engine diagnosis tips, worth a look.
The pressure side of the gauge is very easy to use to measure exhaust back pressure, especially on VWs with an upstream exhaust sample port.

[CajunSpike]

Back to the Cabrio!

Bought brand new battery....charged it to 100% full.

All cranking for the following tests were done with a remote start switch wired directly to the battery and solenoid. Ignition switch was left in the run position.
Before I began this, I removed and buffed with a dremel wire wheel, all wires attached to the + battery cable and all wires attached to the - battery cable. Also removed and buffed the two ground points on the front side of the block.

As the car is an early '99, best I can tell from Bentley is that the ECU should have 68 pins.

Re, Engine Speed Sensor (crank). According to Bentley, my 1st guess above was correct, it's inductive, not a Hall effect.
Black wire is a shield to chassis ground, does not connect to the ECU.
If you've got a cut off harness plug from another car, connect to the crank sensor red and green wires, DVOM set to a low range ACV scale, crank the engine, you should see AC voltage.

Looking at ecm plug, it is 68 pins.
Stripped wires back gently on car wiring harness. Hooked dvom to red/green on cps.
crank engine with remote starter.
ACV goes from 0v up to about .09-.10 ACV.
Drops back to 0v when starter quits.

If the crank sensor in the car does make AC voltage, with the sensor connected to the car, unplug the ECU main connector, re-test for AC voltage across pins T68/67 and T68/68. You can ohm test both places too if you like.

continuity exists both red and green, from lower wiring to ecm wiring plug.
same acv results as tested previous step.

I'm pretty sure you've a spare crank sensor, try the off the car test with that one, DVOM on ACV, wave a steel object or magnet in close proximity to the sensor's tip, watch for brief ACV spikes.
---

Second new crank sensor is wrong one. Just opened package and the plug is different shape.
test not possible.

Cam position sensor...... According to Bentley (I'ma tired of typing that already, a2B it is now) page 24a-20, there should be a minimum of 4 volts across the outer 2 terminals, ugh, why'd they do that? I think you found 12 volts there.

12.5dcv on retest

At 4 volts, your new 2 color light will only be half useful here, connect tester leads only to battery positive, probing the center signal wire and cranking should produce a bright/dim green pulse. Also turn the engine slow by hand, you should see bright green when the shutter wheel aperture is open, dim green when closed.

no glow seen, but it is bright out today.

a2B, 28a-4 & 5, both 2 color tester leads to battery, probe 1 and 3 as shown in Fig. 4, red on one, green on the other.
Next probe to 2, crank with the starter, one or both colors should flash, not sure here, I'm guessing at least green (ground) will pulse, red (power) may too.
---

tapped into the center green distributor wire. red on solid. crank engine, green flashes, then red goes on solid till next rotation.
probe red wire, red comes on.
probe red/brn stripe wire, green comes on.

Fig. 5 is way dumbed down, can't hurt, but doesn't tell the whole story. 2 colors, both clipped to battery, probe tip to Terminal 1, crank starter, red and green should alternate, green less bright than red. If this is happening and there's still no spark, the coil is N.F.G., power stage and it's input signal are fine.
The red in this test shows power flowing through the coil primary to an open circuit, green shows that circuit completed to ground. 2 color tester is the quickest, least expensive way to test here.
---
later.........

coil electrical plug...with 'notches' facing up. right pin(1) - RED....left pin(3) green...center pin green, no cranking.

per bentley: connect led probe to coil electrical plug 2 and 3..crank...should flash..does not flash.

probe 1 backside of coil...no crank = red. cranking, stays red.

Disconnect line to fuel injector..probe...crank engine....lite rotates between green and red.

test continuity from coil plug pin 3 to ecm wiring harness, good.
test same plug, pin 2, none
test same plug, pin 1, good.

After all this, swapped in two different ecu's, still no spark. did not do each test with each ecu in this state. just cranked and looked for spark.

end of test...waiting for follow up.

[hyperlightboards48]

Thinking out loud here. You said that the car gave you spark with the new comp then it rained for a couple of days then no spark. Have you tried soaking the car with a hose and looking under the dash and stuff for leaks around the fuse panel or comp. Is there a rain tray on these cars like the mk1's thats missing or clogged drains?

[CajunSpike]

Normally the computer is protected from rain by a plastic shield. Because you must remove that shield to replace the computer...it wasn't there to deflect the rain when it poured several days later. The cabin air filter got soaked as well because its in the same place. Yes there is a rain tray. The drains are clear. Not sure if the rain had anything to do with this but I'm trying to be thorough with explanations so nothing gets missed or overlooked. On the mk1, the computer is on the drivers side tray. On this mk3 its on the passenger side.

Haven't watered down the car since. I figure if its not working dry getting it wet won't help.

That last series of tests at least came up with something not working as intended....so I'm hoping that will ring a bell in somebody's head as to what could cause it.

[tolusina]

....
Stripped wires back gently on car wiring harness. Hooked dvom to red/green on cps.
crank engine with remote starter.
ACV goes from 0v up to about .09-.10 ACV.
Drops back to 0v when starter quits.


continuity exists both red and green, from lower wiring to ecm wiring plug.
same acv results as tested previous step........

These voltages seem reasonable for cranking speeds. If you test again once the engine runs, you should see higher voltages increasing with engine RPM.
Side info, from cruise control testing of similar inductive senders, I learned that the controller(s) look at the frequency of that AC pulse, not at the voltage. In the case of crank sensors, the ECU is certainly looking for the wide notch in the crank mounted tone ring as a location reference.
That crank mounted tone ring may still be an issue, they've been known to come loose. Major bummer if it is, the crank must be removed to repair it.

I must advise against stripping wires back as you've described, figure that to be a no no.
Cut off plugs from another car spliced together as test connections are one way to avoid wire stripping.
Back probing connectors with paper clips, safety pins or purpose made back probes is another.
I'm just lazy enough to prefer insulation piercing probes, Pomona are my favorites, I'm pretty sure I posted a link to them above somewhere. Pro Techs are 50/50 split about piercing insulation.

12.5dcv on retest

no glow seen, but it is bright out today.

tapped into the center green distributor wire. red on solid. crank engine, green flashes, then red goes on solid till next rotation.
probe red wire, red comes on.
probe red/brn stripe wire, green comes on.......

This is good.
We don't yet know if the cam signal is getting all the way to the ECU though.
The most positive way to test this would be to open the harness ECU connector and back probe live circuits. I'm going to advise against this though, as you car really open a basket of snakes doing this, keep this concept on the way back burner for when all else fails.
I generally dislike continuity tests, preferring voltage tests.
Continuity testing is appropriate here though, so lets get on with it, we'll do a couple while we're at it, some voltage and ground tests at the ECU plug while we're at it.

KEY OFF!
ECU unplugged.
DVOM on Low OHMS range.
Unplug the Hall plug on the cam position sensor, test continuity between the cener pin (green/white) and pin T68/44 of the ECU plug. Re-connect the Hall.

Unplug the three wire harness connector to the ignition coil assembly. Test continuity between the center harness connector T3/2 (black/red) and pin T68/8 of the ECU harness connector.
Later, when the ECU is re-connected and the key is on, use the two color tester, see what color lights on T3/2 when not yet connected back to the coil, again when connected. I don't know what to expect here, I need your tests to figure a next step here.

Key on, T68/6 should show voltage through the fuel pump relay coil. Ground T68/6 to operate the fuel pump relay, pump, injectors and TEST battery voltage to pin T68/31.

I see three main ECU grounds, T68/1, T68/7 and T68/56, ohm test them to ground. This test I really prefer voltage drop testing directly to the battery negative post, at this point though, more work than it (might) be worth.

There should be key off battery power on T68/54.

A couple of these tests are probably redundant based on your previous test results, do them anyway while the ECU is unplugged and your tools are on hand.

....

Disconnect line to fuel injector..probe...crank engine....lite rotates between green and red.....

This test is best done with injectors still connected, no matter though, carry on.

....
test continuity from coil plug pin 3 to ecm wiring harness, good.
test same plug, pin 2, none
test same plug, pin 1, good.....

WHAT? WHAT? I just read this closely while preparing to comment, see above regarding Pin 2 continuity to ECU. This sounds suspiciously like THE MAIN ISSUE.

....end of test...waiting for follow up.

Ok, ok, I'ma getting to it already..... ~~~~

One more easy test on the coil part of the coil assembly.
Business end of the coil secondary wire where you can see it spark, key on. Clip a test lead to ground, momentarily touch the ground lead to Terminal 1 on the coil under the little plastic flap, when you release this ground you should get spark if the coil is good. Careful, careful, DO NOT GROUND Terminal 15 or you WILL let smoke out somewhere (or several somewheres) for sure.
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