Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Try it, I think that you'll feel the difference.
Skip G.
The Duratec can actually be revved up to 8500rpms, but it stops producing HP at 8,000rpms. Stock you can rev it up to around 6,800, but with the chip the limiter is pushed up to 7,500rpms.
Skip:
I'll give it a shot sometime this weekend. My friend from England will be visiting me for two weeks starting next Friday. We plan to attend an auto cross or two, so i'm sure we will experiment with shifting at different rpms.
We switched to metric in 1976.
Badulah:
I am talking distance not speed (e.g. 1/4 mile). If you hit 7K rpm in 1st (even 5K for that matter) when you shift to 2nd the instant you release the clutch you will get the same effect as down shifting because you will have gone beyond the range of the gear. You may hit 60mph first but while you are recovering from the drop to 50mph I'll be waving by-by.
And just so you know, that puts me at about 53-57 mph (depending on the launch) but unlike Badulah, can't get the Cat to hit 60 in 2nd without having the chip. That's mostly better for line racing.
And to defend myself, I don't just go around "racing" anyone. We all know that the Cat is a great handler at high and low speeds. But we all know that the boy-racers (and girl-racers too: been seeing more and more) only really care about that 0-60 trap, so I believe the mentality is that if they can beat you off the line, they can claim superiority, but can't necessarily keep up around a 50mph 90 degree. I love to drive. :^)
But Monday I'm going to have the dealer check out the light thing once again, I have some theories that I'm going to explain so maybe they'll have some direction as to where to look for the problem. Odd, isn't it? How a service shop sometimes needs some help if the problem isn't obvious like a sparking wire or something. I'll let you know.
You wouldn't happen to be going on the LP trip, would you?
Where are your priorities?
Congratulations and good luck!!!
Start planning for the Cougar Fest 2000 though, there's enough time between now and September 16th to get ready for it. It's in Flat Rock, Michigan: Birthplace of our Cats!
I picked up my Cat at the dealership last night, after they successfully diagnosed and solved the mysterious battery light blink. Apparently my alternator went kaput. Don't know why, but it did. I got the revvs up after they fixed it though, and there's no problems at all. I feel much better about that. Also, like someone mentioned before, I had them order a new handbrake boot because mine was getting pinched and torn from all the use.
Overall, a good dealership experience.
I hit 5K on the rpm yesterday on 3rd gear while merging into the highway. I kept an eye out for the idiot light but there was none. Thank goodness!!
Camelard and Badulah:
What is up with purple? There's nothing wrong with that color. Actually I like it. I saw this metallic purple (plum) on a custom pick-up truck and man, did it look good. I wish my Cat came in that metallic purple.
There is nothing wrong with purple. I just have a problem with purple Kias, especially if I have to drive one for 9 days.
Actually, that's the most common time I hit over 5K is in 3rd gear merging on the highway. Man I love that 3rd gear!
I remember the first time I ever saw a shift light on something other than a drag-car ... It was a friend's older Escort, and everytime the light on the dash flashed, I screamed, "SHIFT!!!" at him. So he used to drive really slow because he hated me yelling at him. I thought it was funny, though ... :^)
LOL! That's funny!!
My '87 Dodge Charger had a shift light. It was useless.
Cross your fingers, here we go again.
Your stalling condition is not common to 1999 - 2000 Cougars. Has your dealer checked for stored failure codes in the computer?
Checking here doesn't indicate any commonality with your problem:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/servicemmy1.cfm
I agree with Blane that this is not a problem we've had much talk about here. I'd take a drive to the dealership and have them check out the computer codes, timing, and air/fuel mixture.
Good luck. I hope things work out for you. Where are you located by the way, because for some reason I want to say your region may have gotten a bad batch of Cats. I'm basing that theory of course on your mention of this being the second Cougar you've had.
Keep us informed.
Take care!
Blane:
I replied to your bulb post over in the Bigger & Better topic, but my suggestion is that you call Ford directly, they tend to answer questions about thier products.
Good luck with that, too!
I'd think twice before going to a bigger bulb. The fog light circuit was designed for the factory bulb's wattage. Installing a bulb with higher wattage isn't adviseable. Watt = power x work. Simply saying, the bulb is going to cause the circuit to draw more amperage (short term=minimal side effects, long term=electrical problems) or more power (which robs other accessories). Not to mention, the bulbs will probably burn out faster.
just my educated guess...
Other than the stalling, how's the car running?
Also, what is the general consensus on gas? Regular (87) Plus (89) or Premium (93)? Obviously, some people with mods must use 93, I do not have any mods... I was thinking Plus but just wanted to get an idea.
Cheers,
Denise
I change my oil every 5,000 miles, but I am using synthetic. If I were using basic oil, I would do it every 3,000 miles. I don't know if your service department will use synthetic. You will have to ask the service manager about that.
Is there a connection between the lower sulfur and the better mileage or is it just because the car is broken in more now?
If you plan to change your oil as often as 3,000 miles (Ford says 5,000) then you would be wasting your hard earned money buying synthetic oil. Normal name-brand high-detergent oil of the proper viscosity will do all that anyone could reasonably ask. Change your oil filter each time too.
Here's what Ford says about the proper viscosity for your Cougar, whether 1999 or 2000:
Service Bulletin Number: 99816
Bulletin Sequence Number: 642
Date of Bulletin: 9905
NHTSA Item Number: SB606420
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR
Year: 1999
Component: ENGINE
Summary: FORD MOTOR COMPANY NOW RECOMMENDS SAE 5W-30 VISCOSITY GRADE FOR SERVICING ANY FORD GASOLINE-POWERED VEHICLE REGARDLESS OF MODEL YEAR. *TT
Synthetic oil is designed for much higher operating temperatures than you would experience in normal city and highway driving. It might also make sense for those who think that extended mileage oil changes make sense (I don't). If you are going to drain it from your engine after 3,000 or 5,000 miles, the claimed longer life is immaterial. Most of the benefits of synthetic oils are derived from the higher profits to their producers and sellers. That's why there is as much marketing hype as there is.
This may be because the zetec in my ZX2 seized at 18K miles on a 95 F day running with 5W30.
Some may say that draining synthetic oil at 5,000 mile intervals is pointless, but I believe that synthetic truly extends the life of an engine. I have always used synthetic, and all of my cars ran well in to the 200,000 mile range. My father has also used synthetic for over 12 years and all of his cars ran for very long periods of time (all of which were American cars).
That's my recommendation, you'll probably never hear that from a mechanic (I think it's because they want you to spend the money on frequent oil changes more than their claim of engine longevity).
Take from that what you will, as this is my opinion ...
Good luck, let us know what you choose.
If you go for the 10K oil change interval, you should still change your filter at 5K or 7.5K to keep the solid contaminants under control. As I recall though, one or more of my earlier car manufacturers recommended the opposite. They said to change the filter at every OTHER oil change, but the oil change schedule was probably 5K.
articles.http://www.mr2.com/TEXT/synth_oil.txt
I also found some smaller articles as well, but this one was the most in depth, and gave some outstanding examples of just how good synthetic oil is for a cars engine.
Like Badulah said, synthetic reduces wear and tear on the engine, which causes it to last longer.
It also causes a car to run cooler, and can in some instances lower a car's octane requirement.
Go to Go.com, enter synthetic motor oil, and read some of the articles you will find, I am sure it will convince you.
I had the oil change done at Wal-Mart. For only slightly more than an oil change at Jiffy Lube using natural oil I got a synthetic oil change.
Hope this helps!
And good news for me: the dealer says they are getting other reports of stalling from other owners. While I don't wish this problem on others, maybe it'll get more attention and maybe there will be a solution ultimately.
However, I will also add that I think my car runs better with 89 octane which is why I switched back to it.
I have noticed that my car runs smoother since I switched to synthetic oil, and it is also a little cooler based on my totally scientific hand to the hood test.
In the province of Ontario the average sulfur content in our Regular Unleaded gas (87 octane) is 500 parts per million (ppm)one of the highest in Canada and among industrialized nations. A local independent has started offering a low sulfur gas which contains only 150ppm. This is available in both 87 and 92 octane. The sole advertised benefit is a significant reduction of toxic emissions (ie: greenhouse gasses)which is why I started using it.
What surprised me is I now seem to be getting better gas mileage and I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this with lower sulfur fuels.
Fill up early in the morning or late at night. In the middle of the day, the gas is warmer and expands, so a gallon by volume actually is lighter in weight -- therefore less product -- than a cooler, unexpanded gallon.
I have noticed that I don't get the same distance out of a tank filled in the middle of a hot day as I do with a tank filled early morning on a cool day.....like about 40+ miles difference!
My wife's father was an alumni, and a native of State College, Pa. She's got more cousins in that area than you can shake a stick at.
As a matter of fact, we were back visiting last year for a week. Stayed at the Autoport out on Atherton. Had a good time, and also had a lot of fun driving up and down the mountains on the twisties. Even got to take in an evening of sprint car racing at the Clinton Co. fairgrounds.
Hope you aare enjoying your new cat as much as the rest of us.
Skip G.