Cougar Support Group - General Maintenance

crighto · February 2001

thanks for the suggestion.

Just a follow up. My dealer could not get a transmission and is still waiting for the supplier. It seems there are none to be had and we must wait until one is manufactured.

This is the first transmission of a cougar he had to deal with, but two weeks after I brought my in he has his second. A 2000 with less than 2,000k.

Originally he thought he had ordered a transmission fro me, but once it arrived there seemed to be a part number mix up and it was actually a contour transmission.

gocatz · February 2001

After a little incident with a ditch, I had to replace my tires (along with $7,000 worth of other stuff) I got the BFG g-Force's, since there were really only a couple of brands available in our size (215/50R16).

Does anybody else have these tires. Did you think the ride was substantially harsher than the stock BFG's? Seems like it is, but thought it was maybe just me, since I haven't driven the car in a month.

badulah · February 2001

Generally speaking, BFG's are a good choice. Every BFG I have owned or driven has satisfied me.

badulah · February 2001

Since a few of you have posted about the brake rotors going bad, I decided to take my Cat to Ford and have them do a brake inspection. After 42,000 miles everything still looks good. According to the service rep she only has 40% wear on the front pads and 20% on the rear. I was ready to have them tell me that I needed new pads and rotors.

What a relief!!

In a month I plan to have a set of Eibach springs installed at a local performance shop. I'll have them upgrade the pads to performance pads during the same visit. Normally I wouldn't bother, but since I plan to auto-cross this spring & summer, I think it is a wise decision.

For those of you thinking about upgrading to cross drilled / slotted rotors, you may want to think twice. Although they will improve the already great braking performance, they tend to wear out the pads quicker. The slots have a shaving effect (very slight) on the pads. Like most mods, there are positives and negatives. Better braking, but more maintenance.

fredly · February 2001

go catz,
the BFG is a awesome tire, compared to either of the other two stock options the BFG VR4's or the FireRocks....
You'll be very pleased.
BTW the KDW came standard on the Contour SVT...

gocatz · February 2001

Thanks, fredly. I haven't really put them to a test, yet, but these guys feel really solid. Even better handling...woo hoo!

krnch · February 2001

Maybe Leo Capaldi used up all of the available Cougar transmissions last racing season

badulah · February 2001

While speaking to Leo at Cougar Fest, he told me that his pit crew could actually swap an entire trans in around 10 minutes. I can barely change my wiper blades in that time.

lmigliore · February 2001

A 10 minute transmission change in a front-wheel drive car? They must have had a lot of practice...perhaps too much practice.

camelard · March 2001

On the way to work this morning my Kitty's engine started making this hideous whining noise, almost like a high pitched whistle. Seems to start when I hit about 40kmph/25mph and continues until I come to a near stop. No noise at all when idling. Anyone experienced this?

badulah · March 2001

No, sorry I have never heard of this. Anyone have any suggestions?

I would take it to the service dept ASAP. Hopefully it is nothing they can't correct quickly.

Keep us informed.

fish8 · March 2001

Sorry, no help here. From day 1, my engine has been flawless.

camelard · March 2001

Turns out it was the transmission that was doing the whistling. Apparently it had the wrong transmission fluid in it which they replaced with a synthetic and problem solved. Go figure.

welshluvr · March 2001

It's 4 am., the tow truck brought me home at 3 am.. I hardly post on any of the lists I'm due to no time. My 99 is at the dealership after it died on the highway at 1 am.. AAA said they would be there, but as usual they never came. The police came by twice and were told that AAA had too many calls at 2:30 am.. The car died at the stop light. Even the emergency lights died. The police stayed behind me so no one would hit me. March 9, 2001, I had the 15,000 mile checkup. was told everything checked out fine. This is the SECOND time I have been stranded on the highway. I gave up my 12 yr old RELIABLE, DEPENDABLE Nissan, because of it's age. I made the false assumption that a new car would be more reliable. The car is probably a lemon. It died on the highway with less than 5000 miles the first time. There was no gas. The dealership broke the gas tank, misconfigured the fuel cap. Ford doesn't care. Last time I called Ford, their data base no longer carried any reference to me as an owner. All the problems I reported to them were gone. According to them there was no record that I owned a Ford/Mercury product.
Jan 12, 2000, Jan. 12 2000 1a.m,Jan 13,2000, Jan 14,2000, Jan 15,2000, Jan 17,2000, Jan 19,2000,
Jan 21, 2000, (still waiting on parts), Jan 22, 2000 (part came in), Jan 26, 2000 (car returned to me), Feb 15,2000, Nov 27, 2000, March 9, 2001 15K service) March 23, 2001 (stranded at 1a.m in dead car).
Did the required maintenance. Of course I would rather be freezing at 2 am. in a dead car, than a nice warm,comfortable bed

Francs
now that Ford owns Volvo, Volvo's quality will go downhill

fish8 · March 2001

Sorry to hear about your car troubles. Have you looked into the lemon law?

Also, did you know all new Cougars come with a 3year/36,000 mile warranty that provides roadside assistance? There is no excuse for AAA not servicing you, but you did have Mercury's road side assistance. I would definately look into getting out of this car and either get your money back or get a new '01. Good luck with getting your car fixed.

welshluvr · March 2001

Thanks for the info.I called Mercury Roadside assistance the first time. It was a 3 hr walk to my house, arriving at 1 a.m. Unless you have a cell phone roadside assistance is useless. Mercury said they couldn't find info on me. Found out someone sent a false change of address. I had a 12 yr old Nissan. I bought a new car with the assumption of dependability. My mistake. Sometime by midweek they will look at it. Police said it sounds like the alternator. I informed the dealer that the light would not go off (this was before the mileage was 15000). According to the book the error indicator stated battery not charging. Dealer said it was because of the cold. The error light was a false indicator of a problem. My other cars I kept for 10 yrs. Won't do that with this. Lemons are hard to prove and time and mileage have limits.

louf22 · March 2001

Today I got the 1000 mile oil change for my Cougar. Right before I took it in I checked the manual for the recommended oil. It listed 5W-20. First I'd ever seen that viscosity. Anyhow Jiffy Lube had it and put it in. I later checked NECO's Cougar online manual. It recommended 5W-30!

I guess NECO's is a pre-2001 manual, and 2001s got the change.

Anybody else found this to be true? I hate to think I put a too low viscosity oil in. I guess if it screws up the engine I can show Ford the manual.

Lou

fish8 · April 2001

Not sure about the oil viscocity, but good luck using Jiffy Lube. I have heard nightmarish stories about that chain. I took my wifes car to a chain oil change place and I realized that I can take my car to the dealer and pay about the same price. or...you can chain your own oil like some people in this thread.......good luck anyways..

louf22 · April 2001

I got adventuresome today and checked the oil level to make sure Jiffy Lube got it right

. The oil filler cap did actually have printed on it "5W-20".
I've been using Jiffy Lube for years. Generally the wait is 15-60 minutes and I've not had any trouble, except at one about 10 years ago I happened to look in the garage and they had my stereo going full blast! I never went to that one again.

Lou

blane · April 2001

louf22:

Here's what the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) database at the National Highway Transportation Safety Board's site at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/servicemmy.cfm has regarding your question:

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

fish8 · April 2001

I'm glad to hear you found a great place to get your oil changed. I don't think all Jiffy Lubes are bad. It's just important to find a good one. I guess thats the case with all shops.

badulah · April 2001

Has anyone actually seen 5W-20 in the stores? I don't recall ever seeing it.

I do my own changes using Castrol Syntech 5W-30. I was using Fram Sure-grip oil filters, but a study I read said that Fram is one of the worst filters on the market. They recommended the Mobil-1 filter. I'm going to further investigate this before I switch filters.

louf22 · April 2001

I wonder why the move to a narrower range, lower viscosity oil? Are more modern oils (higher rating letter) more stable under engine temperature so can be thinner and still provide full protection? Do newer engines have closer tolerances that do better with a lower viscosity oil?
Sorry this is a bit off topic; anybody got answers? The Jiffy Lube that changed my 5W-20 oil had just gotten the Pennzoil I got. So perhaps other Ford vehicles and other makes are starting to use it?

Lou

stageleft · April 2001

Maybe it's new? If nobody's ever heard of it, and a Ford recommendation from a year-or-so ago, might mean it's a new deal. I'd never seen orange anti-freeze before the Cougar ...

But if I had to choose, I would say it's the tolerances of the Duratech engine. :^)

louf22 · April 2001

It seems over the past couple of decades or so I've noticed a general change in recommended viscosity from 10W-40 (even 20W-50) back in the late 70's to 5W-30 just recently to 5W-20 now. Maybe I'm wrong. The ol' brain cells might have got a little sludge buildup themselves

.

I'm not sure (since I never changed it) but I think my 98 Contour had the special antifreeze.

Lou

lokigirl · April 2001

Okay, so this is the first time posting. I find myself upset and sad about my 99 Cougar. I bought it two months ago and today would be the third time its going into the service place. The first problem it had was the transmission it made this crackling ugly noise. Second, the gearshift alignment was wacked it wouldn't turn on in park. I had to put it in neutral to get it to start. Well, they put in a new gearshift whatever. Everything was perfect then it happend. I got stuck in the mall. The gearshift would not move from park. It started fine and everything put the gearshift was stuck in park! I was like this is not happening. Well, I was wondering if anyone has had this problem? Or can someone give me some advice. I even mentioned to dealer about a traid in already. I really love my baby but it is just having too many problems.

blane · April 2001

lokigirl:

Here's some help for your post #375 automatic transmission problem. I'm sorry that this is such a long post, but I've included summaries of several Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) references that seem to be related to your problem. I'd suggest that you print out the list and take it to your dealership's Service Manager and ask them to review the specifics of each TSB. They have a much more detailed printout available on their Ford computer system. Ask to be shown a copy of each one that applies to your vehicle before they do any work. Good luck.

Service Bulletin Number: 5823
Bulletin Sequence Number: 523
Date of Bulletin: 9903
NHTSA Item Number: SB605229
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR
Year: 1999
Component: POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
Summary: SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A CD4E TRANSAXLE MAY EXHIBIT A TRANSMISSION NO FORWARD ENGAGEMENT.

Service Bulletin Number: 12598
Bulletin Sequence Number: 532
Date of Bulletin: 9903
NHTSA Item Number: SB605321
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR
Year: 1999
Component: POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
Summary: INFORMATION REGARDING TWO CD4E TRANSAXLES ADDED TO FORD QUALITY RENEWAL (FQR) PROGRAM

Service Bulletin Number: 12519
Bulletin Sequence Number: 609
Date of Bulletin: 9903
NHTSA Item Number: SB6091763
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR
Year: 1999
Component: POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
Summary: SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A CD4E TRANSAXLE MAY EXHIBIT A NO FORWARD DRIVE CONCERN.

Service Bulletin Number: 4674
Bulletin Sequence Number: 151
Date of Bulletin: 9808
NHTSA Item Number: SB615213
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR
Year: 1999
Component: POWER TRAIN:TRANSMISSION:UNKNOWN TYPE
Summary: SOME VEHICLES WITH CD4E TRANSMISSION MAY EXHIBIT A CONDITION OF NO CRANK / NO START IN PARK. VEHICLE WILL CRANK AND START IN NEUTRAL.

Service Bulletin Number: 4705
Bulletin Sequence Number: 152
Date of Bulletin: 9808
NHTSA Item Number: SB615244
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR
Year: 1999
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Summary: SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A CONCERN OF AN INTERMITTENT NO CRANK, NO START BY INADEQUATE MATING OF CONNECTOR C1936 OR AN UNDER-TORQUED STARTER SOLENOID WIRE AT C973A AND C973B.

Service Bulletin Number: 11791
Bulletin Sequence Number: 152
Date of Bulletin: 9808
NHTSA Item Number: SB615292
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR
Year: 1999
Component: POWER TRAIN:TRANSMISSION:UNKNOWN TYPE
Summary: SOME VEHICLES WITH CD4E TRANSMISSION MAY EXHIBIT A CONDITION OF NO CRANK / NO START IN PARK. VEHICLE WILL CRANK AND START IN NEUTRAL.

cougar2212 · April 2001

I have a 95 Cougar X-R7 with a V-8 engine. I have recently encountered problems since I have filled up with gas. When I press the accelerator it hesitates then it kinda jerks while it is trying to go. I have had a transmission maintenance twice to prevent problems have my oil changed every 1,000 miles to prevent any problems, I have 99,484 miles on my cougar. I have not had any luck with one of those pour in your gas to clean fuel injectors. Is there a fuel injector maintenance with the dealer that I should try? Any suggestions on what this problem may be?

badulah · April 2001

cougar2212:
A mechanic is able to flush/clean the injectors out, and the results will be very noticeable. If they are far gone, they may also suggest that they be replaced.

I would suggest that you find a reputable mechanic and not go to a local FMC/LM dealership. They tend to over charge. I only allow them to take care of warranty issues since these will not cost me a dime.

jdbishop · April 2001

I have had similar problems when using Shell gas on a 92 Mercury Sable, a 1990 Mazda Miata, a 1994 Miata and a 93 T-Bird. When I switched to Exxon or Chevron, the problem went away. I tried a couple of times to go back to Shell but had the same hesitation problems. My solution was to never again buy Shell gas. No more problems.

gustafsc · April 2001

Hmmm!

I've been using Shell gas from my local dealer for at least 25yrs in both carburetted and injected cars, and have yet to have a problem.

Even my Nissan Sentra SE-R didn't need to have the injectors cleaned after 9 years and 60Kmi.

Now, having said that, there could easily be a problem with the formulation of the refinery in your area (Tx) that we don't have here (Il.)

Who Knows? When I was in H.S. my buddies 49 Merc would stop exactly 3mi away after putting in Clark gas. We got real good at stripping down that backdraft carb in the street, cleaning it out, and getting back running in about 10-15 min. May have been the station's tanks, the gas was dirty to begin with, etc...

Skip G.

coolchick · April 2001

I've started getting a nasty squeaky noise when the driver's side window is opening or closing, loudest in the top third of the frame. It's worse when the weather is warmer. Has anyone else noticed this?

badulah · April 2001

Coolchick:
I have had this problem several times. The dealership cured this problem by lubricating it, but it started again last week and my warranty is up, so I plan to take off the door panel and lube it myself. If your car is still covered under the warranty, take it in for service.

jdbishop · April 2001

I have had this problem since my car was new and it's two years old this Thursday. The windows fit tight, don't leak, don't have any wind noise and otherwise are perfect, so I have decided to live with the problem rather than have some ham fisted mechanic ruin the fit or function. The squeak only happens when it is hot.

advocatus · April 2001

I'm confused. I'm being tempted by an attractive offer on a Olds Alero, but I really want a Cougar. How do you feel about this price? It seems high to me. Cougar 2000 V6 (Auto

) silver, 10k miles 13,999 dollars? (factory used) Any opinions? I'm much rather find a demo with about 2k and pay for it then this. What do you think?

Thanks guys/girls

badulah · April 2001

Currently the CSG is sponsoring a Cougar rally in Lakeville, Conneticut at Lime Rock Park Raceway from Friday May 25th to Monday May 28th. The purpose of this meeting is to get together and rally for the Cougar race team, Capaldi Racing.

Capaldi Racing is a member of the SCCA which will be hosting two races during this weekend. Friday will be the race qualifications, Saturday will be the first race and Monday will be the second race.

Our plan is to meet on Friday at a local restaurant and have dinner together. Saturday we will view the first race, Sunday we will relax and kick back with the Capaldi Racing Team, and on Monday we plan to attend the second race. Even if your not a race fan, this should be a GREAT weekend!

Currently Capaldi Racing has acquired 20 race & Pit passes for the CSG. At this point in time we only have 4 left. If you are interested in attending this event, please email me as soon as possible. You can check out all the details at:

CSG Lime Rock Park Event Info

Thank you,
Rob AKA "Badulah"
CSG Public Relations & General Management

badulah · April 2001

Currently the CSG is sponsoring a Cougar rally in Lakeville, Connecticut at Lime Rock Park Raceway from Friday May 25th to Monday May 28th. The purpose of this meeting is to get together and rally for the Cougar race team, Capaldi Racing.

Capaldi Racing is a member of the SCCA which will be hosting two races during this weekend. Friday will be the race qualifications, Saturday will be the first race and Monday will be the second race.

Our plan is to meet on Friday at a local restaurant and have dinner together. Saturday we will view the first race, Sunday we will relax and kick back with the Capaldi Racing Team, and on Monday we plan to attend the second race. Even if your not a race fan, this should be a GREAT weekend!

Currently Capaldi Racing has acquired 20 race & Pit passes for the CSG. At this point in time we only have 4 left. If you are interested in attending this event, please email me as soon as possible. You can check out all the details at:

CSG Lime Rock Park Event Info

Thank you,
Rob AKA "Badulah"
CSG Public Relations & General Management

jdbishop · April 2001

I finally broke down and bought a new set of tires today. My Firerocks had over 31,000 miles and one of them was down to 5mm of tread left, so I thought I'd better get a new set before summer travel. I priced the Fire rocks at a Firestone store for comparison purposes and was quoted something in excess of $160 per tire with all the goodies including road hazard, etc. I then checked Tire Rack and they were running a special on the OEM B.F.Goodrich Comp T/A's at $64.00 per tire. I went to the local B.F.Goodrich store and was quoted "over $150 per tire plus mounting etc". I then went to Discount Tires and their price for the CompT/A's was $140 plus all the extras. I told him that Tire Rack was selling them for $64.00 each and he said "I can match that price if you pay $10.00 per tire for shipping and handling. I have never seen such a dramatic price drop in two seconds. from 140 to 74 (when you add in the shipping etc.) I bought the BFGoodrich from Discount Tires. Bottom line came up to $370.00 without the road hazard and free replacement for the entire tread life. This added $47.00 to the price and also includes all rotation, balancing fixing flats etc. Hope I like them. I really wanted to stay with the 215/50 R16VR's.

badulah · April 2001

Jdbishop:
Although I don't have BFG's on my Cat, my Brother's Girlfriend does and I have driven her car several times. The difference between the BFG's and the Firestones is very noticeable. For the money, I don't think you can go wrong with these tires. Good luck and let us know how you like them.

gustafsc · April 2001

That's a helluva good price for a full set.

My cat came with them, and I've been pleased as far as performance has been concerned. If you went back to the old posts, the general consensus was that they were better by far than the Firerocks.

My only problems have been a sharp piece of scrap metal @60mph, and one extreme pothole that took out the wheel along with the tire. If it were'nt for those two episodes, I'd have been trouble free.

Skip G

badulah · April 2001

Over the weekend I got adventurous and changed the spark plugs. It was not very easy, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I also replaced the wiper blades and I was planning to replace the cabin air filter, but the local NAPA didn't have any in sock. When I asked for the filter, the manager informed me that he just sold the last one about an hour before I walked in the door. He also said that they are a popular item. I found that funny because I hardly ever see any Cougars in my area. He said in the last week he sold over 6 of them to Cougar owners.

stageleft · April 2001

Does replacing your plugs before 100k miles void the 100k mile tune-up warranty?

jdbishop · April 2001

After about 400 miles, my initial impression with the Comp T/A's is 100% positive. The ride is much quieter, is very noticeably softer and smoother and the handling is awesome. Some of the improvements are no doubt attributable to the tires being new, but I still think they are an improvement over the Firestone's. More later.

P.S. It is my understanding that the 100K tune up is nothing more than a marketing tool to announce that the car has platinum tipped spark plugs. Nothing else is included in the so called "tune up".

badulah · April 2001

StageLeft:
The Stock plugs are Motorcraft platinums and they WERE FRIED!! I have only 45,000 miles on the car and they looked like they should have been replaced at 35,000 miles. I personally don't believe in the 1000,000 tune up. Platinum plugs wear out like all plugs.

On a side note, I really don't care about Ford's 1000,000 mile warranty. I don't ever plan to have them tune up my car anyway. Last time I took her to Ford I asked about the 40,000 mile check up and they rambled off a number of things they said they would do and then quoted me a price that was over $400.00!!! The items they listed were nothing that I couldn't do in my own driveway with my own tools and my own two hands.

Before the trip up to Lime Rock I plan to take her in to a local shop and have the belts, and timing checked. These are two things that I do not like to mess with.

jdbishop:
I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your new tires. The Cougar's handling really shines when mated with a good set of tires.

fish8 · April 2001

What exactly did oyu do for your 30,000 mile tume up? what items were replaced? At 15K(currently have 24,300) they replaced my fuel filter. I have replaced air filter, pollen filter and regular oil changes at 3500 miles. My cars lease is out in about 2 years or 48,000 miles and I'm womdering what or if I should get done at the 30,000 mile mark. or Should I just let the car go until I hand it back to Ford. I really don't want to put loads of money into it if I am not going to keep it for much longer. Thoughts?

fish8 · April 2001

That was 48,000 miles total when I give my car back. Not 48K additional miles.

badulah · April 2001

The dealership wanted over $400 for a number of bogus things. I can't remember all of them, but here is what I do remember:

- Change Intake filter (I have the KKM, so this is not necessary)
- Change cabin air filter
- Oil Change (I do my own changes every 3,500-5,000 miles using Castrol Syntech)
- Check all hoses (I do this every few months)
- Check belts
- Clean out MAF (I do this when ever I clean the KKM)
- Clean out throttle body (this can be done at home with a can of Gum-Out Throttle Body Cleaner)
- Check Spark Plug wires (I inspect them visually every few months)
- Check brake pads (have my mechanic do this when I rotate my tires)
- Rotate tires (I have them rotated by a local garage every 4-5 thousand miles)
- Check timing
- Flush coolant system (IMHO, this is not necessary at this point)

There were a few other things, but none of which were anything major. I took the list of stuff to a local garage and my mechanic laughed and said the dealership was trying to rip me off. What else is new?

fish8 · April 2001

Thanks Badulah!!

badulah · April 2001

Not a problem!!

bkjprince · April 2001

I have noticed two strange behaviors with my new cat.

1. Under hard acceleration conditions (most of my driving)thee seams to be a lull after engauging second gear, similar to when an automatic downshifts. Mine is a MTX. Almost like the engine is flooded momentarily when the gas is punched before taking off. Any ideas?

2. Just after starting and after engauging either reverse or first and slowly starting to roll away, I can feel and hear a strange rub through the brake pedal, just like one of the brakes was clamped and is realeased but all the others are not engauged. ABS or parking brake releasing?

BKJ

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