[SealGal]

I am VERY frusturated! I have a '99 Merc cougar... and last Saturday on my way home from work, the whole car went nuts on me!
First, my battery light came on... but it was flickering. I decided I had better take it in to have it checked on to make sure nothing is wrong. About 5 minutes later, my ABS, parking brake, and traction control light all came on at the SAME time! So then I started panicking b/c I had no clue what was going on.. I just wanted to get home asap to see what was going on! So I kept on driving along.... then about another 5 minutes later, my air bag light came on! Then after another few minutes, all the lights on my display got dimmer, dimmer, dimmer and then all went out, then my head lights went out, my radio was shutting itself on and off (so I just shut it off)... then next thing I know my spedometer went down to 0 (and I was doing about 55 trying to hurry and get my car home!)... my gas gauge went down to E... and then my car just quit working and died, right there on the street!

Has anyone else had this problem? Or know what to do about it? My boyfriend and I have been testing EVERYTHING... we have pretty much ruled the alternator out, we have tested all of the fuses, the battery seems to be fine, although it's not holding a charge properly b/c there is a drain coming from someplace. We think it may be a ground? Anyone know where the grounds are, how to lcoate them and see if they are loose or need to be replaced??? Thanks in advance!


Kathy

 

[cmpcpro]

Hi there. First off, this forum covers Cougars from 67-73, so not many of us will be able to help you. There are forums for newer Cougars out there, so you might want to try searching for them on Yahoo.

As for your problem, it sounds like you have a big short somewhere. Could be something grounding out where it shouldn't be. I would bring it to a mechanic who can test it, as it doesn't sound like something you and your boyfriend will be able to fix.

It probably wouldn't be the alternator or battery, but more like a broken wire.

I'd get that cat to a vet, right away.

 

[SealGal]

thanks for replying! i realized this was a "classic cougar" forum, but it was the only one i could find so i was hoping someone out there would be able to help! thanks for the info tho! my bf is a huge car nut, we were hoping it was something simpler, but it isn't looking good! thanks again!

 

[cmpcpro]

No problem, I will go look for a forum that can be some help and post it back here for you... Hope you fix it.

 

[sixt9coug]

it might eb a bad ground.. but i kinda doubt it. has te car ever been in a wreck?? has it had any mechanical problems as well? sounds like the alternator or battery itself is bad and its dying on you. umm..... short of maybe being damaged at some point earlier in its life.. im not really sure how a ground could come loose on the car. has any electrical work been done to it?? maybe a stereo system or something along those lines by chance? just a thought.

 

[cmpcpro]

http://www.gtbird.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=3

Theres a Cougar forum for you that seems to deal with the newer cars. Hope that helps.

 

[SealGal]

Actually, it has never been in a wreck. I bought it brand new back in December of 99. It did have a new aftermarket radio put in, but that was when I first got it... would it really take 3 years for that to be seen as a problem? The only thing that has been fixed on it, was there was a recall on the battery cable routing... and I took it into the dealership right away for that and they claimed they fixed it... so now I have no clue! From various people I know who work for Ford and Visteon, they all keep saying something about the ground system, I'm wondering if they know something I don't and are afraid to tell me or something?
My other problem, the car has over 40,000 miles on it and so the warranty is expired! LoL I'm a full time college student who works part time to be able to make my car/insurance payments every month, therefore, I am broke and cannot afford to take it into the dealership! :-( This is what I get for listening to my dad when he told me to never buy a car that was not a Ford. Yeah, Merc and Ford are one in the same, but Mazda is the one who rebuilt/deisgned the new cougar! LoL

Thanks again everyone for all your help! I REALLY appreciate it!

 

[cmpcpro]

No problem, tell us how it turns out!

 

[72cat]

Don't 'Coolcats' cover the newer cougars.
http://www.coolcats.net/

 

[Grunt Doc]

Kathy, If there's an Auto Zone or Advance Auto anywhere near, I'd recommend getting them to check your charging system. Either of them should do it at no charge. It sounds to me like somethin in the charging system has gone bad. Good luck!

Wayne

 

[radcat68]

Check and see if the 175 amp mega fuse in the alternator output circuit is blown.

 

[swamper]

Put a different battery in it with a full charge and see if everything comes back. I have to thing we are looking at either charging system or bad battery.

It sounds like it just ran out of juice.

 

[Logan]

Another New cougar site that has alot of stuff related to the last gen Cougar is http://www.newcougar.org

 

[LiLWrink]

Dead Cat!

I know some folks that had a similar situation. The wife had to be rescued roadside, the husband took the car to the ford dealer where they replaced a bunch of stuff that was real expensive. Kept the car for days, until they checked the battery.
The battery, turns out, would hold enough of a charge to test good, but not enough to operate the car. $85 at AutoZone!
I hope your problem turns out to be this simple, without all the expense... g'luck:ylsup: :ylsup: :ylsup: