1988 Mercury Cougar - Pick a problem

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I have a 1988 mercury cougar 5 litre v8 and it doesn’t start. Which of the following problems could it be? Wiring harness repair kit, ignition switch or solenoid. Any help would greatly appreciated. I know their was a recall on the ignition switch back in 1996. tyvm.

2

If you really want to know why it won’t start then you will have to have it towed to a shop because there could be 20 guesses and all could be wrong.

5 Likes
3

Any or all you listed cold be the problem on this 33 year old car and a whole lot more.

1 Like
4

Try shifting the transmission into neutral and then see if it starts.

Tester

5

When you turn the key what happens? Silence, clicking, engine trying to turn over or something else.

3 Likes
6

The car is silent. The drivers side door was beeping when we drove home. We shut the car off and the door stopped beeping and it would not start.The battery is still good. tyvm for replying.

7

I hav never heard a door beep. If you mean you got a drivers door ajar signal and a beeping noise, a shorted door switch could have caused a dead battery. Why did you say the battery is good? Did you put a voltmeter on it?

1 Like
8

Thanks for replying. Will do. But I think it could be lots of problems. I think I will have to let a mechanic figure it out. I am not too mechanically inclined.

9

does this car have a alarm system? alarm systems can cause a whole host of weird problems, especially in this old of a vehicle. just something else to check

1 Like
10

If you can’t do a lot of the work yourself, be prepared to dump tons of money into a car that isn’t particularly valuable unless it’s an XR7 in great condition. I am referring to ongoing maintenance and repairs, not just your current problem, which might be something simple.