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1999 Mercury Cougar Battery light & shuddering

Tiny
OSUXCHRISTI
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 MERCURY COUGAR
Engine Performance problem
1999 Mercury Cougar 6 cyl Manual 168000 miles

About a month ago, my battery light started flickering off and on. Last time this started happening, my alternator went out, so I replaced it about a year and a half ago. I took my car to AutoZone, where they ran the test and said my alternator was technically bad. I then took it to an auto shop where they also ran tests and said my alternator was fine. However, I have a few oil leaks and a bad serpentine belt, which I have not yet fixed. Also recently, my car has started shuddering sometimes when I go to take off, or when I accelerate above about 60 mph. Usually it will stop after minute, but recently I was traveling home from Kansas City, about a 4 hr trip, and all of a sudden I kept losing speed and shuddering, even though I was flooring it. It fixed itself after a minute or two. Could the cause of the battery light flickering and my engine problems be the same? If not, what could be the cause of these problems? I'm clueless! I am due for an oil change, but I don't know if that would have anything to do with it. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! I'm a 24 yr old girl who knows nothing about cars and am worried I'm gonna get ripped off for just that reason!
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Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 AT 6:33 PM

4 Replies

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Have the alternator and battery load tested, check the fuel pressure, the throttle position sensor, MAF/MAP sensors-
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Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 AT 7:24 PM
Tiny
OSUXCHRISTI
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Do I just take it somewhere and ask them to check all of those things? And based on the problems I listed, anyone know what the chances are of my car suddenly breaking down? I know that's probably hard to answer, but I need to drive to Kansas City this weekend and I'm wondering if I would make it there and back!
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Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 AT 7:28 PM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
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I strongly recommend you do especially the charging system
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Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 AT 4:08 AM
Tiny
AJFORREST
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
I've had mine since I was 22 and I'm now 30 and, yes, being a female it's easy for mechanics to rip you off on this car. And I've had mine worked on alot. Thank God my boyfriend has turned it's maintenance into his project! I recommend taking it to a Ford dealership and have them run a diagnostic before you do anything. It's going to cost you around $150 but it's going to save you alot of headache, I promise. A few things to check out with the issues your having. Clean, and I mean really clean, your battery posts to make sure you're getting a good connection between your battery and alternator. Have the cables between the battery and the alternator checked. If all of that's ok, check your fuel pump. We replaced all kinds of things before we discovered the fuel pump was the real problem. If you can have the diagnostic run, that should tell you exactly what the problem is. Good Luck!
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Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 AT 11:45 AM

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