Hello all, hopefully I'm here to stay.

S

Steve93

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Aug 26, 2026
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Recently inherited a Cougar from a family member. V6 Auto W reg X pack.

After six weeks, it has grown on me massively. MOT is booked for next weekend and hopefully she sails through.

Have been lurking through available threads, but will look to get membership sorted in the next week or so.

Car was sat sorn for around a year, so a quick fuel/pollen filter change and will look to do a full service after the MOT.

Previous owner would love the fact it's being driven and enjoyed, so I may be pestering you guys for some knowledge/advice should i come across any issues.

Thanks
Steve
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Thanks. Only advisory last year was minor corrosion on rear subframe, so I'm positive.

Will chuck a cataclean through it and go for a good drive down the motorway before I drop it off. I'm just always scared of emissions with older cars.
 
Steve93 said:
Car was sat sorn for around a year, so a quick fuel/pollen filter change and...
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Oil and filter change if you haven't done that already. I know nothing of your car's history, but old, worn oil will destroy the HC emission figure and will in any case wreck your catalysts as it bleeds down from the valve stem seals, and up past the piston rings.

As a W-reg, there is a small chance that it has an EGR system (depends on build date - Andy might be able to help you there) and if it does, you need to blow out the throttle body and pipework with carb cleaner.

Also, get as much mileage out of it as possible before the test. Run it until the fuel tank is nearly dry, then refill. It's a myth these days that petrol goes "bad and unusable" after 6 months, but it will have degraded and can cause poor combustion. That'll possibly show up as a poor lambda.

Good luck, Steve. And if you're considering keeping the car and sticking around, think about getting a subscription. It's not 100% necessary, but you'll find a good 25 years' worth of information, plus a cheerful greasy-arse crew who may even come over and help you work on your car if it needs it for the price of bacon and tea.
 
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Mako said:
Oil and filter change if you haven't done that already. I know nothing of your car's history, but old, worn oil will destroy the HC emission figure and will in any case wreck your catalysts as it bleeds down from the valve stem seals, and up past the piston rings.

As a W-reg, there is a small chance that it has an EGR system (depends on build date - Andy might be able to help you there) and if it does, you need to blow out the throttle body and pipework with carb cleaner.

Also, get as much mileage out of it as possible before the test. Run it until the fuel tank is nearly dry, then refill. It's a myth these days that petrol goes "bad and unusable" after 6 months, but it will have degraded and can cause poor combustion. That'll possibly show up as a poor lambda.

Good luck, Steve. And if you're considering keeping the car and sticking around, think about getting a subscription. It's not 100% necessary, but you'll find a good 25 years' worth of information, plus a cheerful greasy-arse crew who may even come over and help you work on your car if it needs it for the price of bacon and tea.
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I wanted to do the oil, filter and plugs. But wife (boss) has told me to get the MOT before I start doing much too it. Was full service history up until her uncle bought it, so it seems like it's been looked after.

I can see it has an EGR system. I took the rubber off the throttle body and it for a 26 year old motor it looks pretty clean in there.

Might have already (hopefully not prematurely) sourced an st200 UIM and throttle body. So hoping for a smooth MOT, then swapping that will make the plugs more accessible.
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Quicksilver said:
Badly corroded rear subframes have led to the premature demise of many a Cougar but if it's only minor and treatable you should be fine. 👍
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When i got the car up for the fuel filter it really didn't look too bad. So hoping a bit of a rub down and maybe some hammerite will keep that from becoming an issue.

I did notice that the brake lines were mounted to the rear suspension and were rubbing slightly. Added a bit of spiral wrap to protect. Do you know if this is a common issue?
 
Quicksilver said:
Badly corroded rear subframes have led to the premature demise of many a Cougar but if it's only minor and treatable you should be fine. 👍
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Man, the number of people who looked at the price of them when Ford originally priced them... and then what they cost now because they're so rare! Never been cheap.

Paul (Shirtyzeus) and I did a handshake over a club-level exchange program, but it didn't work out. And what we didn't consider was, what do we do if we get one that literally can't be rescued? That's got to be the end of the chain, right?

Anyway, I still have two completely restored and treated ones and would love them to go to a couple of worthy motors. But that's a conversation for another day.


::EDIT:: I understand the boss' position - she doesn't want you chasing around after a car that's going to cost you for no reason. But the fact is, oil, filter and plugs are precisely the things that it might need to get it through emissions testing. After that - and assuming no penetrating rust in her belly - you're good to go. But you need to give kitty the best chance, otherwise what's the point?
 
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Mako said:
Man, the number of people who looked at the price of them when Ford originally priced them... and then what they cost now because they're so rare! Never been cheap.

Paul (Shirtyzeus) and I did a handshake over a club-level exchange program, but it didn't work out. And what we didn't consider was, what do we do if we get one that literally can't be rescued? That's got to be the end of the chain, right?

Anyway, I still have two completely restored and treated ones and would love them to go to a couple of worthy motors. But that's a conversation for another day.


::EDIT:: I understand the boss' position - she doesn't want you chasing around after a car that's going to cost you for no reason. But the fact is, oil, filter and plugs are precisely the things that it might need to get it through emissions testing. After that - and assuming no penetrating rust in her belly - you're good to go. But you need to give kitty the best chance, otherwise what's the point?
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In response to your edit.

I have it booked for the 3rd. And current MOT runs till 29th, so will hopefully give myself a bit of time should the dreaded fail come through.

I've put a good few hundred miles on it since it came to me and it doesn't miss a beat. Oil looks pretty clean too.
 
Well, that's another three days where you get to give her the hammering that she deserves, needs and wants. Please run that pretty girl.

Forgive me if you know all this already, but get her good and hot, especially before the test; the catalysts will thank you. If your tester insists on testing her from cold, ("Leave it here and go away - I'll do it in a couple of hours") they're looking to deliberately fail your car.

You've obviously been under her if you know what her rear sub is like, but have you tapped the sills?
 
Mako said:
Well, that's another three days where you get to give her the hammering that she deserves, needs and wants. Please run that pretty girl.

Forgive me if you know all this already, but get her good and hot, especially before the test; the catalysts will thank you. If your tester insists on testing her from cold, ("Leave it here and go away - I'll do it in a couple of hours") they're looking to deliberately fail your car.

You've obviously been under her if you know what her rear sub is like, but have you tapped the sills?
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I have to be completely honest, the best way to enjoy driving her is to give her a hammering 😂. It's a lot more fun driving about than our 18 plate insignia.

I live basically on the M20, so gonna take her down to Ashford and back as theres a nice stretch from mine. My MOT blokes are pretty good, although I'm always after a proper MOT if that makes sense.

Haven't given the sills a good tap yet, will have a go tomorrow as see how she fairs. Did check out the arches and theres a little bit of rot on the rear drivers side, but the rest looks.
 
Steve93 said:
I did notice that the brake lines were mounted to the rear suspension and were rubbing slightly. Added a bit of spiral wrap to protect. Do you know if this is a common issue?
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The brake pipes should be secured to the bracket on the rear strut with a rubber grommet and be prevented from rubbing on the strut by the other grommet above it.
(Ignore the line through the caliper).

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Quicksilver said:
The brake pipes should be secured to the bracket on the rear strut with a rubber grommet and be prevented from rubbing on the strut by the other grommet above it.
(Ignore the line through the caliper).

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it was this line I was looking at. It that just the handbrake cable? I did wonder why it would be mounted to the suspension

I will add. I am a novice to the mechanical workings of a vehicle, so apologies if I make some silly mistakes as to what is what.
 

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Yes, that's the handbrake cable. 👍

Just forward of there they should be secured by a rubber grommet clipped into a hook on the rod bracket bolted to the bottom of the car.
 
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Yes, that's the handbrake cable, not the main hydraulic brake line.

Sounds like you've done what you can for the minute, (and lord knows what your tester will think of that) but if it works and applies the correct force, no problem. An advisory at worst.

Replacing that cable is hilariously funny - let's just say that you'll learn more about that kitty's belly than you ever wanted to - but it's not expensive at all.
 
I see something rubbing so chucked some spiral wrap round it 😂. Unfortunately lost my access to a lift recently so it will be ramps or stands when I have to go under in future
 
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