Mounting parts of the exhaust system

L

lulzyboy

Active user
Sep 19, 2014
68
1
Pärnu, Estonia
MOT Warnings

Hi,

In my last "MOT" test, I've had three warnings, one was : Exhaust pipes and silencers: mounting parts of the exhaust system is deteriorated

Other was weak handbrake (can I fix that myself?) and finally "The first wishbone front axle bushings"

Does anyone know which parts fit on a 2.0L cougar and how expensive it is?
 
If it's the rubbers go along to your local exhaust place and ask them to put new ones on; they are bound to have a selection.

Weak handbrake could be worn pads, dodgy calipers, dodgy cables or a mix of all three.
Al^^ has/had a pair of cables for sale.

Wishbones bushes are new wishbones I'm afraid as the bushes can't be changed yet.
New wishbones are available from EuroCarparts for about £85 each and new bolts from Ford will be between £30 and £40 per side.
 
Quicksilver said:
If it's the rubbers go along to your local exhaust place and ask them to put new ones on; they are bound to have a selection.

Weak handbrake could be worn pads, dodgy calipers, dodgy cables or a mix of all three.
Al^^ has/had a pair of cables for sale.

Wishbones bushes are new wishbones I'm afraid as the bushes can't be changed yet.
New wishbones are available from EuroCarparts for about £85 each and new bolts from Ford will be between £30 and £40 per side.
Click to expand...

The handbrake worked until I changed the centre console and tried to change the handbrake with a LHD one. Didn't work so I put the old one back but it's now so weak it doesn't hold. How do I tighten it?

About the wishbone brushes, how bad of a problem is it? I was considering driving to UK again in it but it's around 5000 miles there and back.
 
There isn't any adjustment on the handbrake.

If they didn't fail the car because the wishbones were completely shot I would imagine it is like we have 'advisories' on our MOT's. Something that needs addressing but isn't in immediate danger of failing.

Does the car drive 'true' with no obvious pulling to one side or the other and no unusual bangs or knocks when steering one way or the other?
 
Quicksilver said:
There isn't any adjustment on the handbrake.

If they didn't fail the car because the wishbones were completely shot I would imagine it is like we have 'advisories' on our MOT's. Something that needs addressing but isn't in immediate danger of failing.

Does the car drive 'true' with no obvious pulling to one side or the other and no unusual bangs or knocks when steering one way or the other?
Click to expand...

If there is no adjustment how do I tighten the handbrake cable?

The car has ALWAYS leaned to the right ever since the day I bought it. When I was bringing it back I knocked over a cone in a narrow lane on a motorway because of it. It hasn't got worse though.

The only other problem I've got is that speeding up in gear (lets say I'm in 2nd and I take it to 3000rpm) the car starts... Throwing me back? Like it's refusing to go any higher than it is.
 
You can't tighten the cables.
Are you sure the cables are operating the callipers correctly and that the callipers aren't seized.

Was it the right-hand wishbone they warned you about?
 
Quicksilver said:
You can't tighten the cables.
Are you sure the cables are operating the callipers correctly and that the callipers aren't seized.

Was it the right-hand wishbone they warned you about?
Click to expand...

The cable is in but it still appears to be very loose. On the breaking test I got a 82% rating so I think the breaks are fine.

It doesn't say which side is bad, I'm guessing it's both.
 
There are three cables; a short one at the front, which links the handle to the two longer cables which then operate the callipers. Is it the front one which appears to be loose?
 
OK I got the part numbers for the things I need replacing:

1130576 and 1130577. These are suspension arms and are incredibly expensive everywhere I look. However I have looked around eBay US and some pepboys stores in US and found them a lot cheaper there (including postage and customs). The problem I have is I don't know if Mercury Cougar parts will fit on a Ford Cougar (and RHD).

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/s..._Arm/1999/Base/4_Cyl_2-dot-0L/REPM281581.html
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/s..._Arm/1999/Base/4_Cyl_2-dot-0L/REPM281582.html

These are the US ones but there is also http://www.ebay.com/itm/Front-Lower...iter_Display:2.0L&hash=item565a9359cb&vxp=mtr which are currently on offer and a great deal. BUT they don't look the same. The same store has

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Front-Lower...iter_Display:2.0L&hash=item1e8975d9af&vxp=mtr

Does anyone know if they fit?
 
There is a pair L & R of the correct ones from your first link here:

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/s.../1999/Base/4_Cyl_2-dot-0L/REPM281581-PLK.html

The ones on the link that 'don't look the same' are for a normal Mondeo* and won't fit a Cougar.

The ones on your last link also look to be correct.

Here is a UK EBay listing for the correct part for comparison:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Mond...ar+Make:Ford|Model:Cougar&hash=item463b1747c2


*The ST200 Mondeo has the same wishbones as the Cougar.
 
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