new cougar owner

N

nat

New user
Jun 5, 2011
4
0
cornwall
Hi not long had my v6 cougar and loving it!!
I have one problem it has a knock from the back end and wobbles from side to side over bumps. also had inside edge tyre wear when i bought it. I been told it needs new trailing rear arms and bushes. Has anyone done this? is it doable with basic tools or is it a garage job? any help would be good.
Sorry if this is in the wrong place new to this site
thanks
 
Hello Nat and welcome to the forum.
Your knocking could be the rear droplinks, they are available on ebay for about a fiver each and are quite straightforward to replace.
 
It would account for the knocking and depending how shot they are could cause the back end to be unstable. Tyre wear could be several things but is it possible they have been swapped from the front to the rear? The fronts can wear on the inner edges especially if the wishbones are on the way out or the car has been driven for a time with the tracking out.
 
Hi Nat and welcome to ukcougar.com, your in the right place for all things cougar related, as well as some crazy banter. You will also be able to find all the fixes you need in our subscriber sections. Have a browse around the open forums and get a feel for the place. Remember! ukcougar.com is the only workshop manual for the big cat.
It sounds like you have some issues at the back. Take it for a 4 wheel alignment check, the mechs there will tell you whats needed when they check the rear, but basically your rear suspension is made up of two arms per side, one upper and one lower suspension arm, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a trailing arm :bomb: If the car sways at the back, it could be down to the bushes in these arms or even a disconnected antiroll bar and /or droplinks. A rear suspension check will tell all.
 
Welcome to the club Nat!

I echo everything Pid has suggested...

When we did Sam's Cougar, changing the rear drop-links made a huge difference to the cars handling, as that used to 'sway' from one side to the other at the back - especially over 'ripples' in the road - but we also found that the O/S top suspension-arm rubber-bush had gone too, once the drop-links were done...

As Pid suggests - best off getting a 4-wheel alignment check done mukka...that way, you'll know for sure!
 
Hello and welcome aboard Nat, I'm just up the road from you in Exeter, so not too far away. As the others have said above with the issues of your wobbly bottom! lol
 
Hi Nat and welcome to the home of the Cougar. I am sure you will get it all sorted out quite cheaply. As said before, Drop links are available on eBay for anything from 3.50 each to 15 quid each. I just bought a pair of trailing arms for 30 quid and that included delivery. Best bet is to get a full suspension and wheel alignment check done to find out the extent of the damage.
 
Hello Nat and welcome to the club ;-)

My guess diagnosis for your problem is a snapped anti roll bar bracket or clamp ;-)

Does the person who guesses right get a prize ? :)
 
Thanks guys i will get it checked out and let you know! i also have another thing with a jolt on and off the accelerator at low speeds feels like engine mounts is this common thanks in advance for any tips. will have a sorted car for little money when i get these two niggles sorted :)
 
nat said:
Thanks guys i will get it checked out and let you know! i also have another thing with a jolt on and off the accelerator at low speeds feels like engine mounts is this common thanks in advance for any tips. will have a sorted car for little money when i get these two niggles sorted :)
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If an engine mount is loose you will likely get vibration at speed as well. Is it the rear tyres that have the inner edge wear as somebodies already said these could be off the front to either avoid changing wishbones or avoid changing the tyres after having the wishbones done - these wont help the swaying issue if they are badly worn (post some pics).

If the front wishbones have been done, to get the bolts in the correct way the front subframe is dropped hence the rear engine mount (rear of subframe) will have been disconnected - tightening this is worth a look as mine had worked loose.

Welcome to the forum - they are great bunch in here
 
Had it looked a today and it needs trailing arms and bushes quoted £218 all in but may have a go myself thanks
 
not a very hard job to do yourself, there will be a "how to" within the members area, subscription could save you a tidy penny. (y)
 
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