1995 Cougar

[Puckrobber]

Decided the cost, and possible destruction, of the engine in my '08 Taurus (due to the internal water pump) wasn't worth the stress. So, I traded it in yesterday for a clean 1995 Mercury Cougar XR7 with under 58,000 miles on it. Previous owner had oil changed every 2000-4000 miles, but, only averaged 2400 miles per year!

Has 4-speed auto, 4.6L V8 engine, and no "hi-tech" nonsense to deal with. Drove it home in rush-hour traffic from Seattle to Bremerton, and it was smooth & quiet. Even in 2 hours of stop-and-go driving, not getting above 15-20 mph.

Now, for the fun. The last oil change done, by a Seattle Ford dealer, lists it as getting 5W-20 oil.

I didn't think that was right, so, checking the manual, 5W-30 is preferred. Haven't yet decided what brand of oil to go with next round, but, considering either 5-30 or 10-30, since the weather will be getting warmer. Plus, would like to give the insides a nice cleaning.

Any opinions?

 

[oldhp]

Any of the ones you use now will work fine. I'd put in Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 if it was mine.

 

[OVERKILL]

The Modulars were all back-spec'd, that's why it got 5w-20. I typically defaulted to an xW-30 (usually 0w-30) in our 5.4L.

 

[hemitom]

worked with a guy who bought one new i believe it was a 97.
he took my for a decent ride in it had plenty of power and rode extremely well, and the leather seats were very comfortable.
he had it for a couple years and offered it to me before trading it on a town car , i would have jumped at it but a two door was not practical at the time.

 

[kkreit01]

Nice find. Post up some pics.

 

[bullwinkle]

The 4.6 was back-specced for 5W20, but the older ones were originally 5W30. I split the difference on my MGM 4.6 by using 5W20 Magnatec in it, which is a little on the thicker side for a 5W20 (8.15 @ 100C). If the engine is quiet, the 5W20 will give you slightly better MPGs, but neither grade will hurt anything.

 

[Arob]

I've used 5w30 in my '94, gone over 300k, had one trans rebuild at 120k. Great cars, should last a long time. Don't be afraid to do the muffler delete. It won't be too loud.

 

[Puckrobber]

Thanks for the replies! I've tried adding a picture, but, it's always upside down. Not smart enough to fix it.

Might just go with Pennzoil Platinum, since my Explorer V6 loves it. Looking forward to a few minor mods to it. (Mufflers, wheels, etc.)

 

[JustinH]

Yep I had a bunch of Tbirds and Cougars.

The 95 has the aluminum intake manifold so it won't crack. Not much power and not much gear.

The transmission in the weak point so keep the fluid clean, and put a cooler on it if you want to.

Other than that they are fairly non problematic. I have done heater cores in a couple of them which is not fun.

Some of the front end suspension parts are getting tough to find, these things eat control arms.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Make sure you find someone who can align it. These cars are NOT easy to align, and lots of places CANNOT do it.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by Jarlaxle
Make sure you find someone who can align it. These cars are NOT easy to align, and lots of places CANNOT do it.



I have to agree. Enjoy your new ride it's a bit different.

 

[JasonC]

I had a 1989 Thunderbird Super Coupe and it was a pain to get it aligned!






Originally Posted by dave1251
Originally Posted by Jarlaxle
Make sure you find someone who can align it. These cars are NOT easy to align, and lots of places CANNOT do it.



I have to agree. Enjoy your new ride it's a bit different.

 

[Puckrobber]

Got a Ford dealership just a couple miles from home. Yeah, I know. Lots of $$$. But, for major stuff like alignments, I'll pay the price for it, knowing it's done right.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by Puckrobber
Got a Ford dealership just a couple miles from home. Yeah, I know. Lots of $$$. But, for major stuff like alignments, I'll pay the price for it, knowing it's done right.




Unless the Ford dealership has good techs who have been there for decades the experience may not be there.

 

[talest]

Originally Posted by JasonC
I had a 1989 Thunderbird Super Coupe and it was a pain to get it aligned!







I had a 1988 regular V6 one and it was alright, cool digital dash. And roomy. I liked that car.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted by Puckrobber
Got a Ford dealership just a couple miles from home. Yeah, I know. Lots of $$$. But, for major stuff like alignments, I'll pay the price for it, knowing it's done right.


Don't be surprised if they decline performing any work on that car other than basic stuff. Isn't this the 4.6L with the Ignition Cables routed under the Alternator?

 

[Ws6]

Right or wrong, my Dad ran 15-40 Rotella T conventional in those 4.6 mod motors. We usually got around 200-250K hard miles on them before they burned oil so bad they needed replaced.

 

[Lubener]

Back in the day, I had a 91. Nice cars. Rear coils would bust and the upper ball joints/ control arms go loose every few years. No problem w/ alignments then but I am sure time has changed that. Still have an 87 which is easy to align and totally different from the 89's and thereafter which have adjustable rear.

 

[NothingNew]

I had seen that car advertised online. It looked really clean. Hope it serves you well.

Not sure how long these pic links will stay active.

 

[Puckrobber]

Originally Posted by NothingNew
I had seen that car advertised online. It looked really clean. Hope it serves you well.

Not sure how long these pic links will stay active.


Good detective work! That is the exact car I have. Whoever had it before treated it nice. Drives smooth and has decent get-up & go for being 24 years old.

Also, another question for the BITOG faithful: Would 10W-40 be okay for a one-time only oil change run in the 4.6? Reason I ask, is because I have a 5 quart jug of Mobil 5000 that was intended for the 300ZX. Since it's now gone, I have nothing that uses it. I figured maybe the next oil change will be the start of Summer, so, maybe the 10-40 won't be too big of a stretch for it.