Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting 2001 Cougar Will Not Start

Didnt he say the damn car wouldnt run!!! So how the hell is he supposed to get to the auto parts store brainiac?

Originally posted by Journie:

---

I dont think he really ran out of gas? My guess is a fuel pump relay went bad just when his tank was really low,and NO you dont burn up fuel pumps by running out of gas,and there is nothing wrong with running out of gas on a fuel Injected car.Used to be on old fuel injected cars if you ran out it had to be primmed back up.But todays cars dont have to have this done.You will just have to crank a second or two longer to get it to firew up.
Under the hood where you hook up a fuel pressure gauge(schrader valve),while someone is cranking over the engine,push the valve in,use a rag to cover it so it wont get in your eyes.If fuel comes out of there,you got pressure.If not you have a bad pump relay,fuse or fuel pump.
But just a guess!
Also if you have a funnel,you can use it as a megaphone by putting it into the fuel filler pipe,as someone cranks the engine,or cycles the key off and on(not starting or cranking it)use the funnel to listen into the tank for a running fuel pump.

---

Sorry to disagree with you man, but you ABSOLUTELY CAN burn up a fuel pump in some cars by running out of gas as I explained before. Any mechanic can back me up on this. I have personal experience with this also. I just don't know if the Contour or Cougar are like that.

Since the fuel pump uses the fuel to cool itself... Yes you can burn up a fuel pump by running it dry & cavatating it.

Also from what I've read the returnless Cougar's are already notorious for fuel pump failures if you let them get below 1/4 tank. Seems the pick up screens are poorly placed and very small and can cause the pump to starve for fuel. The pumps then literally burn up & fail.

I am surprised more returnless Contique's have not suffered this fate (knock on wood!)

Originally posted by Journie:

---

Didnt he say the damn car wouldnt run!!! So how the hell is he supposed to get to the auto parts store brainiac?

---

Originally posted by Eurythmian:

---

It's his teenage daughter's car...

---

Walk, borrow a ride, use his own car? The disabled vehicle isn't the only possible way to get places in the 21st century.

Let's keep the insults off the boards. I didn't mean anything personal towards you, but opening the schrader valve while the engine is running isn't safe and I didn't want someone getting hurt trying that.

And now that Demon mentions it, returnless Duratec fuel pumps are pretty much junk, and that Cougar is returnless. I'd be surprised if it wasn't the fuel pump. There was a good pictoral of changing (and IIRC fixing) the root cause of returnless pump failures on the old forums.

Well the Cougar runs again...

Turns out it was the fuel pump.
Thanks for all your help.

I am curious... I would like someone to explain what a "Returnless Duratec Fuel Pump" is... the mechanic had never heard of one either.
All I know is they have been called "Junk!"

Thanks Again,
Eurythmian