Well, I know on some cars the fuel pump will burn up if you run out of gas. The pump is lubricated and cooled by the gasoline in your tank, so when you run it out of gas the pump kills itself. Not sure if this is true of the Cougar or the Contour for that matter, but it's something to look at. I'm sure there's a way to check fuel pressure in the Haynes or Chilton manual somewhere. Good luck!
'98 SVT Contour, in at least 639 pieces
4 Speed MTX...synchro and shift fork replacement in progress
