My mercury cougar is running rich - 1983 Mercury Cougar

SOURCE: Mercury Cougar 88 troubleshooting

Hey i had same issue except mine just died with no restart, now i have replaced the coil and the ignition control mod with no luck,,, i wonder if it might not be the fuseable links some how??? just a thought thats what i am trying today,,,, ill keep ya posted any ideas from you about mine id love to hear,,

SOURCE: 1996 mercury cougar V8 check

You have at least 10 possible causes

MAF Sensor--issues
Fuel System -with several problems
Evap System-problems

For the inexperienced & to save money,
before heading to the repair shop

Clean the MAF Sensor
Check,not replace,the Fuel Pressure regulator/sensor
The O2 Sensor may be contaminated or worn out

SOURCE: 1984 mercury cougar will not

Hello and welcome to FixYa!

As a first course of action, I strongly suggest that you replace the spark plugs. If the spark plugs are worn out, they tend not to give enough current to burn fuel. One good reason why it won't start at first and why you have fuel flooding.

Hope this helps and thank you for using FixYa! Have a good one!