2001 Mercury Cougar Cranks But Wont Start

Patt’s  Question: At odd times my 2001 Cougar won’t start. It will crank over, but the engine won’t start. When it doesn’t start, there is no spark at the spark plugs. But sometimes it will run for days with no problems at all. What’s a common fix for this?

Answer: Since you have no spark, you can rule out the fuel pump or injectors. If you start as the basics, the main spark firing signal comes from the crankshaft position sensor. I’ve seen them start to go bad, and have the same exact symptoms as your Cougar. Generally ignition coils or computer controls also give you bad running symptoms when they go bad. They will start hard, and then run poorly also. But the crankshaft position sensors will often fail upon initial start, but once the engine does start, the car can run fine for a while. I’d definitely check that first.