I just wanted to introduce myself before I ask the questions. I’m currently a college student and
live in California. I’m a big car enthusiast and i enjoy all types of cars, from muscle, to import
to old old classics. I have a 68 cougar that I’m trying to get up and running/ restoring this summer.
The car always had trouble starting when I drove it a little over a year ago. After getting my other
car and going to college its just been sitting in the garage. I’ve tried to start it recently but it wont
start… It had a bad starter and ground cable, but I replaced those and it still wont start. I have 2
theories as to why it wont start. 1) the spark plugs have gone bad, 2) somethings wrong with the
carburetor. I’m not an expert when it comes to these classic cars, so much help is appreciated.
Hello and welcome to the Classic Cougar Community. The first thing I would check is wether you have spark at the coil. Then go from there. If you have spark, how old is the gas? Are you seeing any gas entering the carburetor body when you move the throttle linkage from under the hood? Check your choke and see if it’s closing. Try a quick shot of starting fluid to see if your Cougar will at least try to start. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Steven
Since you mentioned starter problems, be more specific as to what you mean by “still won’t start.” Do you mean the engine cranks but doesn’t start running or that it doesn’t even crank over when you turn the key?
How old is the gasoline? Old gas will prevent the engine from starting.
Points? Pull some sandpaper through the contacts, they corrode and have resistance.
