All,

I recently nabbed a '99 Cougar for a buck. Okay, okay, mom bought it new and the dealer wasn't willing to give her crap for trade value when she bought the Fusion.

Anyway, you'd hardly tell this thing was 12 years old, because mom has always been one to take excellent care of her cars. It's the Mazda 2.5L with auto.

It left me in a parking lot one night, and I got her running with a jump. Took a look at the battery (and the receipt for it) and then remembered that I'm the one who installed it...7 years ago. Long story short, new battery, things all seem fine.

Here are my concerns. The instument cluster has a digital clock and the odometer built into one display, and outside temp/mpg/distance to empty on a second one. The clock and odometer stay on...ALWAYS...key in or out, doesn't matter. No other accessories or displays have power during this time. Mom thinks the clock was always on, but the manual doesn't say anything about it, and it just seems wrong, as a constant drain on the battery...not that an LCD takes a whole lot of power.

I haven't pulled out the multimeter yet to check the state of the charging system, but if you run her up to 4500 or so quickly, when the car shifts up, you'll see the battery light flicker for just a moment, like a belt slipping or something. The alternator, tensioner and belt are all under the engine, and essentially impossible to get at from the top. I know replacement of the alternator requires removal of the passenger wheel, inner fender, tie rod and probably some other stuff.

Anyone have much experience with these cars? I know it's got a new radiator and I remember the IAC was replaced when it stuck shut, but it's never really been a problem child. I looked around for some Cougar forums, but there really isn't anything out there, so I'm back to relying on FTE, lol.

 

Quite a few newer vehicles have the clock and odometer lit up always. You're right .... it doesn't take much power for that. Not enough to worry about unless the car is going to be parked for a long time.
Usually when the battery light flickers like that the alternator is on it's way out. Before you replace it though check all the grounds from the battery. I think they are on the inner fender, near the air box and headlight area.

 

I did actually confirm with another owner that the odo/clock stay on all the time, so that's calmed my nerves there.

The 99 did have a recall for poor battery cable routing, causing shorts and fires. I think that was only for certain plants though, which this one did not come from. I have to pull history on the car and see what comes up.

The new battery is doing well, and I didn't notice a flicker from the light during a few attempts to make it come on. I'm thinking it's a worn/loose belt, or that maybe it was wet. The alternator is in a stupid place on these cars, open to a lot of weather. The belt is going to be impossible for me to replace from the top, so many hoses route right over it.

Worst case, I drag it to a shop and try to get them to test the alternator in the car. So far though, knock on wood, things seem to be sorting themselves out.

 

Parts stores do alternator tests on the vehicle. And they are free!!!