1985 Mercury Cougar Service and Repair Manual

This factory service and repair manual for the 1985 Mercury Cougar is built around one body and three powerplants. The body is the two-door sedan, offered as Base, LS and XR-7. The engines are a turbocharged 2.3L SOHC inline-four of 140 cubic inches, a naturally aspirated 3.8L OHV V6 of 232 and a naturally aspirated 5.0L OHV V8 of 302. Shared chassis and body coverage sits in its own sections, so a technician on a suspension or wiring job reads one procedure no matter what is under the hood.

Engines covered

• 2.3L inline-four (140 cu in) — SOHC, turbocharged, gasoline
• 3.8L V6 (232 cu in) — OHV, naturally aspirated, gasoline
• 5.0L V8 (302 cu in) — OHV, naturally aspirated, gasoline

Body styles covered

• 2-door sedan

Trims covered

• Base
• LS
• XR-7

Known issues on the 1985 Cougar. A single recall appears on the federal record. It covers brake master cylinders whose internal surfaces were improperly anodized, wearing a piston seal faster than it should wear; as that seal goes, one half of the split braking system loses its effect and stopping distances grow. Owner complaints total 20 and lean heavily toward the electrical system, with 11, followed by vehicle speed control at 3 and tires at 2. Master cylinder overhaul and bleeding, hydraulic diagnosis, throttle and speed control adjustment and full wiring diagrams are all included here.