Not starting.

[doogo99]

The car has been sitting for a long time and the battery has long since gone flat due to a grounding/drain issue but that's beside the point. I charged the battery and when I turn the key all I get is "tick-tick-tick." A mechanic looked at it and it started turning over but there was no fuel, and he figured that the fuel pump wasn't receiving any signal. We checked out the relay and the cutoff switch and nothing, somehow missed the fact that the fuse was blown, so I replaced it and "tick-tick-tick" again. Now the mechanic is gone and I searched and found that maybe it's a bad fuel pump causing the fuse to blow but does the ticking sound like a starter motor problem? Any advice please?

[skater]

When you turn the key to RUN (not START), can you hear the fuel pump run? You should be able to hear it for a moment as it builds up pressure, then shuts off.

But tick-tick-tick means the engine isn't even trying to turn over, right? So even if the fuel pump isn't pumping fuel, there's another problem. My guess: the battery is shot from being discharged.

[sonza68]

Very possible. My first step would be to try a new/different battery.

[freednighthawk]

Every time I've heard a cougar with a mostly dead battery, the relay under the hood just tick tick ticks away, untill you jump it or replace the battery. So that would be your best bet.