If you remove the starter from the car, and use jumper wires/cables make it hot, and crank the switch and it turns properly whilst it is lying on the driveway, I would take a large screwdriver and reach inside the starter hole in the bell housing and see if the engine will turn over with the screwdriver prying on the ring gear.
Some other problems I've seen on my Fords/Mercurys were:
Bad solenoid between the battery and the starter. Rotten battery cables with the corrosion inside the battery cable under the red or black plastic cover where you cannot see it.
Because starter motors require 100 times as much current as those other items the connections to the starter motor and battery and starter relay must be very good and the battery wires must be good not all corroded on the inside. take every connection apart and clean surfaces with sand paper. Baking soda in water can be helpful to soak cable ends at battery.
Follow the positive lead from the battery (it will connect either to the solenoid on the starter or a starter relay mounted to wheel well. Clean those connections and check wires. If you have starter relay use a medium sized wire to momentarily connect the terminal with bat wire attached to one of the small terminals on relay. If nothing happens connect jumper from bat terminal of starter relay to the other small post on the relay supplying 12 volts to the correct small terminal will close the starter relay and send full battery power out the other big terminal on relay which connects to starter motor causing the starter motor to run.
If the starter relay does not click and the starter motor does not run the relay is bad. If POS battery cable goes to the solenoid mounted on the starter motor Try Jumping the terminal where the battery connects to the solenoid to the small terminal on solenoid. If nothing happens the solenoid is bad.
I think you have first example with starter relay. Check it and if nothing happens replace it.
Change the actual ignition switch? Test light at starter signal wire while someone turns key to see if you have power at signal wire. Check all your grounds after that. Still nothing take steering column apart and change ignition switch .
SOURCE: want start
Sounds as if you have a burnt "fusible link". Check your wires from the starter to the battery, and then to the fuse box.
SOURCE: 2003 Mountaineer won't start, battery is good.
CHECK BATTERY CABLES AND FOR CORROSION,A BAD GROUND OR BAD CONNECTION WILL CREATE ENOUGH RESISTANCE TO PREVENT STARTER TO CRANK OVER ENGINE. IF BATTERY HAS 12V DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GOOD,IT COULD HAVE ON 100 CCA'S, NOT ENOUGH.
SOURCE: 1999 cougar stuck in park and does nothing when you turn the key
Yout whole fuse box might be blown. I had to replace mine on a 2000 Cougar.
SOURCE: installed starter and new battery. just hear
could be abbdix in nmthe starter ,take starter off and take back to parts store and swap for another starter try this first
SOURCE: my car wont crank, replaced solinoid and starter
Heres a good test to test the solenoid and the starter, make sure the car is in park and turn the key on, using a screw driver jump the solenoid and see if it spins the engine or clicks, if you look at the solenoid you will see a small wire and the two connections for battery cables,locate the connection that the battery goes to ,the other big connection will be the cable to starter, take the battery connection and jump it to the small wire connection, if it clicks then you must have a bad starter or bad connection at the starter, also another test is to turn the headlights on and try to start the car while someone watches the lights, if the lights go out then you have a bad connection at battery or the ground to engine. start with these tests and let me know what happens, good luck.
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