Arbroath held on under fierce second-half pressure to grab a precious point in their battle to beat the drop.
Ayr took the lead on 19 minutes when Scott McCulloch rose to head home a corner from Darren Henderson but they failed to press home their advantage.
Veteran striker Paddy Connolly had a header chalked off for offside before the break but it was Arbroath that were beginning to grow in confidence.
The visitors got back in the match on 59 minutes when Euan Donaldson's cross form the right was completely missed by Ayr keeper Peter Cherrie allowing Jamie Bishop to head home.
This sparked Ayr to life and they laid siege the Arbroath goal forcing an amazing 14 corners.
It was non stop Ayr pressure and only poor finishing denied them as Mark Smyth twice failed to score from good positions.
Top-scorer Stewart Kean hit the top of the bar with a shot form 25 yards as Ayr pressed in vain.