Ford Contour

1999 Ford Contour Electrical / Lighting Systems Upgrade When repairing Always

My Chilton 1995-99 FORD Contour/Mystique/Cougar Repair Manual does not match the PCM wiring diagram for a '99. I am replacing a 2.0 L engine/transmission in a 1998 Contour with a 2.0L 1999 Contour engine/transmission. The '98 uses 62 pins, and the '99 uses 66 (several different) pins. The book's diagram matches the '98 just fine and says it is for both the '98 and '99. However, they are clearly different. Any way to get the pin outs to match my '99 Contour 2.0L 66 pin connector?

Typo errors do happen. Go to the website for Chilton, and ask for help. If that doesn't work. try begging the manuals needed from a service shop. The service manager might be willing to download the information from one of the repair services that many shops subscribe to. One other thought, a shop that specializes in electrical system repairs.

1998 Ford Contour Engine Malfunction  

There are two oxygen sensors on my 1998 Ford Contour SE with the 2.5L V6 engine. The dealer has replaced one (~2 years ago) the sensor was Bank 1 Sensor 1. My check engine light is on again and I had the codes read, and they indicate oxygen sensor Bank 2 Sensor 1. I don't have any documentation as too which sensor is Bank 1 and which is Bank 2.
I want to make sure I replace the right sensor.

Thanks for any help.

Hi;
Bank 1 Will be the passenger side. Bank 2 will be the drivers side. Good Luck Les.

The two sensors are not really located passenger side and drivers side. Since the engine sits sideways, there is one in the front of the car, and one towards the back of the car. Front of car or towards back of car makes more sense.

HI;
Sorry about that. The rear one is bank one the front is bank two. Good Luck Les.

1997 Ford Contour All Part Groups Smelling When driving No pattern

A horrible smell like burning plastic has started every time I drive. My fan has now started working only on high and my temp guage may not be working properly. Are these related, and what is causing this smell? The oil is fine.

not knowing which engine you have I can only be general in my response...first check to make sure you didnt run over a plastic bag and have it stuck and melting on the exhaust.... dont laugh it happens.
If you dont have that problem, then have the vehicle checked for an oil leak... they tend to leak from the valve cover or possibly the front crank seal on either the 4 cyl or the V6.
By fan do you mean the cooling fan on the radiator or the blower motor for the A/C system?... You may have an electrical short that you are smelling, which could be related to these other problems. I would advise to take the car to a shop that you trust and have it inspected...

It's a 2 liter, 4 cyl engine, with a 5-speed. The fan is the one that controls the heating & A/C. It's not a plastic bag, that the first thing I checked. The smell seems to be coming from the engine compartment, but I haven't seen any smoke or anything, even when the engine is running.

I guess my main concern is: is it safe to drive it till I can get it checked out?

honestly depends on where the smell is coming from......look under the car on the exhaust and see if it is just a bag... if it is I would say its safe... if its oil or electrical related, it would be your discretion. I would recommend at least having it checked out... you probably have a shop near your job that could at least check it.. they might even be able to get you back to work if you were to drop it off. good luck

1997 Ford Contour Windows / Glass   

1st problem; my temp gage is stuck pegged out. Do you think it's a bad gage or possibly the coolant temp sensor, or something else? 2nd problem; car makes a hollow whoooo sound like blowing into a bottle, but only after sitting several hours and only for a few minutes after running for about 5-10 minutes. It goes away after that until it sits for several hours again.

O.K.,to the first problem.Is the vehicle overheating in any way and does the cooling fan operate properly?Now the second concern.
Where does the "whooing" sound seem to be coming from?Around the doors,the engine compartment etc?With a little more info I'll see if I can't help you thru.

No, it is not overheating; in fact I noticed the defect on a cold winter morning with the car still off. The fan works fine.
The whooo sound seems to be coming from the engine, but I can't confirm because by the time I stop the car to check the sound has stopped.

O.K.,no overheating and the fan works.I would have to suspect a sensor.A diagnostic scan "may" pick up the suspected sensor.The reason I say may is because some problematic codes arent easily detected or sent to the ECM.Check with one of your local parts houses(AutoNation,PepBoys etc). Some offer this service or at a nominal charge.As to the whoo,you say it seems to be in the engine compartment but stops when you stop.This could be a triad of issues that may take us a little time to pin down.While driving there may be air flowing over a loose part or an air intake or vaccum line in question.Check all underbody,front and side deflectors and snd shields to make sure none have come loose or damaged.Next check your air intake to make sure all connections are good.Check for any hissing sounds around vaccum hoses,throttle body and the intake manifold itself.Also,check the reveal mouldings around the windshield especialy the top moulding.While driving,the front edge of it will lift and make a sound much like a reed in a wind instrument.These were notorius for noise issues.Its a little more than difficult to solve these types of problems on this side of the screen.I worked at a Ford dealership when these vehicles just came on line and I can tell you finding some of "Fords Better Ideas" left me scratching my head many a time.I'll do what I can to help.
Good Luck,
Paul

I'm going to order a coolant temp sensor; I'll let you know how that goes. It'll be a few weeks though because I'm not in the USA so I have to wait for parts to come by mail. That also makes it difficult because I don't have a pep boys or autozone I can go to for quick diagnostics. Going to a Ford dealer is not a viable option as they are so much more expensive overseas. No one here seems to fix their own cars so parts are hard to come by and expensive.

As for the noise, I really don't think it's a loose part or structure because of the way it only comes at a specific time and lasts for a specific time. I'm thinking it has something to do with the rapid change in temp shortly after starting the car. The pressure will rise rapidly with the temp and if there's a leaking line it would make that noise until the engine compartment temp evens out with the line air temp. Does that make sense to you?

I could gage at what temp the noise comes, but my temp gage is out of whack right now. My main concern is if there is a vacuum line leak is it going to cause problems for me in the future if I don't fix it soon? All in all my car has been good to me (I've had it for 8 years). In your experience has the Contour had problems in the past with the check engine light coming on? My was intermittent since 2000 and then in 2001 it became steady. It doesn't cause any problems -

But it still boggles my mind. When in the US I changed the O2 sensor twice and the light came back each time. I took it to a Ford dealer, they changed some stuff, charged me $600, the light came back, shortly after I moved overseas (with the car), so was unable to pursue it with Ford. If I ever want to sell the car I'll need that light to be gone for good. Any ideas?
Thanks for all your help, this is a great internet program.

Sorry for getting back to you so late.My computer has been busy fending off spam virusis.Yes it is unusual but not uncommom for a check engine light to come back on after the supposed causal part has been changed.The only question that comes to my mind is did the tech at the dealership follow his flow chart for any codes retrieved from ECM from top top bottom.I've seen too many times where a tech will stop at a point on the chart replacing a part and the light goes off and deem problem solved.There is sometimes a "sonwball"effect with every problem.Something further down the chain may be causing the part in question to fail or send an errant pulse to the ECM thus causing the trip on the light.Check engine lights coming on on Ford vehicles is inherent.I've seen them come on because a gas cap had not been put tight enough.The most common trip for the light is in the fuel/exhaust sensors.I understand your overseas and parts are pricey and hard to come by.In my opinion before spending more money on throwing parts at the vehicle and you want to try and solve the problem while youre over there,check on EBay,Amazon etc sites for a diagnostic scanner.Some are as low as $20 to$120.Make sure to ask questiions as to the compatibilty of the instrument to your vehicle.'97 was kind of a trip year where car makers were getting a little hesitant in revealing codes because of all the independant auto shops and the shadetree mechanics being able to go about fixing "their" vehicles without shelling out $80 per labor hour as well as "their" parts cost.As I understand,law has been passed that they must reveal these code but that pertains to mostly the later model vehicles so make sure, if you do invest in one,that you getting an instrument that may provde you with the information and code flow charts or acessibility to a website where they can be obtained.I had another questioner who was in the same delima(96-97 model)that found the proper scanner that came with information to access and print the proper procedures(flow charts)and he seems to be off to the races.Hope this gives you a little insight if not get back and we'll scratch our heads again.
Good Luck,
Paul

Okay, I changed the sensor and my temp gage is still pegged out to full hot. What now?

Did you change the coolant temp sensor or the sensor for the guage? They are different.Carefully check the wire to the sensor.A shorted or grounded wire can peg the guage.

1996 Ford Contour Electrical / Lighting Systems Malfunction When driving Always

I need to know where the VSS sensor is located on this engine. Do you have diagram of speed sensor?

the VSS is mounted on the transaxle's (transmission) speedometer drive. It is mounted at the base of the speedo drive cable and is removed with the speedo drive pinion. I do have diagrams.

you asked a question in this forum about your Contour... were you satisfied with the answer

1996 Ford Contour Ignition System   

how do you install the starter moter

Replacing the starter motor is a straight forward proceedure. First disconnect the Neg battery post. This will prevent any electrical shorting issues. If you do not know where the starter motor is you can either follow the Pos battery cable down to the starter, it should be physically located between the engine and the transmission. With the starter located, disconnect the 2 bolts that connect the starter to the engine, then remove the 2 wires that are connected to the starter motor (one is the Pos wire and the other acts to actuate the starter when the key is used). Remove the starter from within the engine compartment. Reinstall is the reverse of the removal. Let me know if I can be of further service or more information is needed. Dont be suprised if you have to get under the car to find/remove the starter.

Follow up for you. Did you have sucess finding and changing out the starter motor? Thank you and have a great day.

1996 Ford Contour Heating / Cooling System   

my ac and heat works but the vents wont change over stays on defrost vent all the time i have replaced the temp control panel and vents still wont chage over ????

Were there vacuum line connections on the head unit, or all electrical plugs?

If there were vacuum lines, you will need to seach for the supply. You will find a vacuum line going into the firewall, that you will need to trace to the engine. Most likely there will be a break in the line somewhere. You will only need to cut the line and install ruber hose over the break.

hey chris , no vacume lines at control unit all elec.

You will need to concentrate on the power door actuator. It should be on the left side of the heater box. You maybe able to see it from the drivers side.

Start the car and move the mode selector from Max A/C to defrost. Watch the actuator, there will be a tan dial on the top that should move when switched. If it does move you may have a broken door in the box. If it doesn't, the you may have to replace the actuator.

thanks i will check it out and get back to you

hey chris you the man! bad motor,switched and wking fine now !!!!

Great glad it's fixed!!

If you could hit the OK button and finish the question I would apprecitate it. I need to clean up the page to allow for new questions. Thanks Chris

1996 Ford Contour All Part Groups   

Starts OK every time.Runs well and then seems to short out or ?? does what I call "kangaroo jump".Replaced fuel filter-for awhile it ran better.Replaced coil,did not change anything.Jets cleaned,ran OK at low revs.Increase revs and it does it again.Master Mechanic says it could need a new computer-big bucks-and it might not cure the problem.Car has 146,000K and basically runs well when it wants to.Mech. does not know what is wrong with it

Have you had it scanned for diagnostic codes? Checked fuel Pressure?

Codes have been checked.Does not tell them much?
Air fuel sensor 'cleaned' one mechanic said that the A/f sensor was the problem,and wanted $600,my present mechanic cleaned it.Has new spark plug leads and I shall install the new plugs when I get the car back next week.Codes mentioned something about 'accelerator'?A clue!Mainly happens on damp days.

If he cleaned the MAF or the air flow sensor, he might have damaged it.Some Fords that ers had the MAF coated on the inside, which can come off during cleaning. They routinely sell for $130-150 on the 'net.
The Oxygen sensor is located in the exhaust close to the engine, It helps to determine the air-fuel ratio (sends signal to computer, which adjusts accordingly the air and fuel percentages) If he means that part, they usually sell for $50-80.

I shall run this by him on Monday,and see what his reply is.

Master Mechanic says that he had never heard of the 'coating' on the inside of the MAF,however he said it would show up on the Computer.He said everything leads to the Computer itself.he will look for one and I will not 'hopefully' have to pay in the $700 range.However the new Computer 'may not' cure the problem.It would be nice if the Computer knew what it was doing.

Infrequent air filter changes can leave some MAF units gummed up.The wrong cleaner can hurt them.Electronic cleaner is all I use.A dirty IAC (idle air control) can cause erratic speeds.
Contours sometimes get a small vac leak at the intake upper plenum gasket.
A dirty throttle body can cause problems.
Most fords that era use two fuel pumps, a primary and secondary. One fails, the other works too hard and can cause surges.
I have seen some Fords with a sticker that advises against cleaning because of a coating but unsure of year(s).
Hope this gives you a few ideas before a computer change.

Thank you.Seeing as I have Never changed the air filter,that may be a good place to start.

1995 Ford Contour Engine Won't Start When starting Always

I have a shop in central west Georgia one of my customers brought in a 95 ford contour that was not running they shut the car off and it would not start when I tryed to scan the computer on the car it will not link up it just shows data comunications fail so I checked for blown fuses did not find any any help would be greatly appriciated I know have 2 of these cars at my shop the other one that came in is a 96 did not have any problems scanning it the timing belt broke on it also both cars have the ztec 4 cyl engines do they bend valves when the belt breaks

They shouldn't bend the valves.

Check for reference voltage to sensor(s).

There is also an extended warranty recall on the wiring harness, especially for those in hot humid climates.

"To:
All Ford and Lincoln-Mercury Dealers

Subject:
Owner Notification Program 99M03 - Certain 1[redacted] Contour and Mystique vehicles - Under Hood Wire Harness - Additional Coverage.

OASIS:

Yes

OWNER LIST:

Yes

PARTS RETURN:

No

PROGRAM TERMS:

This program provides extended coverage on certain under hood wire harnesses through 10 years or 100,000 miles which ever occurs first, from the original warranty start date.

AFFECTED VEHICLES

Certain 1995 - 1997 Contour and Mystique vehicles built from Job #1 1995 through Model Year End 1997.

REASON FOR RECALL

Under ambient factors of high temperature and high humidity, certain 1995 - 1997 Contour and Mystique vehicles may be susceptible to the wiring insulation becoming brittle and cracking on certain engine compartment wiring harnesses.

These harnesses deliver electrical power to the engine and its cooling and control systems, the climate control, and other power distribution systems. If wire harness insulation cracking is found during the additional warranty period, the under hood wire harnesses are to be replaced at no charge to the customer.

SERVICE ACTION


Additional Warranty Coverage

Effective immediately, Ford is providing additional coverage for the replacement of the under hood wire harnesses on these vehicles for a period of 10 years or 100,000 miles, which ever occurs first, from the original warranty start date. This coverage exceeds the provisions of the original component warranty coverage on the affected vehicles and is automatically transferred to subsequent owners at no charge. This additional coverage does not include normal service diagnostic or repair charges unrelated to wire harness brittleness and cracking. After this additional coverage has expired, wire harness replacements will be at the expense of the vehicle owner.

QUESTIONS?

Claims Information [redacted]

Recall Questions [redacted] "

1995 Ford Contour Electrical / Lighting Systems Stalling Happens sometimes 

About a week ago I noticed after starting my 1995 Ford Contour that my speedometer didn't work and the car was running with a hiccup-like symptoms especially when I was decreasing speed and actually when the speed was getting lower than 30-20 mph sometimes the engine would shut down. A friend told me, since it happen all at once (speedometer and running rough) that it might be related to the speedometer and speed sensor. I'm not a mechanic but I try to look at the engine and see if there was any obvious problem, and I noticed that a cable close to where the speedometer is whas broken. I just dropped the car to a mechanic that works from home to fix the cable, but Would you think that the problem with the car running rough could be related to the speedometer cable being broken? or could it be something else??

I appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks,
Anthony"

When I opened the hood, after noticing the speedometer didn't work, I noticed that the cable (what I think is the speedometer cable since it goes in direction of where the speedometer is) was out of the guide. When I tried to put it back, it actually broke but I could actually see the spring out of the cable so maybe it was already broken.
My main doubt is since both problems, the speedometer stopped working and the stalling of the engine started at the same time, do you think that by replacing the speedometer cable, both problems would be fixed??

I instructed the mechanic that has the car to just do the cable for now and try it, but the mechanic said that the device that controls the speed might be separate.

Anthony

You may have a faulty vehicle speed sensor in the transmission. This sensor signals the computer to shift the transmission and also drives the speedometer

I do believe that the two problems are unrelated I have never seen a problem where the car idle or a stall was connected to the speedometer cable