1996 Ford Contour 4cy. Runs great, except once in a while driving down the highway, it seems to go out of gear and then back in. Shakes violently. Have to pull over. Never know when it will happen. Once/twice a month maybe. Always when it is warm. Never in a Michigan winter. I have done all the normal tranny maintenance. Neutral Safety switch ???Other then that, the tranny shifts great.
View 1 RepliesThe Explorer ran just fine last week, until I tried to clear a chronic (months) "Check Engine" light. Initially the only 2 codes were pertaining to the DPFE sensor and Cylinder #1 misfire. I found an aftermarket rubber hose from the DPFE that had rotted off. I replaced the rubber hose, and I replaced the #1 spark plug and wire. Instead of simply clearing the codes and turning off the "Check Engine" light, it now shakes to the point where it's barely drivable. 57 mph seems to be the "sweet spot" where the shaking is the worst, but it will also shake under heavy acceleration, and when driving uphill at freeway speeds. Taking your foot off the gas seems to decrease the shaking somewhat. The weather had been unusually cold (for South Texas), and as the weather has warmed-up, the shaking seems to have diminished, so there may be a connection between the shaking and the temperature.
OBD-II Trouble Code: P0301 Cylinder 1 One Misfire Detected
OBD-II Trouble Code: P0401 Insufficient EGR Flow
I have a lot of questions, but do not want to cloud the 1st post of the thread with information that may be irrelevant, so I'll leave it at that. This is my work vehicle and I'm in the middle of a job and am worried that I may be causing permanent damage to the vehicle by driving it. I know I can change-out the DPFE sensor and the ICM, but as they are both non-returnable parts, I don't want to spend the money without good reason.
My problem is wih my 1996 Ford Ranger XLT 6Cyl. 4.0L 2WD Recntly it started shaking violently in the rear as I drive down the road any road. Mainly slow to about 50MPH or slower, it just starts to shake really hard and then it stops then out of the blue it will do it again I thought it might be the back Drums maybe the shoes came apart and were catching but they are fine everything looks fine, could it be the gearbox on the axle? I don't know...
View 5 RepliesI've got a 96 Aero with 128k miles. It's AWD with the 4.0L. It's developed an annoying "stumble" on startup. The engine seems to misfire a bit and the car shakes. It goes away when I give it some gas and/or start driving. This started out being very occasional but eventually started happening at least once a day. It doesn't seem to happen with the engine very cold or very warm. It mostly happens when the engine is "lukewarm" (having sat for about an hour). So far, it hasn't died on me. I ran some fuel injector cleaner through and it went away for about a week, but then returned (but not as bad). No stored codes. Within the last 10k miles I have had done:
Compression test (passed) about 10k ago
New plugs, wires
New fuel pump
New water pump
New fuel filter
Tranny rebuild
Our Pathfinder shakes side to side around 60mph and quits after 65 or 70 (We live in New Mexico and commute through Texas where speeds are much higher than back East). We have changed shocks, struts & mounts, tires, and alignments. Most of these have been changed multiple times over the years, especially tires.
We have been driving this way since May of 2005 (129,916 miles). We have TRIED to get it fixed. We have had it in shops all across the country (we travel a bit). We talk it up to people we meet who know cars. We have taken it to Nissan, with no results. NO ONE has solved the problem and we are out lots of money.
We are now at 205,000 miles. I would really like to get this fixed! We cannot afford to just buy a new car. Mechanics across the country have not solved this issue!
My daughter has a 1996 Grand Voyager that she would like to sell. However, right now when you drive it the front end shakes horribly like the wheels are coming off. I mean the whole dash is shaking. Scary! In addition, I swear I've seen the front wheels appear to wobble when she's driving it. Ive changed the wheel bearing on the passenger side and was astonished to find that it made no difference. I was wondering about the half shafts and CV joints and such. How can I tell if these are bad? I've grabbed them and tried to move them and they don't move.
View 2 RepliesI have a 1996 GMC Sonoma extended cab, 2.2l engine (not vortec) purchased in the United States. I’m having trouble setting the timing correctly.
I recently replaced the camshaft and crankshaft sprockets and chain, and after several attempts to set the timing, the engine still shakes badly and struggles to run smoothly, especially at idle. (It did not do this before the repair.) My code reader picks up the following codes: P0106, P0108. It seems to me that the timing is off despite my best efforts.
I’m going to try and attach a picture of the timing chain and sprockets as they’re currently set because the camshaft timing mark is strange on this vehicle and I’m not sure if it’s lined up correctly. Does it looks right? (Red mark on cam sprocket made by me; timing mark is supposedly the circular hole above that tooth.)
I did several other repairs at the same time that I did the timing. I have gone back over as much of these as possible and I don’t think I did anything wrong. As cars go I’m strictly an amateur but I work as a small engine mechanic so I have some experience with the way things feel when they’re done wrong. Nevertheless, if the timing is right, maybe I botched one of these?
The simultaneous repairs:
Removed head
Replaced hydraulic lifters
Cleaned carbon off valves
Checked pushrod straightness
Changed gaskets (several)
Replaced oil pressure sensor, coolant temp sensor, & thermostat
Replaced coolant hoses
I did all this because I hit the 150,000-mile mark and I want to keep it running for another 150,000.
I bought an avenger that runs a little rough and I am trying to figure out if I have a fuel and air problem or a broken motor mount. In neutral or any other gear the car does not shake. In drive it shakes horrendously. Watching the engine as the car is put in drive the engine moves towards you a about 3 or so inches. Now with throttling the car takes a while to accelerate even after I stomp it on the highway to merge. On home roads I can let off the gas and the car will sustain itself at 25 to 30 mph. 1st gear is not very responsive. All other gears seem to be ok with acceleration. I am trying to find a good starting point.
View 3 RepliesMostly occurs at high speeds and climbing hills. Could it be a transmission problem? Or a fuel pump?
View 2 RepliesI have a 1998 Ford Contour se 2.0. The alternator went out in the beginning of January. Had it replaced, got it back it ran for a couple of days and it just died on me and wouldn't start. So back to the shop it went, fuel filter was clogged so they changed it, and I got it back last Friday. It ran until Saturday morning and as I was driving down the road it just died!! Just like that...died. Got it to run for a few seconds...it would die.
Finally got it back home and now it won't start. It will turn over, but won't start. If it does start it won't stay running longer than 2 or 3 seconds. I've had the fuel pump, fuel injectors, and spark plugs checked. Everything is fine. Oh and yes, it has 3/4 of a tank of gas in it. What is wrong with this thing?? It also has around 151,000 miles on it.
I've got smoke coming out of my oil dipstick tube. 1996 Mercury Mystique 2.0L automatic, 62000 miles. I noticed a burning oil smell after a short (10 mile) drive, and checked the oil when I got home. A few wisps of smoke smelling of burning oil came out of the dipstick tube when I removed the stick. I was just curious how worried I should be about this.
As far as I can tell, my cooling system works (radiator hoses are warm, good hot air from the vents, thermostat and coolant recently replaced, hoses inspected, no leaks) and I'm not thinking the burnt oil is caused by overheating. There hasn't been any noticeable oil consumption, and I'm pretty diligent about checking the oil on this old car. Oil changes every 3000 miles since I've owned the car; dealer performed scheduled maintenance for the old owners.
Here's my thinking: a worn piston ring allowing oil to be burnt and then sucked back through into the crankcase. When I changed my spark plugs, I did notice an oily residue on one of the plugs (cylinder #1), which also leads me towards a piston ring diagnosis (though I was hoping it was a valve seal causing the oily spark plug, or even a spark plug seal). Do a wet compression test is in order, or should I go ahead and get a leakdown test? I am going to buy a compression tester, but I do not have an air compressor to use with the leakdown tester; I'd have to take it to a shop.
I do need to service the PCV system (and would have done it today, but the parts hadn't arrived at the store) -- would a PCV problem cause the oil to burn, though?
I drive a 1998 Ford Contour, the transmission goes into neutral on takeoff in drive, you can manually shift through the gears and get going, but not from drive.
View 1 RepliesCar started to jerk when 30mph and up. I changed the fuel filter and oil. Car was ok for a couple of days, however it started to make lound sounds, needing a muffler. i took it to the shop and it needed a flex pipe. All was well for a day, than the car had trouble staying started. It would drive fine, but when you are stationary at a light or stop sign the car wanted to stop. Took it to the shop and the guy said it need a pvc pipe/hose.
The guy told me that the pipe had rotted and it was at the back end of the engine. Car was good for several days, however it now started back jerking at 30mph and up. It will not do it all the time but sometime. It's like the cruise control is going on off. You can step on the gas, but the car will not go any faster, 'just stay the same speed.' When speed is drop it will be ok, but will jerk for a period of time and then stop.
I have a 99 contour svt and every once in a while the hazard lights will flash even while I'm driving.
View 1 RepliesSo, I have a 1995 Ford Contour that I purchased in May from it's previous owner.
Within the past couple weeks, I've noticed a combination of sounds coming from under the front of the car, especially on the left side and especially when I slow down and make left turns. I know nothing about cars and I just worry about my car sounding like a sinking ship.
I was driving the car yesterday and was getting on the highway ramp and stepped on the gas and car went crazy. It started to accelerate and decelerate by itself. I had no control of the car whatsoever. When driving at 0 to 40mph no problem so far, but anything over this car will jerk, like it's changing gears by itself, 'going fast and slow.'What is this? Do I need a fuel filter, or plugs or what? I don't know when the last time I changed anything the car mileage is 135,000
View 1 RepliesI have a 4 cylinder 2000 Ford Contour 133k miles
I've only driven the car for about 2 months, Ive never had an issue with it until yesterday other than an occasional hard shift when driving the car hard. Yesterday when I dropped the car in drive it wouldn't pull at all, I sat in my apartments parking lot continually revving the car high in drive but it wont do anything, its like the car is in neutral. Reverse works and I can drive by manually shifting from first to second and then putting the car in drive, but if I put it into drive before reaching 3rd gear it jumps back to neutral.
I checked the linkage, and the lever it connects to on the transmission; when put into drive the position of the lever coincides with the neutral position. I called a few local transmission shops and they diagnosed is as a broken sprag, but from reading online it seems like it could be a clogged transmission filter or a faulty transmission range sensor. Prior to this issue I would sometimes here a whistle coming from under the hood when driving, I didn't know until today that a whistle is indicative of a vacuum leak, but wouldn't it throw on my check engine light? I have checked my transmission fluid, its at the correct level and is a nice cherry red, it doesn't have any bad or burnt odor.
Almost everytime I drive the car for more than 2 consecutive it acts as if it drops a cylinder..running rough. The next day it will run fine until 2 hours go by...and so on. I have changed plugs wires and coil pack.... 4 cylinder .. automatic
View 2 RepliesI drive a 98 Ford Contour Sport. When I was driving today, I signaled a left turn, and the signal began working erratically. This also happened with a right turn, and, since I deliver sandwiches, happened when I turned my hazards on. Throughout the day it got worse, and eventually stopped working. I'm willing to bet that it's a wiring issue since all of my fuses are fine.
View 5 RepliesI just purchased a 2000 ford contour and it only has one major problem, the tail lights stay on after shutting off the engine and turning the lights off, you actually have to pull out the fuse to get them to turn off and then replace it before driving again, I looked through the owners manual and cod not find a solution. Also, the brake lights don't get brighter when you press the brakes, I'm not sure if that is part of the same problem or another issue entirely.
View 3 RepliesI have a 99 Ford Contour that sporadically refuses to start. The engine will turn over (is that the right term?), but it won't "catch," for lack of a better way to put it. It seems to happen more frequently when the gas gauge is at 1/4 of a tank or below. A dealership told me it was the fuel pump need repair (more than the car is worth), but a second opinion from an independent garage says it might not be the fuel pump.
(Though they don't know what is causing the issue because, of course, it never behaves the same when the mechanic drives it). The second issue, which may or may not be related, is the vibration in the car. It happens only if I turn on the AC or heat. And I do mean shake - it's very noticeable and loud. The motor mount has been checked and that's not the issue.