Okay hello there guys this car it runs and it goes in reverse but it will not engage any other gears you can put it the shifter in any gear you want to but it's not going to do anything I have an extremely fried wiring harness and I do not know I don't know anything I don't have a book for this car this car was given to me and it it's I'm just going to send some pictures and if anybody can tell me what that is and and how I can go about getting one and if that is what is possibly wrong with my thing won't shift cuz I know all this electronic stuff it's yeah it's not like the good old days. This wiring harness is attached at 2 points on the front of motor one on top side and one behind it , and they are all on one harness that runs into.the ecm
Okay, I think I follow. Your car is having problems with shifting into any gear except reverse. And you have a fried wiring harness.
Is the entire harness fried, or just portions of it? Is there evidence of a fire anywhere inside of your engine compartment? Do you have a manual or automatic?
My car didn’t come with any books or anything, but I was able to download the owners manual from Ford’s website:
https://www.ford.com/support/vehicle/contour/1999/owner-manuals/
(Make sure to select your correct year. That’s just the link from my download.)
As for the workshop manual (Haynes or Chilton), none of my local parts stores sold them for this make/model, but I found a used one on ebay for less that 20 bucks. If you’re gonna do any sort of repairs, I HIGHLY recommend having a workshop manual. I’m diesel mechanic, and I’m not ashamed to say that I use manuals every day, especially for intricate and difficult jobs. While I can often remember the steps for a repair order, knowing little things like torque specs and wiring diagrams can help prevent a disaster later.
Without pics or anything, that’s all I can really offer. My best suggestion would be this:
First, check for recalls on your vehicle by going here:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/1999/FORD/CONTOUR
There are five recalls I found, but none of them really relate directly to what your describing. Still, enter your VIN into the search bar and see if there are any outstanding recalls that haven’t been fixed. Most recalls have an expiration window, but it’s still worth knowing that those problems were or were not fixed.
Then, I’d recommend taking your car to a dealership, if possible, or a trusted auto shop and have them diag the issues you described above. You may need a trasmission service or rebuild, and even a new wiring harness. While having a shop do it for you would cost a lot of money than doing it yourself, you can be certain it’s done right. And as an owner of three Fords, I can tell you that Ford warranties all their parts, so if something goes wrong within a couple years of the install, they’ll replace it for free if it was a part or workmanship failure.
Keep us posted on how things are going.
