• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Flat spot in engine

99SE

CEG'er
Joined
Nov 28, 2006
Messages
470
Location
Ranson, WV
When cruising down the highway I can feel a flat spot in the engine. I'll be moving at a different speeds. It feels like the engine just gets tired for a moment then its heart kicks back in gear. Its not like I lose any speed though. I can just feel something like gas isnt there then its there again. It only happens for like a second. It probably did it 10 times within 30 miles.

Any ideas?
 
At times yes but it does it either way. It's odd. It's almost like you could feel like the a/c click on then off but it hasn't been running.
 
Brapple, I just looked at your car and man is it sweet. I'd love to have that color. Mine is silver and it's looking bad. My car is mainly used for going back and forth to work so I'm not really trying to impress anyone with it but its starting to fall apart. The hood is all chipped up, the bottom inside of the doors are showing rust and there are a few dings in it. My antenna is bent up from a deer hitting me. I have one headlight that is turning yellow. I love the contours but I just don't see me fixing this thing up anymore. I have to congratulate you on yours though. Its sweet.
 
You only have 71,000 miles, should run for years more! I have the rust on my doors too. Might help (slow rusting) to wire brush/sand paint and then spray rustproofer in the edge. I would check for codes first. Might be the crankshaft position sensor or fuel pump (if you are at 1/4 tank or less when you have trouble) or even the battery is weak or its connections are corroded. All cars with "clear" headlights do the yellowing, all you can do is wetsand with fine,finer,finest 2000 grit paper and then compound (takes off the coating that yellowed.) Or replace headlight, see www.teamfordparts.com.
 
Brapple, I just looked at your car and man is it sweet. I'd love to have that color. Mine is silver and it's looking bad. My car is mainly used for going back and forth to work so I'm not really trying to impress anyone with it but its starting to fall apart. The hood is all chipped up, the bottom inside of the doors are showing rust and there are a few dings in it. My antenna is bent up from a deer hitting me. I have one headlight that is turning yellow. I love the contours but I just don't see me fixing this thing up anymore. I have to congratulate you on yours though. Its sweet.
I never saw someone hijack their own thread before. This must be a first! You must have fixed your surging problem. What caused it? :confused:
Karl
 
I never saw someone hijack their own thread before. This must be a first! You must have fixed your surging problem. What caused it? :confused:
Karl


lol Thats funny.

I didn't fix the problem. I don't know what it is. I didn't notice it much last night but yestarday morning I did have the defroster on so maybe it was kicking on and off causing me to feel the surge. Who knows. This contour has always giving me a problem. I've owned it since it had 15k miles on it.

New starter
New flywheel (Twice) the new one broke. It really broke into 2 peices.
new rotors
new battery
new alternator (twice)
new fuel pump
Theres more I just cant think of them right now.

Well here I am hijacking again
 
Are you sure that it's not just the converter being locked and you apply gas to it and it stays locked until you hit the preprogrammed throttle percentage?

Have you tried going to like 50% throttle as the issue is happening? It should unlock the converter and downshift. Perhaps your trans is running more pressure than it should (pressure solenoid going out perhaps) and locking the converter real hard preventing the normal slip it would have.

Just thoughts...
 
Are you sure that it's not just the converter being locked and you apply gas to it and it stays locked until you hit the preprogrammed throttle percentage?

Have you tried going to like 50% throttle as the issue is happening? It should unlock the converter and downshift. Perhaps your trans is running more pressure than it should (pressure solenoid going out perhaps) and locking the converter real hard preventing the normal slip it would have.

Just thoughts...

No I wouldn't think it had anything to do with the tranny. If I hit the gas it goes away but it doesn't last that long anyway. It's very subtle and some would probably not notice it.
 
Front defrost runs the A/C compressor, will be cycling in cool weather. A/C sould run pretty steady if it is summerlike weather for you. (80-ish)
 
It is a combination of using the A/c (defroster or others) and cruise control. The area by Ranson, WV is very hilly especially along the I-81 and Rt. 9 corridors. I experience that every now and then.
 
Yes, I figured that out this morning. I don't know why I never noticed that before. When I use the defroster it is when I notice it. Turn it off and my problem goes away.

Problem solved.

It's wierd to talk to someone on here that knows about Ranson, WV. Everyone is always from miles away.
 
The Mystique is doing that too. There's a small vacuum leak in there somewhere. It's almost a feeling of when you first run out of gas and the engine stumbles.
 
Back
Top