Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting So it's pouring and I go through a HUGE puddle...

on a windy road at night. My lights didn't flicker or anything, and all seemed well. About 20 seconds later I felt a loss of power and then my car would stall out. It would start back up while I was coasting, until about the third time. It had fire, but seemed like no gas. My first thought was check the fuses and maybe the one for the fuel pump is blown. All fuses checked good. So, wtf should I check now? It's late at night and pouring like mad still, so I have to wait til the morning. 95 se mtx duratech if it matters.

Thanks

~Paul

There is a splash shield kit that prevents water from getting into alternator, etc. I had to install this kit on my daughter's Contour. It is about 50 dollars and will solve your problem with water.

Bob

Yeah I was thinking about the stupid low location of our alternater...but this wouldn't stop my car from restarting.

I am by no means indicating that this is definitely the cause, but this is similar to how my wiring harness issue first started with my Mystique. Since the wiring coatings were cracked, the water would get into the wires and cause short circuits. The only thing is, did the car grind to a halt, or did your engine just stop working, quite as could be, so that you don't even notice until you hit the gas petal? The former probably indicates some type of mechanical failure, while the latter indicates some type of electrical issue, which is how my wiring harness issue first showed signs. I do not even know how to really test for this, but I wanted to let you know. If your car has less than 100K, I would have the stealership take a look at it and replace under Ford's extended warranty. Be very careful, however, as this is a very time consumming task that mechanics do not get paid much to complete and therefore do not like doing, which often means very sloppy work. HTH!