Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Newbie on board

Hi fellow gearheads!

Thanks for the great site! Been lurking for a few days and managed to get most of my questions answered using the search tool. Please endure a little newbie introduction if you will.

My name is Carl and I bought an 89 SHO back in 96. Some of you who used to frequent SHOTIMES may remember that I converted the car to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). It was great having a performance car that used cheap, domestically produced fuel, HOV lane access, etc. But alas, my beloved old SHO was totaled last month by a hit-and-run ricer.

The EPA has changed the rules since 96 and I can���?�t just convert another SHO, So I needed to choose between a CNG econobox, or forget the alternative fuel gig and get a performance car. Thus I started looking at Contours because they were offered in a factory dual fuel CNG/Unleaded, although only with the Ztech and an automatic.

I drove one of those and (yawn) you know....Then I drove an SE sport with the Duratech and a MTX and It was fun! Not as much torque as the ol���?� Yamaha V6, but it was lighter and more nimble than the SHO, and has a rev happy engine. As much fun as my 280z beater and still has room for the wife and kid.

So, here I am and looking at Contour sports, SVTs and V8 SHOs. I have also considered a Mazda6, but I hate that new car depreciation. The ATX and cam sprocket issues with the SHO scare me. Likewise I see that the Duratech may be prone to spin a bearing and they seem a little less hardy than the original SHO (probably due to the higher RPM operating range). I also see that the SVT has slightly higher compression, different cam timing, and extrude honed intake on later years.

Sorry for the long intro, now the questions..

Does the SE Sport require premium fuel?

I read that the SVT had a â�?��?close ratioâ�?� 5 speed, is this any different than the SE sport?

Lastly, I will need to occasionally tow dirt bikes or a jet ski. Since the SVT cam timing moves the powerband up, does the SE V6 have more torque? Or would I just have to spin the SVT a few hundred RPM higher?

I appreciate your input!

Welcome, Carl..

I am glad to see that you are, obviously, a fairly intelligent member, and I am remarkably impressed to see your use of the sites search feature.. That will prove MOST helpful to you in the near, or distant, future.

As for your worries, yes there are some problematic thing with this platform, but what car doesn't have those, right?

Things to look out for, and the ways to avoid them..


1. Waterpump. FAR more likely than the spun bearing. All duratec engines manufactured before the 99 model year (actual build date is unknown to me) were produced with a black plastic impellar within the waterpump housing, which was found to become brittle and crack/shatter with age/heat (heat.. hmm.. you mean hot circulating coolant??) Overheating condition, and possible warped heads can result if not caught in time. Average lifespan is reported anywhere from 55k-90k, though some have been pushing 110 and nothing yet, but I would NOT rely on that being a commonplace occurance.

Fix is easy.. replace before it shatters, preferable with a revised WHITE plastic impellar, or even a metal impellar, though some have reported to have gasket leaks on the metal ones.. heresay from me, though..

2. Oil starvation. Design of the oilpan causes a probable oil starvation issue, especially on high-rpm right hand sweeping turns (think: clover leaf on-ramp), causing the oil light to flicker as little as even once. This should be a heart-wrenching feeling to see...

Fix: multiple ways, all compounding upon one another:
Most people run 6.0 to even 6.5 qts of oil, instead of 5, to fill the pan more, and provide more oil, to eliminate a drop in pressure.

Accusump oil primer pump - provides an additional 1 Qt (hmm.. you mean making it 6 qts like above?) at any time the pressure drops, then reclaiming it, again, later..

Revised oilpan from Ford, though I don't know the concensus on the ACTUAL help, or harm the redesign actually did.. someone will chime in on the results.

Moosing/Throttle Hang: You'll know it when you hear it... Nothing harmful at all.. just ANNOYING.Check the FAQ on the main page of Contour.org for the complete list of details and fixes.

As for the differences between the SVT and SE, there are tons, and very few at the same time. (that WILL make sense to you later on... lol..)

Anyway.. welcome to the CEG, and enjoy your stay.



Ray

Carl, welcome to the CEG ! From a fellow CEGer that once owned a SHO 89 and 93 MTX.

Thanks for the replies. There seems to be a lot of SHO crossover, and I even noted one member who had a SHO and a Datsun Z.

I had already read about the oil starvation issue during my research, but did not find the water pump impeller issue, thanks!

The obvious follow-up to some of your replies is, what differences (besides engine) are there between the SVT and SE Sport? I know the SVT has 16" wheels, and I imagine different strut valving. Whithout an exhaustive list, what else did I miss? Rod Shifter? Bigger sway bars? Brakes?

Maybe this needs to be in the FAQ's. I looked at the specifications and desriptions pages and did not find much detail there.

Thanks!

yep:
16" wheels;
different strut valving;
Rod Shifter is 95-97; later on all models have cable shifter (there are variations in details year to year)
Actually smaller sway bar in the front and bigger in the back;
Front rotors are bigger. Early '98 SVT have different calipers and bigger pads, later it's just bigger rotor;
nicer interior w/ a lot of little touches (inevitebly cheapened by ford) leather, better seats, better gauges;
different powertrain mounts;
SS quasy dual exhaust;
bigger injectors;
bigger TB;
EH intake (all years SVT uppers are same, but 2000 is returnless fuel and therefore lower is a little different);
presumably SVT is supposed to have 4-bolt control arms like those in 1st generation, but I've seen 2-bolt...;
extra oil cooler;
different (thicker) radiator;
different air filter element;

same axles