Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting 95 Contour SE Odd Trouble Codes

Hey All, I am new to the CEG, but I am having issues with my Contour. Checking the trouble codes I come up with 117 (ECT below minimum voltage) and 217 (PCM detected coil 3 primary circuit failure. I replaced the coilpack, and ran the KOEO test while the car was warm and cleared the trouble codes and KAM codes, drove the car for 12 miles and still, the same trouble codes came up.

Any suggestions???

Thanks,
Chance

The 217 code after replacing the coil pack is disturbing, but try swapping plug wires and see if the code follows to the other cylinder.

The engine coolant temp sensor may be faulty (or a bad wiring connection, especially at the sensor) or you may have a thermostat that is stuck open so that the coolant truly is too cold.

What would it mean even if the code follows to another cylinder??? I guess it could be a possible bad ignition wire. The coil pack for the 2.5 is all one unit, so I am not exactly sure which is the coil 3 primary. I am wondering if it is possible that the wiring would have something to do with it. I know that Fords have an issue with the insulation drying and becoming brittle.

The coil pack has a secondary winding and a primary winding. This is how it generates a high voltage spark from a 12vdc input.

Also, 95's are the only year which uses an ignition control module but they are generally trouble-free. It's mounted on the firewall near to the power steering fluid reservoir.

The wiring harness insulation problems could affect your PCM. What about driveability? Are you having issues there?

The PCM is detecting too much or too little current in the primary of the ignition coil. This is done when the coil is saturated (before the plug fires) so it wouldn�t be the secondary (plugs or wires). You need to check the low voltage harness and connector for shorts or opens. A quick way to do this (if is there is such a thing) is to pull the connector from the PCM and use an ohm meter to check the resistance reading from ground to each primary coil pack. You will likely find #3 reading higher or lower then the others.

For the ECT problem it could be the harness but it�s likely the ECT. With the engine cold pull the connector off and measure the resistance. Compare it to the cold values listed in the manual. If it�s correct the check the harness (voltage below value indicates the ECT resistance is to low (out of range) or on open/dirty/short in the ECT wiring. You can also check this at the PCM connector.

jeff

I Am not having any drivability issues or overheating coolant issues. The only issue that the car has is that there are 115000 miles on it, I think that the O2 Sensors might be bad, and/or the Cat needs replacing. Sometimes, in drive, the engine RPM's go high while being at low speeds. Kinda like being in 1st gear, but being in Drive. That hasn't happened in about 6 months though.

I was reading on another site, where a woman had to replace the DPFE, though I don't know exactly what it is or what it does, I was reading that she was having the same symptoms I do.

Thanks for any help,
Chance