Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Running rich at idle barely idles

Well I have a 1996 contour 2.0 zetec auto trans. The thing runs rich as hell will barely idle unless you keep one foot on the brake and one on the gas. Runs perfect at speed though. When I pull the hose off of the fuel pressure regulator and leave it open it leans it out some and it will idle better. I have put a new IAC valve on it didn't help.

think you might have answered your own question, if changing the pressure to the regulator fixed the problem then it would be the regulator

No I think the only reason it idles better is because of the vacuum leak from the disconnected hose if I cover the hose with my finger it will die if I hook it up to the pressure regulator it dies it needs more air to idle properly so it is rich for sure. It could be the pressure regulator for all I know I'll give it a try. I just disconnected that hose because it was easy to access.

Welcome to CEG!

Disconnecting the vacuum from the FPR should raise fuel pressure. Best to check fuel pressure operation before buying parts though.

There are many possibilities here:

• Static timing
• High fuel pressure / bad FPR
• Bad MAF or connections
• Leaking injectors
• O2 going bad
• PCV system plugged
• EGR leakage
• A combination

Good Luck