Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Need some help

Hey guys....hoping someone can give me some ideas here. I have an 00 Mystique, 2.5 w/ATX and it has about 119k on it. Lately, I've been having an intermittent problem with it either not starting at all or being hard to start where it takes 2+ tries to get it to turn over. Doesn't really matter how much gas is in it because it's happened on 1/4 tank as well as 3/4 full or full tank of gas. First, I changed the fuel filter and that didn't work. Then I had new plugs put in since it was overdue for some anyway and that didn't help. I took it to the dealer and left it overnite and they replaced the fuel pump. When I got it back on Weds, the CEL was off and all was fine till last nite when i was on my way home and the CEL came back. I turned it off, went in the house for a few hours and came back out and surprise- took 3 tries to start again. This time the gas level was at 1/4 tank. I still love my car, but if this continues, it's gonna have to go because I can't afford this whole process. Anyone have any ideas of what it could be? Once it's running, its fine. It doesn't even do it every day, but I'm afraid I'm gonna get stuck somewhere.

Scan for the CEL code and post.

4 things come to mind. Water in gas (use HEET or fuel stabilizer), Fuel filter (you may have to change another one as the changing of the pump may have stirred up some sediment), MAF sensor and IAC valve.
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Fuel filter.
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=v6maint&Number=958655&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=186&fpart=1

MAF
http://www.contour.org/mods/mods.php?s=howto&displayid=36

IAC cleaning
from Ray's UIM/LIM how to in Duratec Maintenance how to.

"Replacing the IAC gasket:
(From IAC faq)
Over time, the IAC (Idle Air Control) valve becomes sticky due to buildup from the EGR and PCV systems. It can stick partially open such that idle quality is adversely affected, and engine RPM's will not drop below 1500. For a while, blipping the throttle will restore normal idle, but this only works for so long.

The fix is to remove the IAC valve by unbolting the two 8mm bolts that hold it on and disconnected the wiring plug. If you are careful enough, replacement of the gasket will not be necessary. The gasket costs less than US $1.00, so it is no tragedy if you destroy it. Once the valve is off, spray it out with some carb/intake cleaner and make sure any gunky residue is gone. Reattach, and you are done. It is a lot cheaper than a new IAC, which runs around US $70. Note: Ford claims the IAC cannot be cleaned, but this is not true in my experience." Ray.

Scan for the CEL code and post.

Just got back from Autozone....the code its reading is P0420, which is for the cat, but this is nothing new because i had the same code before starting became an issue. I think I'm about to call the dealer and see what they say.