Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting '99 Contour--New to Forums

Hello everyone

I've spent the last two weeks combing through these forums, and have gotten alot of good advice on a few issues I had with my car. It's a '99 Contour with the 4-banger in it, which I assume is referred to as the 'Zetec'. Its the one with the DOHC and has 96k miles on it. My gas mileage started dropping horribly from around 20-25mpg to 12-18. So I decided to check the plugs to start off with, and they were in sad shape. The peculiar thing was that there was oil pooled up around the #1 plug before I changed it(is this normal??) and there was a little pooled around the #2 plug as well. The information I gathered from the forums suggested the gap should be .54--the decal under the hood says 1.3mm, but this is the same, correct?? I gapped the plugs, installed them and got all the wires back on and started the car. She smoked for quite a while(from the tailpipe), and I have yet to figure out what caused that. After driving around the block twice, that went away.
Now, I still need to change the wires as they are OEM as far as I can tell, and replace the fuel filter, and possibly the coilpack. Now, ever since I changed the plugs, it seems as if the car is sluggish, and losing power. The cat is just fine...already thought of that. So, any ideas as to the cause of that?
One last thing...I plan to switch to synthetic oil at my next oil change, and I couldn't find a definite on this in the forum, but is it NECESSARY to use that 'motor flush' stuff before the oil change?
Anyway, that's my contour. Not many problems, and she still drives like a demon with 96k miles

The oil in the spark plug wells is from a leaking valve cover gasket.

Welcome to CEG!

Gap is .051 not .54 (over a half inch )

You do need to replace that valve cover gasket. Some oil made it into the cylinders causing the smoke and oil will ruin the plug boots.
It would also be a good idea to replace the timing belt now.
Beware of the known timing belt instalation problem on Zetec engines with VTC.

Has your CEL come on, or have you had codes pulled?
Did you put in acceptable replacement double plat plugs?
How do you know the CATs are fine (both)?

Go ahead and replace the plug wires with OEM or Ford Motorsport. You may well have caused damage to an electrode end when replacing the plugs. Double check that the plugs are of proper type and are secure (not stripped or leaking cylinder pressure) Check for vacuum and intake leaks too.

Mileage that poor should trigger a CEL, make sure the light actually comes on when the key is turned to the run position. Codes will make further diagnosis easier.

If you still have any problems let us know.

Welcome. Scan for CEL codes and post.

"The CEL has not lit up with any codes, and when turned to run position it does in fact light up."

This is good.

"I checked the cat out based on a post i read here last week where you put your hand over the tailpipe...check for pressure."

Hmmm, it might be better to try removing a O2 sensor to see if it performs better if you are testing to see if the cat or precat is plugged.

"If the CEL is not lit, can I still retrieve codes?"

Yes, if there is an intermittent code.

Wow! Alot of good information to absorb there. I haven't yet tried to remove the O2 sensor. Most likely I'll do that this weekend. I don't have a pressure gauge so, the O2 option sounds best I did discover a newer problem which seems to be worse than crappy gas mileage. I went to get my oil changed at the local "Penzoil Fast Lube"...or whatever its called...and the guy tells me that my Transmission filter is still oem and should be replaced. Now, I may be wrong..but I thought I had read on these forums a few days ago about the contour having a "screen" instead of a filter?? Anyway, I told him I'd hold off on that for now as they wanted 70 bux to do that. Well, as ironically as it seems, while on my way to work, I noticed some slipping and jerking in the tranny. This only occured between 1st and 2nd and 2nd to 3rd gears, but never 4th. I have no Tachometer in the car, but I can hear it as it nears the point to shift...and the rpms rev a bit and then it shifts. Sometimes the sound is a 'clunk' but only if the car was about to shift and I let off the Accelerator. Now, if I baby the throttle, it doesnt slip as bad, but if I drive normally what I described above happens. So, if you guys have any ideas, please post em. I'd like to get her running properly, and things just keep happening all at once

hi welcome . mine did the same thing and it was the tss it is the (Turbine Speed Sensor) the sensor is located behind the drivers side front wheel . click on search , look in transaxle . when i did mine i found a how to for it . but i cant find it now mybe someone will chime in with its link to it . im not saying thats what it is but it was my problem. cant hurt to look into it. welcome to ceg . and good luck

It is always good to put your information in your signature. We had no indication that it was an ATX until your recent post. You may want to check if the ATF level is correct and the color is clear pink/red (buy a quart of ATF and compare). If the ATF color is close, you may want to try changing it first. If they mean changing the filter screen for $70, that is a steal but I doubt it. They are probably just going to do a ATF drain and refill once.

Edit. ATF change how-to
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=tranny&Number=992476&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=7&fpart=1