Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting new guy engine temp question and rough idle

Hi All,
Just got a 1995 contour gl 4cyl yesterday (106k miles) and am now fixing it up. So far I've changed plugs, wires, flushed coolant, and put in new air filter. Both before and after the coolant flush my engine temp (80 degrees outdoors here in Dallas, a/c always on) is right between the "M" and the "A". Is this normal or a little high?

The engine idles roughly with the a/c on and the new plugs/wires did little to help. Reading through the forum I see advice ranging from cleaning the IAC to replacing the fuel pump. I'm taking it to a shop in town later to see hat they say. Any advice on any of the above is appreciated. Thanks a lot!

The temp. seems normal. Zetec almost always run a little on the high side according tho their temp. gauges. Teh shop will likely tell you that there's no way to clean the IAC, you can only replace it. However, everyone on here knows better. Sometimes though the IAC is just too far gone and does have to be replaced. While you're hitting maintenance...

-Fuel Filter?
-Oil/Filter?
-Tranny Fluid?

The only one of those that will improve on the rough running will be the fuel filter (possibly). However, oil/filter and the tranny fluid (ATX or MTX) is never a bad idea to do.

Other than that, welcome! Some people get a little grouchy and tell you to search, but if that do, just search. It's not the easiest thing to do on this site, but there's a HUGE amount of info on here. You'll be able to get that zetec to run forever...

Welcome johnoh .

For the Zetec I-4, you need to access the IAC from the bottom of the car.

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.

Location of the IAC for the Zetec.

"It's on the back side of the intake plenum under the throttle body area." DESIGN.

I looked at the Haynes manual and the Zetec IAC valve is located next to the starter. Below are the steps from the 1996 Ford CD to remove it .

Idle Air Control (IAC) Valve


Removal

1. Disconnect battery ground cable

2. Remove the air cleaner outlet tube and resonator assembly.
3. Disconnect the main chassis vacuum line.

4. Disconnect the ignition coil and radio interference capacitor wiring.

5. Remove the fuel line bracket retaining bolt.

6. On 2.0L engine equipped vehicles, raise vehicle on hoist.
7.
7. Disconnect the engine control sensor wiring or fuel charging wiring (depending upon application) from the idle air control valve (IAC valve) at the idle air control valve connector.

8. On 2.5L engine equipped vehicles, remove retainer for engine control sensor wiring from the upper retaining stud bolt.

9. Remove the two idle air control valve retaining bolts or stud bolt (depending upon application).

10. Remove the idle air control valve and idle air control valve gasket.

Installation

1. Note: If scraping is necessary, be careful not to damage idle air control valve or intake manifold idle air control valve gasket surfaces or drop material into intake manifold.

Clean idle air control valve gasket mating surfaces.

2. To install idle air control valve, reverse Removal procedure. Tighten the fuel line bracket bolt to 8-12 N-m (71-106 lb-in).

3. On 2.5L engine equipped vehicles, tighten the retaining bolt and stud bolt to 8-12

4. On 2.0L engine equipped vehicles, tighten the idle air control valve retaining bolts to 8-11 N-m (71-97 lb-in).