Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Hesitates during acceleration

my 96 contour (2.5L V6) has had a hesitation problem for a long time. It happens more pronounced when cold. It seems right at the beggining of the gas peddle travel when stepping on it the cars "dogs out" for a second then the power kicks in. Any ideas?

I had the same problem and what it turned out to be was the vacuum line that controls the actuating mechanism for the intake runners was collasped. You can see wether this is your problem by looking at the vacuum pot in were the thermostat housing is and then have someone start the car and watch it to see if it actually moves the rod I dont know the tech name for the vacuum pot but if this is not working your intake runner is not opening to allow air into the engine. good luck.

00 silver svt, i have the same problem and i took it to the dealership who said that it was redlining, when i was only at 5000 rpms, this is bullshit

To check whether the secondary valve is working, idle your engine in the driveway with the parking brake on. Then in the engine compartment, pull on the accelerator cable until you reach 3500 RPM.

Beneath the throttle plate, you will see a lever move from left to right. If it moves and then, when you release the accelerator cable, it moves back again, your secondaries are working properly.

If it doesn't move, then your secondaries may be stuck open.

Otherwise, maybe cleaning the intakes will help. Or simply replacing your spark plugs. And your air cleaner, is it clogged?

Another thing that gets dirty in Contours is the Idle Air Control motor.

- Randall

Although it could be any of these things, the throttle position sensor is more likely the culprit. It gets worn out right where the throttle starts to move, since that is where it is most of the time. They don't cost that much (35$-55$) and they are easy to install yourself. You can test it with a meter, but it's the only sensor that physically moves, so it's not a question of if it will die but when.