Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting CEL and Engine Oil Presure light on

Today on the way to my office when I was trying to turn right, my 98 4cyl Contour had a problem. The steeling wheel just stuck when the car had not finished the turn. I was pushing the brake a little bit at the moment since it was a sharp turning and I didn't slowed down enough before I turned. I stop the car. The engine was still running but I cannot drive forward or backward, nor could I turn steeling wheel. I notice the Check Engine light and the Engine Oil Pressure light were on. I turned off the key and started the car again. No light on and I can drived to my office Okay.

Has this happen to you guys before? Should I do anything about it? Thank for any response.

Oil pressure light on when turning sometimes means you are (very) low on oil.
As for the steering locking up, check the oil level there too. Could also be belt slippage. If it was raining, water could be getting on belt. I have this problem with my V-6 and it seems to be getting worse.

I have my engine oil level checked. Actually it was always overfilled by the Candian Tire(I don't know why). But it was okay before. My car's mileage is about 140k kilometers but I haven't got the timing belt changed yet. Last week I ask a ford dealler for the price of changing timing belt, they told me usually they would change the water pump as they change timing belt and the cost would be around Can$500.

Would the timing belt be the cause of the stuck of the steel wheel and the light on? Should I change the water pump as I change the timing belt?

TIA

If your timing belt failed, your engine would have died and could not be restarted. On many engines, if you have to replace the water pump, the timing belt has to be removed first. If this is the case with the 2.0 liter engine, then it may be wise to replace the waterpump along with the timing belt. If the water pump fails later, you'll have to remove the timing belt (and probably have to replace it). That happened to my BWM...replaced the timing belt at 60,000 miles and the waterpump failed 500 miles later, making me replacing the timing belt AGAIN.