Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES

WHEN STOPPED AT RED LIGHT WHILE IN GEAR STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES???? 1996 CONTOUR 4 CYL A/T ANY IDEAS???

probably a bad motor mount. (not sure where/how many the 4cyl has). take a look at them first.

Very easy way to tell... Open the hood, engage the parking brakes, and put the car into gear while comeone watches the engine. If the engine SHIFTS significantly (say, quarter or inch or so), the engine mounts are toast.

If left untreated, eventually the flexing will loosen everything connected to the engine, and that's BAD.

I'd actually recommend since this is an A/T to leave the parking brake alone and just hold your foot on the regular brake. Then at the same time slightly rev the motor when in drive and also check it in reverse too with the help of an assistant of course. This can be more helpful than just looking for a brief moment of gear engagement to determine exactly how far the engine is flexing if at all. This is how we did it at the garage, keeping the RPM's in a reasonable range so as not to excessively abuse the transmission.

NO,NO,NO - You just have an old(95-96) ford contour 4 cyl ATX, just like me. This excessive vibration is common, unless it just started happening. I have looked into this issue with the ford dealer and they told me that the only way to "fix" it was to have the redesigned(97-98)steering coulm brace installed for apx-$800. This, however, is not a necessary fix. Talk with other 95-96 4cyl atx owners and they will tell you they experience the same thing.