Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Maintenance!

I have a 99 Contour SE Sport, and I was wondering if there are any mainenance jobs that I should perform other then whats listed in my little green book. I am not an automotive expert but I know the basics. I want to keep my Duratec running as long as humanly possible so I just wanted to know if there are any tips/tricks to taking care of my car so I can get 200k+ miles out of it. Any input is appreciated.

If the 2.5 run don't walk to the nearest automotive store for a new waterpump. *grumble grumble stupid plastic cardboard impregnated impeller grumble grumble* :rolleyes:

ohhh good so I am not the only one planning on running it for 200K (5 years or so for me )

I dont think the waterpump is as bad of most people on here are saying.

The 95 mystique went 150K before the waterpump blew.
My 98.5 contour SE was at 50K with orginal WP when I totaled it and my 2000 SE is still on the orginal WP at 71K right now (I am thinking about replacing the WP in about 1.5 years if I feel bad about it then.

other than that I have just been doing what it says in the book (errr well I go a little over the mileage for oil changes since most of my driving is a hour long commute at highway speeds) but other than that I have been following my maint book pretty good.

Thanks for the input people. I pretty much always stick to my book on mileage, although sometimes I run a little over on time for oil changes, like it might be 7 or 8 months, instead of the recommended 6. I think I will hold out to at least 40K miles before doing the water pump because my service guide says that is when I should do a coolant flush (might as well do it all at once). I will prob have them change the thermostat and clean out the coils all at once then. The only reason I worry about the water pump is because it overheats almost instantly and I don't check my temp gauge that much because I forget, but it never really moves anyway which is a good thing. I have to make this car last a long time so I just want to try to baby it as much as I can. Is there any recommended interval for the serpentine belt? If its in the manual I missed it. I have heard it should be done every 4 years at least. Thanks.

I just thought of one thing that I might need to do eventually. Should the power steering fluid be changed out like the transmission at 30 or 60K? I don't see anything in the manual but it seems to me it would be good to do it at some point because the oil has to get dirty after 60K or more miles. Thanks to all who reply.