Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Knocking Noise and Loss of Power

I have a 99 SE Contour AT with 72k miles on it. SOMETIMES when driving there is a loss of power to the wheels and a slow reving engine. And other times it seems like it takes the tranny longer than normal to shift. Also SOMETIMES when driving there is a weird knocking noise when the gas pedal is pressed. It sounds like it might be coming from the driver side front wheel or the transmission. Im guessing a transaxle problem or an electrical problem. Can anyone help?

Join the club. Factory fuel pumps are starting to go at 80k+. You wouldn't believe how many people have the same problem on this forum. Search for 'fuel pump' etc and you'll find a lot of good stuff.

If however, it turns out that it's not a pump in your case then check for shorts, check fuel intake wiring, fuel filter - could be any of these. However, yours sounds exatctly like my problem and it's a fuel pump in my case. Good luck

Thanks for the tip. Ill check the fuel pump and wiring systems.

Actually, you were completely wrong about anything to do with the fuel management. I checked all of the things you mentioned. I even managed to disassemble enough to check the fuel rails and injectors themselves. Everything was fine. But my brother (who had a 97 GL contour) suggested that it might be the CAT. Also, after listening to his suggestions i came to this conclusion also. Since my contour is a 99, the CAT is still covered under warranty. I took my contour a local Ford dealership and they are now replacing the CAT, the vaccum hoses, the exhaust and intake manifolds, and the muffler free of charge, parts or labor. This is because the CAT went out prematurely and caused excessive wear on all these other parts. If anyone else is experiencing a loss of power all the time or during heavy acceleration i would suggest having this checked. If its a 99 or newer it will be free anyway.