Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting No power, something's EFFed, dealer can't find

Well anybody who can offer some advice on this problem will be more worthy than the dealer. I have taken the car in 3 times now and they can't figure out what's wrong. First I'll give a description of everything that is occuring, albeit some of them may be unrelated, then I'll list the things that have been done.

The main problem is significant power loss that occurs usually 5-20 minutes after starting. The best analogy I can come up with is to that of a vaccuum cleaner becoming clogged. When the loss first occurs the engine sounds normal and then all of a sudden kicks up in sound and power drops just like vaccuum clog. From that point forward the vehicle's accelleration is abou 1/3-1/2 of normal, the engine sounds louder, as if it is always going up a hill. Also, I have noticed that the temperature gauge reads just within normal, right at the left hand side line, when previously before this problem it was nearly vertical, right in the middle. Furthermore, even before the loss starts when I am accellerating there is a jerking sensation as if I had a bad plug or wire, and also, when shifting into top gear during full accelleration a squeel occurs, which I can best attribute to a belt slipping.

Now, as I said, I have had the vehicle in 3 times and have had over $3500 worth of work done on it, and to no improvement. First I had new plugs installed, new fuel filter, a motorvac of my fuel and injectors, coolant flush, tranny flush, and a general tuneup. That did not correct the problem so I had it in specifically for the problem which they identified as the catalytic convertors being clogged, and which I am told was a common problem to occur in my climate zone, so both of those were replaced (which took them 8 days to do!), and so now after the third time, they apparently have driven the car more than 250km and cannot find anything wrong.

I asked them to check the following:
mufflers...thinking that maybe flakes came out of the cats and clogged in there
timing
plug wires
fuel pump, line, filters, or injectors
air temperature sensor (I have an aftermarket air intake)

So basically the dealership sucks, and so does my car right now, so hopefully someone can offer some advice!!!

Thanks! You guys rock!

-Joel

make sure that there are no leaks in the intake. I had a problem similar to yours and it turned out that all it was, was air getting in other places than the intake.

any codes?

is the power loss at all rpm or only below 3500rpm

I think I've been experiencing the exact same symptoms. The engine gets really loud at higher rpms with no power at all. I am having a rough idle now also. It could be a simple vacuum leak. I'm going to double check all the intake system/vacuum hoses on it and see what happens.

Russ

No codes, no Check Engine Light. The dealer said that everything appears fine

Power loss I assume is at all rpms, but especially noticeable at the higher ones. You guys know how the car kinda kicks you back at a certain point during accelleration? Well there is no kick, it stays pretty much steady. So basically, that nice feeling you get during accelleration is gone...sorta feels like a 4 cylinder, ha ha. But yah, sounds a lot louder and significantly strained. The dealership has given me a logger and I'm to hit a button everytime it does it, which I did last night, but they are so stupidly busy they won't be able to look at the data until Monday. And even then I'm losing more and more faith in them...

Any other possibilities would be great...!!

-Joel

sounds like it could be the imt valve being stuck or not working.

Sounds to me like it could be the IMRC. You can check it yourself in your driveway.

I've had the same problem in my '99 Contour SE. But I do have another symptom, though I'm not sure it's related. Sometimes when stopped at a light the idle kicks up a notch that if I don't stand on the brake the car will jerk forward and then go back to a regular idle. This sudden burst in power happens about every 5seconds. But I have only noticed it when at a stop in Drive and only occures a few times a month.

Thank's
Tim

Well I had the dealer check the IMRC and it was fine, they analyzed the data they received from the logger and determined the problem to be the ECM...so that'll be another $900. They 100% assure me that this will solve the problem. I'll let you guys know on Wednesday when I get it back...but now I have to go to the bank and get another loan.....*sigh*