Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting '99 Contour---Update

Just wanted to keep everyone who has been helpful updated on my situation. Read HERE for the thread.

1.)Today I finally removed the TSS after soaking it repeatedly with PB Blaster for the last week (was still a bit tough to remove though), and installed the new one. The 'bang shifting' still occured, so I did the ATF Change using the how-to which Tony suggested. To much horror the fluid coming out of the transmission was a different color than what was on the dipstick (Does this make any sense??). The fluid was nasty smelling, and was really dark. But I have yet to drive it around (other than around the block), and the 'bang-shift' seems to still be there.

2.)I realized today that the morons at Penzoil put in the wrong weight oil last oil change (10W-30)...after I told them to put 5W-30 in it Guess I just need to stick with doing things myself again...at least if I screw it up I have no one to blame but myself.

Anyway, that's what I've done so far, and the bang shift is still present...I'll drive it to work tonight and find out for sure if its still there. I shouldn't need to reset the PCM again should I?? I just did that not too long ago.

My next step after correcting Penzoil's screw up, will be to clean the MAF, and all things relating to the intake...which if there is anyone reading this who has performed it on a 2.0 zetec, please input.

That's all for now I guess...Thanks in advance

Wife got back with the car a little while ago and said she didn't notice it doing it 'as bad' as it was. I'll drive it to work here in about and hour and I'll see for myself.

So you're saying I need to reset pcm also? I did not do it after changing the TSS

thanks Tony...I'll go out and pull the fuses before I leave for work then. Will update again tomorrow afternoon.

Next, smartest thing on my 'to-do' list would be to check the condition of your tranny mount/roll resistor. Might be worn or shot, causing excessive engine roll/movement & a harsh shift.

Cost ya nothing to look.

Decided to give the car a couple days before updating, so I could be sure of a few things.

First of all, the bang shifting is diminished. Not completely gone, but not as frequent and nowhere near as severe.

Secondly, I'm feeling a 'slip' in the tranny between all gears now When going from 2nd to 3rd it feels as though the rpms increase and it goes into gear. Not normal ATX shift...I have no tach, so I can't tell you how many rpms, but it sounds as though I throw it into nuetral for just a split second.

Third, I inspected the Tranny mount and it looks to be in good condition...no tears, and when the car is rocked no excessive movement, so I believe that's ok.

So am I looking at a possible death of the tranny or am I jumping to conclusions?

I'll give the MLPS a try. Either way you weigh it 50 bucks is way better than a new car or tranny . I'd hate to get rid of it; I've had it for two years and these are the ONLY problems I've had out of it. Once I get the MLPS I'll re-re-update with information. Thanks alot

Well, replaced the MLPS and seems to have eased the banging alot. Finally got it to AutoZone and had them scan it (even though I never have had a CEL) and there was nothing.
However...all is not well completely yet.

A minor problem discovered last night...The headlights would flicker on take off, and on occassion while idling. The only thing I did was to change the MLPS and reset the PCM, so I have no clue. The problem seems to have went away, so I'm not gonna sweat this one too much.

While sitting in my driveway this morning I noticed something weird, and have looked through these forums for anything similar, but I can't quite pin down the proper search phrase. What happens is when i just pop the accelerator (a quick rev), it sounds as though the car is choking itself. Sounds like it can't get enough air and almost dies. Alot of air suction and sounds as though it might die, but never does. That's about as good as I can explain it if anyone has a clue.

One last thing...What does it mean whenever you're driving down the road, maybe up a hill or something, and you hear a slight diesel sound?? Like a retarded spark kinda.

Anyway, that's about all for now. Thanks for the help.