This is starting to look like it might of just been a bad battery connection. The car will do all sorts of wierd things if one of the terminals is loose.
Tony
1998 SVT Contour (B/MB) #542 3L
1998 SVT Contour (SF/MB) #1266 parts car
2000 SVT Contour (SF/MB) #1533 3L swap to begin!