Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting SHOCKED my Contour dead?

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Hi,

Don't know even if our cars have them, but check for a "fuseable link"...its a section of wiring that will "burn" just like a fuse, only the only way to tell it is to actually feel, squeeze or "roll" the wire between your finger tips to feel if there is still a solid core of wire in the insulation. Sometimes they will appear all wrinkled/scrunched up. Sometimes these wires are labled "fuseable link", sometimes not. They usually run off the battery red (positive) lead or sometimes from a junction block on the fire wall or fender well.

Might be the problen if all the fuses are OK.

Or...worst case senario...static discharge destroyed the computer or maybe PATS if you have it.

...Ed

You think that is bad, a couple days ago at work one of the guys was putting a battery in a festiva and after he got the battery out he went home, I finished the job, but before he left I asked him which cable was + and which was - , they were both black and I didn't see them before he took them out, so he showed me, and left, well when I went to hook the battery up, lets just say he was wrong. this thing SNAP CRACKELED AND POPPED, now to make this related to this thread, I checked all the fuses, all were fine, it was a fusable link that went south, all I had to do was get a piece of wire, connect the 2 ends and botta bing fixed.

When my mega fuse went it took out a couple of other things to. However mine "burned out slowly" according to the dealer. If I remember right you have to remove the air intake to get at it. Good Luck...and let us know how you make out.

Yes, check them again. This sound like the same problem that I had a few months back. My friend and I were sitting in my car, eating a hamburger. The park lights were on, so was the stereo and the heater. The engine was idling.

I hear a very faint -psssffftt- The sound of a wire melting. The car is still running, but some smoke comes out of the cowl panel directly in front of me. We drive the car back to the place he was working and pull it into their loading garage. I turn it off. We finish some things that he and I were working on, and I go to leave. Nadda. Exactly the same problem that you are describing. I hadn't the slightest clue what went out and it was 3am so I didn't want to look. I reconnected the burnt wire, though I never found what made it melt. That didn't work so I hotwired it and drove it home.

I looked and looked. Thought I checked everything twice. Turns out there are two small blue plastic fuses in the power block. I checked them, one was bad. I bought a new one and thought I dropped the good one in, I actually put the bad one back. The car still wouldn't start. I hotwired it again and drove it home.

I was out cleaning it the next day and came across the good fuse. I put it in and everything worked! I haven't had a problem since.

Your headlamps won't work right now.



If you can get your hands on a continuality tester go pull those two blue ones. Turn on everything that you can, and close the door. Touch one lead to the neg battery terminal. Touch the other to one of the two connections where those fuses were. If that pulls nothing, test the other. IIRC, the terminals closest to the firewall are power -out-. If this is showing a good circuit, you haven't fried anything else. Now test the fuses the same way. The blue fuse that is closest to the airbox is the one that I had fried.

Sorry for the long reply. I hope this helps.

EDIT: Yes those red wires in the pic above are fused, twice.

If you felt a shock, then the static charge could have messed with the "disabler" system, if you have the V6 engine. I think that the key sends a signal telling the ignition coil that "Yeah, this is the right key for this car". Possibly soemthing small, secret and electronic has gone awry. Static plays havoc with electronic components.