Hi there. This is my first post here. I was glad to find a board of contour enthusiasts on the net, because I'm having some issues with a 1996 model V6 5-spd that I just bought at an auction as a daily driver.
When I bought it, the temp gauge was broken, and I didn't know that until after the purchase (it was a "yellow" car, so I can't take it back....I just want to fix it). Well, they let it idle through the line for like thirty minutes, and I'm sure it got *really* hot. After we fixed the sending unit on the temp gauge, it was indeed getting hot, but we never let it run hot again. Turns out the impellers on the water pump had all broken off except one, so we then replaced the water pump.
Now here's the problem I'm dealing with now. Once the car's running, it's totally fine. However, when I try to start it after letting it sit overnight, it won't start. It's fouling out all the plugs because water is getting in the cylinders evidently (the plugs are wet). I want to rectify the problem, but I don't know the cheapest/most effective way to fix it, because I'm not exactly sure what's wrong. I'm guessing the head gaskets are shot, and the heads might be warped. Keep in mind I really don't know why it's doing this (neither does my mechanic). I'm just "best guessing" the situation.
So what's the best route to go based on this info?
I'm gonna be paying for labor anyway to pull the heads and "see what's wrong", but I'm not sure if I want to do that necessarily.
Should I:
1) pull the heads, get them fixed, replace head gaskets
2) buy new heads (bare), use parts from other head, replace head gaskets
3) buy used engine online or from a wrecking yard, and transplant (I know this sounds drastic, but if you consider the $$ you can buy engines for based one what I've seen online, it might be a valid option).
4) (insert your suggestion here)
If you think you can help me, and you need more specific info, please post a reply, or drop me a line. Thanks a ton in advance for the help. I appreciate any responses.
Pretty much anything addressing the problem will be of some help (i.e. suggestions of what's wrong, what to do, etc).
