Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Need Advice: Got call from dealer for estimate to fix my car

My contour is a 95 LX 2.5L Duratec V6 with 81,500 miles. I have been having idling problems and a CEL and took it in to the dealer. The idling problems consist of it starting, then almost dying (sometimes it will die), and revving back up. When I come to a stop while driving, it frequently does the same thing and the CEL will pop on after a while. I doesn't stay on all the time, it will go off and come back on occasianally. The dealer said they hooked it up to the computer and it needs a Mass Air Flow sensor, clean the EGR tubes and a carbon flush. They want $650 to do this total. Is this in line or out of line?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

95 Metallic Willow Green Duratec V6

Skip the MAF change for now. It's easy to do yourself later. Get the dealer to give you a printout of the codes that popped up. The idle air and EGR ports in the upper intake manifold do get dirty, so getting that cleaned is a good idea. I assume that's what the 'carbon flush'(??) is supposed to do. The EGR feedtube and hoses should be cleaned, too. It sounds like you could be getting EGR flow at idle, which would cause idling/hesitation problems. Make sure they clean the EGR solenoid filter element, too. That can also cause the EGR to stick open, even if the solenoid itself is working fine. You can clean that yourself first to see if it helps.

How easy is it to change the MAF sensor later?

Unclip the electrical connector. Loosen the hose clamp on the intake accordion tube and pull it off. Unbolt the four bolts holding the MAF onto the air filter housing. Reverse these steps for install. That's it. The MAF is like a $200+ part but is easy to swap out, which is why I would wait. Unless the dealer can show you a trouble code that indicates an electrical open or short in the MAF itself.

Rob:
I wasn't aware that the EGR vacuum solenoid had a filter. Is that under the round cap that seems to just rotate around rather than screw off? If so how does one get to the filter?

Have you ever looked into the Idle Control Motor. It's a $75.00 part at Murray's.

horsey,

You have to pry it off carefully, and you will probably break a tab or two, but it will stay attached when you put it back on. It's not designed to come off easily, the service folks want you to buy a new one. I've actually seen a dirty solenoid filter cause an EGR stuck open code (P0402).

If you do need one, this place has the MAF sensor for your model listed at $125.