Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting possibly WORST mystique/contour EVER

Im really sorry that this post is so long, I never knew there was a forum for just contours and mystiques, i would have been here months ago.

It seems to me, that about every month with my Mystique, I end up with a new problem. I own a 1996 Mystique Spree 24valve (duratec). Last winter was the worst winter. It was the first year that my car was parked outside of the garage to make room for the new car. Whenever it got cold outside, about 40 degrees farenheit and below, the car would have issues starting up and staying started. My rpms would be jumping from 200rpm, up to even 2,000rpm. It would stall, then jump high, then stall again. The first 10 tries, it would shut down on it's own... and thats if i was lucky. Usually I had to step on the gas as soon as it starts, and rev it about 1,500 rpm and keep it there for about 5 minutes until it could stabilize on it's own. Then I would keep it running for about 20 minutes to warm up, and once in a while it would shut down. Driving it was a big issue also. There was loss of power, and once in a while it would shut down, and it didnt even have to be at a red light to shut down.

There was the occasional problem of smoking coming from the engine. This, I think, was the alternator cables. This is from reving the engine too high, too soon, for too long. The alternator was recently replaced (two months ago). There was a week of random moments, where the car would'nt even be able to return to idle rpms. There was an incident where I had to put it into neutral, so that I could stop at the red light. If i didnt put it into neutral, I would have been in a big wreck, because my brakes couldnt stop the car, it was actually speeding up on it's own. I couldnt get the rpms to go down until stepping on the pedal aa couple times, or just shutting it off then restarting.

These problems eventually went away as the weather got warmer. As long as it wasnt below freezing temperatures, it was generally OK. The recent replacement of my alternator was because I had a clanking noise since before winter. This clanking noise was only present at around 500 rpm. One mechanic couldnt even find the problem or even find the noise. That noise was from the belt. The alternator's bearings for the belt were busted, and eventually my car came to a grinding halt smoking. That issue was fixed. My problem right now, is that even though it is warm out, my gas mileage is still not very good, and if i dont let the car warm up (with 70 degree weather now) for about 5 minutes, the engine seems to stall when i shift into drive. After about 5-10 minutes of driving, its fine. Im guessing that when it will be cold again, i will have the same problems again even though the alternator is fixed. Right now im in the process of repairing my driver's side window, which was stuck open during a week of rain, and my rear right wheel is starting to squeek. Does anybody know what I can do about the rpm jumping and stalling? Is it a serious problem? Can it be just my O2 sensors?

I have more problems with the car, but many of them have been answered in the forum already. I love my FORD, lol.

in addition to the first post, the problems listed are more than likely different and seperate problems. the gas mileage being bad probably doesnt mean its because of the other problems.

my spark plugs were changed and I had a tune-up less than a year ago. my water pump has been replaced atleast twice. my 02 sensors were never changed, my oil filter was changed when i replaced the alternator, and i am having the coolant issue that is posted here...
http://www.contour.org/FAQ/FAQ.php?s=probs&displayid=21

i got another question, how much coolant is supposed to leave the container when the car is running? sometimes nothing is out, and sometimes about 2 centimeters below the max line is gone.

somtimes when it is very quiet, i notice a loud water rushing noise, like when you turn on a sink, but keep it barely flowing. like a hissing in the pipes. what could that be, a clog?

sorry for another long post, these are my first posts here.

is this tough to do on my own? or should i have a mechanic check it out?

i've had my check engine light running for about the past 4 years. the dealership told me it was computer error. after the alternator was replaced, the check engine light was off for less than 4 hours, literally.

thanks for the advice.

what if not very much, or at all, even leaves the tank when the car first starts? it seems like theres barely any action going on with the levels.

thanks for your help, i knew this forum had great users. ill make sure to stop by autozone first thing tomorrow and post by tomorrow night.

thanks again

Whoa! Autozone reads codes for free!?!?!? I wish I lived in the States

well, i went to autozone today to get the codes read. its putting out two codes:

PO401 EGR Valve

-the guy testing it, told me that the EGR valve could be the problem with my rpms during the winter.

PO430 Catalytic Converter

-im definately not surprised, i've had a rotten egg smell come whenever i would drive fast. i knew i had to fix my cats. i remember reading on this forum that there is an 80,000 mile waranty on it. I called the dealership up, and it's true, but its covered and free of charge only if the cats are the problem. If not, then they will charge me $191.50 just to check!!!! This gives new meaning to the word stealership.


So... is that it?? My egr valve was the cause of all my problems? Another question, what the hell is an EGR valve? Is it expensive to fix? lol