I just did a clutch replacement on mine so the underside of the Contour is one I won't soon forget. You can see the shift linkage from above right below the master cylinder, or from behind the front-left strut. There are two cables, one for the up-down motion, and one for the left-right motion. See if they are still connected. I'm thinking most likely the up down motion (the lower of the two cables, attached to a counterweight). If they are, have someone else move the stick and see if the cables move. If they do, it's internal. If they don't, check under the shifter. Worst case scenario is a bad clutch/pressure plate/transmission. But this rattling sound sounds like it may be a pressure plate chattering. Either way, hopefully its not the latter. If you are handy, you can do a clutch yourself for about $500 (parts, and engine hoist rental). If you need some advice, drop me a line. Hope this helps!
Sean
