Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting intermittent problem: engine dies, won't start

Howdy,

I've got this intermittent problem with my 95 Ford Contour that's really obnoxious, mainly because there's no way to predictably reproduce it.

I'll be driving my car along, and all of a sudden the engine just dies-- no weird noises, nothing, just drops to zero RPM. When I try starting it up again, it won't start-- it sounds like the starter is working fine (it's not turning over very slowly, or making any unusual noises-- sounds just like when it normally starts), but the engine just doesn't "catch". I think the fuel pump is working fine-- I can hear it buzz for a second (that's the fuel pump, right?) when I turn the key into the "on" position. The problem usually fixes itself within 30 minutes... usually, I'll walk away from the car all pissed off, come back, and it starts just fine, as though there were nothing wrong.

This has happened about 5 times since I've had the car, and this has been spread out over the course of about 3 years. It doesn't seem to be related to weather, or whether I'm going uphill/downhill at the time. This has never happened while I was driving on a highway--always on local roads at slower (like ~30 mph) speeds, but that may just be a coincidence. Four of the times this happened, it happened exactly as I described; I was driving along and the engine died. The other time, I was just parked and it wouldn't start.

I'm concerned because while the first 3 occurrences were very rare (like about once a year), the last two occurrences happened within a day of each other, so I'm worried that the problem may be getting worse. Also, while in my past experience it's always started back up after a half hour, I have no way of knowing whether this trend will continue, and it would really suck to get stranded while I'm on a longer road trip

I'm not sure if this is related to the following other problem I've also had for a while: about a year ago, my CEL came on; ever since then, it's been intermittently on. I took it to autozone, the code they read off was 332 (I think), the explanation for which was that my EGR valve wasn't opening. I replaced the valve myself, but the code came back on. Took it to my (ex-)mechanic, who spent a day--and charged me several hundred $$--trying to figure out what the problem was, and came up with nothing. Being a struggling student with not much money to spend on my vehicle, I opted for the cheap solution, which was to ignore the problem . It's been a year, and several 10k miles, since then, and no noticeable problems except of course for the intermittent CEL. Note that this problem with the CEL started AFTER the first occurrence of the not-starting problem. Also, the CEL comes on far more frequently (almost every time I drive) than the other problem occurs.

Let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas. Should I just bite the bullet and take the car to a dealership?

Thanks in advance,
--afn

Such a symptom is almost always electrical.

If it were a hot engine only problem, I would suspect the Cam Position Sensor.

Corrosion in the wiring to the ignition is often found in the wiring from the battery to the AUX power box behind it. Best to take the battery out, unbolt the box, and look under it.

Shorting from cracked wire insulation to the injectors and various sensors is a common complaint on the 95. Was a recall but you may not be able to get it now. If you see any bare wire, at least tape it up.

Take it to the Dealer - if you're rich!

AFN,
The good is that I believe I know exactly what is causing this with your vehicle. How do I know? Because I spent hundreds of dollars and used hours of my cousin's time, who is a Ford Certified technician, to figure it out on my 1995 Mercury Mystique (the same as a Ford Contour). I believe the issue you are having is caused by a deterioted wiring harness (also known as an engine harness, and Ford will reference this issue as a faulty Heater/Blower switch). It is not the wiring that is actually the problem, but the protective coating that Ford chose to use on them, it is very poor in quality. The coating will become very brittle and crack causing shorts, grounds, etc. with my car, it began when it was really wet or humid, but will now happen all of the time. This problem WILL only get worse. The good news is that if you have less than 100,000 miles, Ford has a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty on the part, and will replace this at no cost. The bad news is that if you have more than 100,000 miles, this is a very costly repair and part, to replace. I went so far as to purchase a 95 Ford Contour (as long as it has the same engine type, any 95-97 Contour or Mystique should work), with less than 100,000 miles on it, so that I can have the wiring harness replaced on that vehicle and use the old one on my Mercury. This is a difficlut do-it-yourself project, which I would not recommend to most people. If you have any questions about the Ford extended warranty, call your local Ford dealer, or 1-800-392-FORD, for the Ford motor company. You can also find more about this issue at the following page of this web site:
Wiring Harness FAQ

Some of the symptoms that you have written could be caused by several different things, but they are the EXACT same ones I have, specifically the car just driving along and the RPM just going down with no bucking, rumble, nothing. The only thing that can cause that, that I know of (I am not a professional) is an electrical problem, and it is almost certainly the wiring harness in this instance, with this vehicle type. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions. I just wish that Ford had spent the extra few cents to use improved wiring. Also, from what I understand, the replacement wiring is the same wiring as was used originally.
-PeruvianHighlander

Does it only happen when the car is warm?
Do you get a flashing CEL?
Does the car need to sit for 30 minutes or more before you can start it?

If so it could be the fuel pump. Read my post here.
Warm engine misfire V6 ATX- Problem solved

Ouch-- I hope that's not it; I have 117K on the car

I'll have to check if the car's owner had the fix done-- I bought the car used, over a year after the date on the recall. The original owner had a number of recall jobs done on the car, so if I'm lucky, this was one of them...

Otherwise, if it's so expensive that it's less hassle to *buy* another car to get it fixed on, then maybe it's time to kiss this car goodbye soon

Thanks,
--afn

afn,
unfortunately, my car finally died at 130K. The problem began around 110K. When it happened, I called Ford and they told me that it HAD already been replaced. They only provide a 60-day (or something along those lines) warranty on the extended warranty repair! I really hope I am wrong, but I do think this is the issue with your vehicle. The estimates I got on the repair were $1200-$1500.

Sounds like what mine did a few years back - it was the brown relay that powers the fuel system and ignition unit. It would flake out, sometimes the car would quit and wouldn't restart. It restarted later. Stupid dealer never could fix it. I found the bad relay when it died in my driveway. Low voltage on the ignition and fuel circuits. Swapped the relay with the horn relay and it ran fine since then. Replaced the horn relay later since I don't have photon torpedos...

The CPS is cheap and easy to replace.

You can check it with a meter, but that won't tell you anything unless it's not working at the time.


Luck