|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 18
New CEG\'er
|
OP
New CEG\'er
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 18 |
Ok, i have a '98 Contour and when the car is cold it runs pretty good, but after a few minutes when it heats up it will run like crap. Slow as hell, i cant even get it to spin the tires on a gravel road from a 25MPH punch. Weve taken the car to the shop and they have said they dont know why it does it and just send us on our way. I was hoping someone else might have had this same problem and got it fixed. 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,012
Hard-core CEG\'er
|
|
Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,012 |
Okay, you have to get a tad more specific. Not being able to spin the tires on a gravel road from 25 MPH don't mean [censored]. Quit doing that [censored] anyway, you drive a [censored] Contour. With that said, what else is it doing wrong?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 18
New CEG\'er
|
|
OP
New CEG\'er
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 18 |
Well, after awhile of driving it it gets this smell of rotten eggs. ive changed the converters but it didnt stop. Um, it has no power at all once it gets warmed up. Thats about all i can tell you unless you be more specific on the questions. The gravel thing was just a comparson. A damn fstiva could spin the tires in gravel.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,017
Hard-core CEG\'er
|
|
Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,017 |
Fuel filter or fuel pump screen might be plugged and/or your fuel pump might be going bad.
Change fuel filter first then if problem is still there, check fuel pump screen.
After that get a psi test on the fuel pressure.
Mine was priming 5 psi at startup when engine was warm and fine when car was cold.
Any check engine lights?
Link 1
Link 2
and do a search in trouble shooting for rotten egg smell. 
Last edited by chongo; 05/01/04 11:06 PM.
1996 2.5LT V6 Contour ATX My Tour+help/info pics
E0 rims, Gutted Pre-Cats,CTA Custom Exhaust & Intake, Diablo Chip.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,168
I am Canuckian
|
|
I am Canuckian
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,168 |
I'd lean towards the Precats or main cat. As they warm up they expand firther to their normal restriction. I had similar issue BBH (back before Headers) Even if the cats have been replaced they can fail again. Or as in the case of mine Ford replaced the main cat when they should have done them all. Then of course the precats plugged the main cat all over again so Ford had to do the whole lot all over.
Green 96 mystique gs 4cyl mtx
16.9 in the 1/4 mile @102500 miles
95SE in Midnight Red MTX
MSDS headers and y-pipe
SVT exhaust
SVT UIM
Optimized se TB.
Full pre 98 SVT body kit
15.741 @ 87.73mph :)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,012
Hard-core CEG\'er
|
|
Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,012 |
Originally posted by mbb41:
restriction. I had similar issue BBH (back before Headers).
LOL...I love that...
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 717
Veteran CEG\'er
|
|
Veteran CEG\'er
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 717 |
I had a similar problem, any time I drove for more than 20 minutes, the car got slower and slower. the cats were bad.
contours, deloreans & fiats, oh my!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 411
CEG\'er
|
|
CEG\'er
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 411 |
If it's only running like crap when it's hot, your 2ndaries may be stuck open. This doesn't always trigger a CEL, but if that's the problem, the code is in there somewhere....
Does it still run like crap at highway speeds/upper RPMs (> 4000)? Or just the low end? If so, that very well may be your problem. Nothing's really "wrong" with the 2ndaries, it's just that the control box (IMRC) is just *baking* there on top of the intake manifold. This has been known to lead to intermittent problems with the 2ndaries. It's happened to some of the San Diego guys, and (I just learned, thanks to Alex Peper) me too.
-Chuck Dienzo
Black 98.5 E1 SVT
#5022 of 6535
Born on March 16, 1998
"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason."
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 18
New CEG\'er
|
|
OP
New CEG\'er
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 18 |
Originally posted by vudusvt:
If it's only running like crap when it's hot, your 2ndaries may be stuck open. This doesn't always trigger a CEL, but if that's the problem, the code is in there somewhere....
Does it still run like crap at highway speeds/upper RPMs (> 4000)? Or just the low end? If so, that very well may be your problem. Nothing's really "wrong" with the 2ndaries, it's just that the control box (IMRC) is just *baking* there on top of the intake manifold. This has been known to lead to intermittent problems with the 2ndaries. It's happened to some of the San Diego guys, and (I just learned, thanks to Alex Peper) me too.
It runs like crap all threw the RPM range. We had the cats replaced a few months ago and originally they said all 3 were bad but when we got it back they only changed 2 and told us the other was fine.
The check engine light has come right back on no more then 2 days after we get it outta the shop. They keep telling us nothings wrong with it but cars dont smell like rotten eggs driving down the road when everythings fine with them. So we are probably gonna take it down to the ford shop and find out how much more $$$ we gotta drop into this POS...lol, never buy a car from Ugly Duckling. 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,168
I am Canuckian
|
|
I am Canuckian
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,168 |
I'd bet on your cats still. They don't like replacing these under the recall as it cost a mint for the parts. As for the secondairies being stuck open? Car would run like crap even when cold. More so then really. I've had this problem too. Being a vacuum system it was a hard one to trace. 
Green 96 mystique gs 4cyl mtx
16.9 in the 1/4 mile @102500 miles
95SE in Midnight Red MTX
MSDS headers and y-pipe
SVT exhaust
SVT UIM
Optimized se TB.
Full pre 98 SVT body kit
15.741 @ 87.73mph :)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
