Think I toasted my engine...

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

Hey all, long time no post for me. Last night I was cruising long I-96 between Grand Rapids and Lansing, looked down to see my temp gauge absolutely pegged. I realized I hadn't looked at the gauge in quite a while (a good half hour or more) and imediately figured the engine was toast. Managed to get it about a mile down the road to a rest area and when I popped the hood, I knew I wasn't going any further. I had steam coming out the end of my CAI, pulled the oil dipstick and had a plume of steam shooting out a good 4 inches. Anyway, had her flatbedded back to Traverse City to the Ford dealer where I work and will probably have a tech take a quick look just to confirm what I already believe. After 131,000 good miles, I believe the ol 2.5 is gone. R.I.P.
On the up side, I'm thinking it may be time to invest in 3L, plus I just bought a 95 mystique that's we're getting running so I should be able to drive that until I get the stuff for the 3L together.

In Memorium:

Sorry to hear about the engine, but at least you now have an excuse for the 3L

.

Aaron

3L! man 3l!!!!!!

sorry to be OT, but how did you keep your CF cover from yellowing?? I noticed mine today has become discolored.

Originally posted by TGO:
sorry to be OT, but how did you keep your CF cover from yellowing?? I noticed mine today has become discolored.

No problem man, the key is to always use old pictures from when it was new, lol. Mine is now yellowed and cracked as well. It sucks.

When I got my 2.5 Mystique, the temp gauge was stuck hot, it's running well after a new waterpump and thermostat, and coolant. Might be worth trying those, unless the head gasket(s) are permanently blown. Good luck with the 3L project otherwise!

Was it still running when you stopped? You might as well fix the overheating problem and see if it's ok. Cars overheat all the time and run fine afterwards.

Yeah! It may be something as simple as the belt for the W/P breaking. Did you ever replace that!?

Originally posted by MapOfTaziFoSho:
Yeah! It may be something as simple as the belt for the W/P breaking. Did you ever replace that!?

I agree, I mean, if the engine was running smoothly when you shut it off then you might be in luck... Unless you just want to use this as a n excuse for 3L powah!

That milage isnt that insane, so somewhat dissapointing if the damage is catastrophic, unless you ripped on the car like there is no tomorrow, keep us updated though, damn, if I ripped my contour like my buddy kills his integra everytime he touches the pedal then I would recieve a prefered customer card from my local mechanic~

The engine stalled as I pulled into the parking spot, and hasn't started since. I had it in the air Saturday when I worked and saw what appears to be coolant traces running down the block from the ehaust manifold ports. Also took off the CAI and the front side of the TB butterfly and inside the UIM were wet. Trust me guys, she be dead. Funny thing is, I'm really not that upset about it. Even the people I know have been surprised at how candid I've been about everything and how I've even been joking around about it a bit. The moral of the story: Watch you temp guage, don't drive 75 (or higher) with (I'm assuming the original problem) a busticated water pump, and if you do, stay positive, getting upset about it accomplishes nothing.

Your engine just went too long overheated. How did the oil look/smell? My Mystique's engine ran fine, despite known overheating and burnt smell to the oil, so I crossed my fingers and bought my car. I noticed that my steering wheel/seat angle prevents me from seeing the Check Engine light and the temp gauge, unless I look at them on purpose, I guess I will keep an eye on the temp gauge!

3L time baby yeah!

Originally posted by NorMich99SE:
The moral of the story: ............ stay positive, getting upset about it accomplishes nothing.

That's pretty much exactly what I say all the time...you know it's going to break, it's just a matter of time. Mine just turned 134k last night...and i just had my serpentine and waterpump belts replaced on friday night. my water pump belt was cracked all the way around..i think it was the original belt

and the middle rib was missing all the way around on the serpentine belt!!!! good luck on yours and let us know what you end up doing!!

I was just looking online at car-part.com and there's a place a couple hours south of me with an 01 taurus 3L (should be a dohc, that's what I searched for) with 8100 miles on it, with a warranty for $600. I think I may have to go for that if payday allows.

Evergreen Auto Recyclers near Detroit has 3L's all day with low mileage for $500 or less. Might want to check there as well.

Originally posted by YaaaarrroTour:
Evergreen Auto Recyclers near Detroit has 3L's all day with low mileage for $500 or less. Might want to check there as well.

Is that anything like Greenleaf?

It would be nice if there was some sort of blinking/audio warning when your temp was pegged. Most idiot lights are truly that, but the temperature is pretty important.

Originally posted by YaaaarrroTour:
Evergreen Auto Recyclers near Detroit has 3L's all day with low mileage for $500 or less. Might want to check there as well.

Any idea if they have a webpage or anything? I just did a quick Google search for Evergreen Auto recyclers and didn't get anything that looked right to me, but I'd be interested in checking them out.

Originally posted by todras:

Originally posted by YaaaarrroTour:
Evergreen Auto Recyclers near Detroit has 3L's all day with low mileage for $500 or less. Might want to check there as well.

Is that anything like Greenleaf?

As stated.

http://www.greenleafauto.com/loc-detail.asp?id=27

Originally posted by dbateman:
It would be nice if there was some sort of blinking/audio warning when your temp was pegged. Most idiot lights are truly that, but the temperature is pretty important.

It's certainly possible. Cadillac has a feature that shuts off cylinders to pump air if overheat detected. The computer in the Contour already knows the exact temperature...

Thanks Todd, I didn't realize your greenleaf post was the name, I thought you were just joking around like normal