Alright well I just wanted to say hi to everyone and introduce myself... My name is Mark and I just bought a '95 Ford Contour SE... It is pretty nice but I do have a few problems that I figured you regulars could help me out with.
First I notice a little bit of binding in the steering wheel when the car is warming up and it hasn�t been driven more than a couple miles... After a few miles it clears up and acts natural... I assume this may be related to the control arm bushings needing to be replaced. (a friend that owns a Contour said factory ones are known for it)
Second: The transmission shifts really hard into 2nd no matter how hard I am on the gas... I would assume its a pressure control solenoid and that a good flush or fluid change would clear up the issue. (Opinions?)
Thank you all for your help.
Mark
Welcome Mark
. First things first, what engine, how many miles and what tranny (auto or manual).
The hard steering could be due to dirty Power steering fluid (a good flush would help).
As for the hard shift to 2nd, if it is an auto, change the ATFluid and Turbine Shaft Speed Sensor.
ATFluid drain and refill in Transaxle FAQ
Turbine Shaft Speed sensor issue.
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=tranny&Number=257675&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1
and this
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=trouble&Number=1030582&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=all&vc=1
Oh, sorry about not mentioning the mileage... It has 79k on it... I think that is good for a '95... It is an auto... I wish it was a manual, that would make this car a lot more fun.
I will do a fluid change on the tranny and change the TSS while I am down there. Thanks for the help.
Also, the steering isnt hard it just has a two bind points. It gets bound when turning the wheel to the left or right from center. But it only does this when the car hasnt been on the road. After I get a mile or two own the road the points where the wheel would bind dont catch it... Also I do notice a sound when it happens so I will check it out when I am under the car draining the transmission and changing the TSS.
Thanks again for the help everyone...
Check for wheel bearing or ball joint/tie rod issues.
Jack up the car. Place on jack stands.
Grasp wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and push in and out. If there is excessive movement, most probably suspect wheel bearing. Confirm with someone stepping on the brakes. If the wheel bearings are the culprit, there should not be any movement now.
Grasp wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock and push in and out - If there is excessive movement, suspect tie-rod/ball joint. To confirm, push/pull on tie-rod/ball joint.
Welcome, and 79K is damn good for a 95 I'm impressed. My car has almost 83K on it and its a 97.
Is there any place I should get parts? I know for all the electronics on my Grand Prix I will go through a dealer to get AC Delco just because that is what the car prefers. But could I just go to Advance Auto or Pepboys to get the parts I am going to need for the TSS?
Fords like Ford OEM parts
Especially Contours and Mystiques.
Mark, welcome to the CEG.
Thank you all for the warm welcome... A friend of mine who recommended I buy a Contour told me about this site and you all have been very helpful. I am sure this place will be a great resource in helping me get my car into tip-top shape.
State College?
You should check out the North East section. We have quite a few members in your area, they get together every now and again and I'm sure they would be glad to have you join them.
Actually it is one of your members that turned me onto Contours and the site... Auto-X Fil is the guy that I hold responsible for me buying this Contour
I figured that it was one of the CEG members.
I might be up for working on it Saturday... The only thing is that without Justin's garage and tools I am very limited on tool offerings and garage space. I can borrow some stuff from him (or at least beg to borrow) if you tell me what you need and dont have.
Also tomorrow I will be draining and refilling the tranny, and installing the TSS.
Let me know what you want to do...
Edit:
Also, the part you were talking about... Control arm bushing or whatever... Is it the insulator on the pictures at this link:
http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=getLocator&siteid=214270&chapter=DP2FM0&appSectionid=19&groupid=60858&subgroupid=0&componentid=0&make=10&model=Contour&year=1995&graphicID=FMP060&callout=2&catalogid=1
Nope, that's a subframe bushing. That picture shows the two-bolt control arms anyway, which aren't like yours. You're looking for the control arm bushings. The control arm - that stamped piece with a ball-joint on one end - has bushings on the other end where it bolts to the subframe. You have to replace the whole arm at once if the bushings are gone.
Well I cannot seem to find this 'Control Arm Bushing' in the list of parts for the '95... Is this something that is only on the SE and I need to call to order?
Also, I completely forgot that on Saturday I am heading up to New York to take my sister sky diving for her High School graduation... So I wont even be in State College that weekend.
If any of you have a part number for the control arm bushings that I need that would be great.
Thanks
You can't order the bushings. You have to order the whole control arm. Are you sure yours are shot?
I am not sure mine are shot yet... Tonight I am going to Justin's to work on the car so I will check the tie rods and the bearings but if they are all good I think that my suspension noise and my 'steering' issues are related to the control arms... I will jack the car up and sit under it while someone turns the wheel so I can see/hear what is binding and track it down but if I cant do it that way because there is no load on the suspension I will just end up replacing parts until it goes away...
Also, does anyone make aftermarket control arms; anything with poly bushings so they last longer or something? I put about 30k a year on average on my car and I just cant be replacing control arms every 70k�.
Well I changed the TSS, tranny fluid (looked brand new), and oil... Also I checked the bearings and the tie rod ends and they all seem good... I think my problem is blown lower motor mounts as my engine rocks and moves a TON when it is put into gear...
How hard are lower motor/tranny mounts to change on these cars?
Pretty easy. It's just a couple bolts that are easy to get to, although they are big - air tools make it a snap. Let's break out the window weld, shall we?
Does anyone have any links to changing the motor mounts? I assume I will want to change upper and lower mounts...
Thanks