I'm probably going to be lynched for asking this..

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

So I've decided to just stick with the 3.0L swap and work from there. I've read, and I've read, and I've read some more. It will never end... But to the point, I have a 99 SE and I am curious of how much will it cost to do the 3.0L swap, who could/would do it and how much $ total, and would it be best to just buy a 3.0L transmission as well. I would much like to put a manual transmission just to have fun while driving, but I could cope with an automatic no problem if I need to do such. I read about 2.5 trannys being used, but I don't know. I want to have a set-up that I can rely on so I don't have to worry about transmission faults or anything of that sort. I still feel stupid for asking this, but I couldn't handle much more reading and nothing I read was answering my question. So I guess, in essence, the price of a 3.0L swap with an auto to manual conversion and all the other stuff that has to be done when doing the swap. Like I said, I can handle not having a manual tranny if the cost is much higher than keeping it auto and doing the neccessary tranny mods. I looked at all those neat places to get engines and things and I found some cheap engines and manual transmissions for my swap. I just need the cost of labor and stuff like that. This is semi-short term goal for my Contour. It seems to be rather cheap and worth the price of it all. I'd do it myself, but I've never done it before and I simply don't trust myself with a hammer let alone doing this to my car. Thoughts, suggestions, advice, and all that jazz would be great. Thanks.

you see that edit button...you still have time,push it!!!!

There's not room for a 3 liter transmission. The 2.5 liter one is big enough already. Where ya gonna fit the extra half-liter?

For the engine swap itself, expect to pay between $500-$1200 depending on the shops in your area. Rebuild the engine yourself and you can have it done for under a grand if you're good at finding deals.

As for the manual conversion, unless you find a manual car in the wrecking yard to pull ALL of the parts from and do all of the work yourself it's not going to be cost effective at all. You need everything from the car, including the trans, subframe, cables, shift tower, etc... You could easily buy another Manual Contour SE for the same price as the used parts plus labor would cost you...

Originally posted by tour96SeVT:
you see that edit button...you still have time,push it!!!!

Haha. I laughed at that and the other people in my house were like "WTF is wrong with you?". I just stared at them. And then I laughed about it again. Haha. Great stuff. So, onward. I'll keep the auto and blah blah and just swap the engine and do the necessary stuff that is necessary and has to be done. Seems good to me. I'll just go buy a Civic and drop some cold air intake and exhaust and go tear it up and race everyone I see cuz my car will be sooooo craaazzzyyy fast!! Haha. Gotta love those Honda jokes. Rice anyone?

Originally posted by Mytourburnsrice:

Originally posted by tour96SeVT:
you see that edit button...you still have time,push it!!!!

Haha. I laughed at that and the other people in my house were like "WTF is wrong with you?". I just stared at them. And then I laughed about it again. Haha. Great stuff. So, onward. I'll keep the auto and blah blah and just swap the engine and do the necessary stuff that is necessary and has to be done. Seems good to me. I'll just go buy a Civic and drop some cold air intake and exhaust and go tear it up and race everyone I see cuz my car will be sooooo craaazzzyyy fast!! Haha. Gotta love those Honda jokes. Rice anyone?

I wouldn't swap a 3L onto a CD4e if you intend on aggressive driving...she won't hold up too well.

The Taurus trans is completely different. It probably won't fit in a Copntour. It isn't a great trans either, but it is stronger, as it is also used with the SHO and the V8 Continental.

The Escape uses the same trans as the Contour. It isn't really that much different than the Contour trans. Our resident Contour auto trans expert (unisis12) hasn't posted for a while, but he could probably help you learn how to get the most out of it. Just don't expect too much, especially if you are likely to abuse it.

Here's what I remember overall from my ATX days.

1. Fluid quality & longevity is the most important thing. CD4Es *cook* their fluid in average use. Replace it on time, every time. This is what I think bites most of us in the butt...I, for example, bought my '95 ATX from a second owner who didn't have records (I know, I took a chance), so I never knew if/when the fluid was changed. I was on borrowed time when my transmission was replaced (miraculously, it was the garage's fault so they paid for it).

2. The single most valuable thing you can do for your transmission next to rigidly following the service schedule is install an auxiliary transmission cooler. It's easy and cheap...mine cost $100 to have the shop do while they replaced the tranny.

3. You can help keep overheating and unusual wear down/out by not treating your ATX like an MTX. No burnouts, neutral drops, gear holding, or Reverse/Drive changes while rolling.

4. I believe that the CD4E *can* handle a 3L conversion if it's in good shape and these three steps are followed. Obviously, it's working in lots and lots and lots of Escapes with 200hp/200tq engines.

Slushbox+3L=dead car

i dont think its all about how long it'll last,obv it can handle the power..its about how much power it robs...sure it'll still be quicker than a 2.5 tour,but not worth the effort/money

Originally posted by tour96SeVT:
i dont think its all about how long it'll last,obv it can handle the power..its about how much power it robs...sure it'll still be quicker than a 2.5 tour,but not worth the effort/money

Yeah it is, who wants to build it put it together and blow up the trans...

Originally posted by MapOfTaziFoShoâ�??¢:

Originally posted by tour96SeVT:
i dont think its all about how long it'll last,obv it can handle the power..its about how much power it robs...sure it'll still be quicker than a 2.5 tour,but not worth the effort/money

Yeah it is, who wants to build it put it together and blow up the trans...

but its not like your going to install it and its gonna blow up on yeah within in minutes!!!not in N/A form anyways, i mean if they can use it in a k.b supercharged escape,i think it can be used here...how long did russell use his for???,i'm not saying you should do this..

Originally posted by MapOfTaziFoShoâ�??¢:

Originally posted by tour96SeVT:
i dont think its all about how long it'll last,obv it can handle the power..its about how much power it robs...sure it'll still be quicker than a 2.5 tour,but not worth the effort/money

Yeah it is, who wants to build it put it together and blow up the trans...

Ooh ooh, I DO!

I dunno why you guys always rip the CD4E. Sure it's not the strongest tranny in the land, but it's mid-'99+ variant is not bad at all. I have had three and aside from one TSS ($20 and 5 minutes work), I've had no problems. One of my trannys was even chipped to firm up shifts. I'd be dropping a 3L in my car today if I had any engine problems with my 2.5, but at this point I have 106K miles & no signs of any problems with the 2.5 or the tranny.

Jeb also stated that the CD4E is currently used in the Escape and seems to hold up just fine as the weaknesses have been worked out to a fair degree. As for the power robbing, an extra 40 horses with a CD4E is still 40 horses. Let the fun begin!

3L & a CD4E, I'd do 'em all day long. Add a tranny cooler & perform a 4 or 5 quart drain & fill once or twice a year & you should be just fine.

EDIT:

Ya know what. Just buy me a freakin' 3L and I'll drop it in my car. You can have my 2.5 and we'll call it a day. I'll do all the testing & maintenance just to see how well the tranny holds up with a 3L.

Originally posted by TourDeForce:
I dunno why you guys always rip the CD4E. Sure it's not the strongest tranny in the land, but it's mid-'99+ variant is not bad at all. I have had three and aside from one TSS ($20 and 5 minutes work), I've had no problems. One of my trannys was even chipped to firm up shifts. I'd be dropping a 3L in my car today if I had any engine problems with my 2.5, but at this point I have 106K miles & no signs of any problems with the 2.5 or the tranny.

Jeb also stated that the CD4E is currently used in the Escape and seems to hold up just fine as the weaknesses have been worked out to a fair degree. As for the power robbing, an extra 40 horses with a CD4E is still 40 horses. Let the fun begin!

3L & a CD4E, I'd do 'em all day long. Add a tranny cooler & perform a 4 or 5 quart drain & fill once or twice a year & you should be just fine.

EDIT:

Ya know what. Just buy me a freakin' 3L and I'll drop it in my car. You can have my 2.5 and we'll call it a day. I'll do all the testing & maintenance just to see how well the tranny holds up with a 3L.

It is not currently used in the escape. Since 04 it has had a 5 speed auto...now...maybe it is a new version of the Cd4e...but idk that

Originally posted by MapOfTaziFoShoâ�??¢:

Originally posted by TourDeForce:
I dunno why you guys always rip the CD4E. Sure it's not the strongest tranny in the land, but it's mid-'99+ variant is not bad at all. I have had three and aside from one TSS ($20 and 5 minutes work), I've had no problems. One of my trannys was even chipped to firm up shifts. I'd be dropping a 3L in my car today if I had any engine problems with my 2.5, but at this point I have 106K miles & no signs of any problems with the 2.5 or the tranny.

Jeb also stated that the CD4E is currently used in the Escape and seems to hold up just fine as the weaknesses have been worked out to a fair degree. As for the power robbing, an extra 40 horses with a CD4E is still 40 horses. Let the fun begin!

3L & a CD4E, I'd do 'em all day long. Add a tranny cooler & perform a 4 or 5 quart drain & fill once or twice a year & you should be just fine.

EDIT:

Ya know what. Just buy me a freakin' 3L and I'll drop it in my car. You can have my 2.5 and we'll call it a day. I'll do all the testing & maintenance just to see how well the tranny holds up with a 3L.

It is not currently used in the escape. Since 04 it has had a 5 speed auto...now...maybe it is a new version of the Cd4e...but idk that

No. The Escape still uses the same 4 speed auto that it has always had.

So like, would it be okay to do it? I hear it can, I hear it can't. I'm confused. But question, would an escape cd4e fit in my tour? If so, I might just invest in one of those. If not, I'll just but a low mile cd4e from a tour and get a tranny cooler set-up. I get so confused with all the arguing. Wtf!?

Originally posted by Mytourburnsrice:
So like, would it be okay to do it? I hear it can, I hear it can't. I'm confused. But question, would an escape cd4e fit in my tour? If so, I might just invest in one of those. If not, I'll just but a low mile cd4e from a tour and get a tranny cooler set-up. I get so confused with all the arguing. Wtf!?

Don't worry about an Escape tranny swap, keep it all Contour.

Decent sized cooler to replace the fluid heater we have now and you should be good to go.