Lots of problems, I've heard....

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

I've read alot of negative reviews about the Contours reliability, especially in the pre 98 years.

Should I be saving up for some repairs in the near future?

if the car has received the proper maintenence then it will be fine. You need to stay on top of any issues that might arrise. If you search around there are many contours around well over 100k miles, like my 95 has 168k and my fathers has 120k. both have needed faily basic repairs, mostly stuff that wears out

just remember the car isn't made anymore and they are aging and age does bring some problems.

Originally posted by Purple95LX:
I've read alot of negative reviews about the Contours reliability, especially in the pre 98 years.

I haven't heard that.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:

Originally posted by Purple95LX:
I've read alot of negative reviews about the Contours reliability, especially in the pre 98 years.

I haven't heard that.

If anything the Post97 years are more problematic... What with the horribly made MTX trannies with the wear 3rd gear syncros and terribly fragile Differentials. Best year contour to get is a 95 SE. Either way, the only BIG problem with the zetec engine is replacement of the timing belt, which usualy goes for about 100K miles... possibly more if the engine has been old man driven for years and years. Besides, a timing belt is becoming a regular maitenence thing on I4 engines.

Timing belts have always been regular maintenance on engines with timing belts, that is nothing new.

Main thing about 98+ is VCT and yeah the change in the 3rd gear thing can cause a little trouble. Which is just something else to break.

Ha.....my 00 had 140k when I got rid of it, had the supposed "crappy" original ATX, and for the last 20k of its life it was supercharged. All regular maintence.

Nope, no trouble on either cars......well...Wheel Bearing on the '95 at 80k kms.

my 96 has 101k+ miles on it and the only thing i've had to do other than regular maintenance (brake pads, oil change, air filter, etc) is the front bearings. even my so called "problematic" springs are still intact, i don't know how well, but i know they're one piece at least.

No big problems here either. You should always have some cash for maintenance on any car you may have. Just like people have said. Stay on top of things and enjoy driving the TOUR!

1995 Contour Reviews

...Thats what worried me.

Those reviews are the stupidest things to go by.

First off, you don't know how well the person cared for the car.

Second, most people that are content with a vehicle don't go shouting its praises whenever possible. However, those that are dissatisfied love to make as much ado as possible about how they feel.

Best thing to do is what you did. Join a forum about the car and ask the owners how their cars are honestly faring.

You'll see some of the most common problems here are simple things such as a dirty MAF or IAC valve, or timing incorrectly set on 98+ models.

Ha, makes sense. I actually got a tremendous deal on my Contour, paid $700 for it and the only problem was that it needed that new timing belt. Other than that, the mechanic said that the engine was in great condition. I just get paranoid. I don't have alot of money, haha.

And thanks to everyone who has replied, you've all been really helpful

....is there any reason my back (power) windows won't go down with the master control but they will from the back controls? It's been bugging me....I can't figure it out.

I have a 95 'tour, Besides brakes/timing belt/anitfreeze flush/filters/fuilds/plugs/wires the thing runs like a champ...ohhh
The orginal motorcraft battery gave way in the fall, the cup holders are flimsy, but, I can coax my I4 to do a little burn out everynow and then....

I goota do a trans flush...but I might just pay $50 to get it done, and i wanna put in a trans cooler...
My serp belt is really chattering hard, but I will change it out in the spring, too cold out now

Originally posted by yomanwill:
and i wanna put in a trans cooler...

PM me, I got one for sell.

I don't know if it will help, but try moving the window defeat switch (the one that keeps kids from opening the back window) back and forth, to clean the contacts. You may have bad "rear" switches in the front door. I can find a circuit diagram if you need it.

Originally posted by WestCoastAjax:
Nope, no trouble on either cars......well...Wheel Bearing on the '95 at 80k kms.

TPS at 192000 Kms
AND
The other wheel bearing,on the '95 ,at 212,000 Kms.
Thats it for NON mantainance, unusual or things I broke items.

I got a 98 tour SE w/zetec and an atx. It's got 298,+++ miles and besides regular maintenance, its only needed a transmission and a belt tensioner pulley.