Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting 98' SE Sport Automatic Tranmission no 2nd gear

My Dad replaced the MLPS switch on his 1993 Mercury Sable transmission, reverse gear was intermittent. The new switch fixed it. The Contour has the same type of switch, fails often.

I had the same problem with my 1997 2.0L. When going to second gear the rpms rise and it takes 4 seconds to get into second gear and then goes right into 3rd gear. The tranny person found the 2-3 band cracked at the band end. It cost me 950 dollars for the overhaul. If you need to see a picture, I can take one.

I started a new subject thread named "98' 2.5L stalls won't remain running after jump" since the behavior of my Contour has suddenly changed again after this subject was started. Take a look at the newer subject.

I'll go back to the posibility of a bad transmission or the other sensors mentioned in this thread if replacing the Crankshaft Position Sensor(CKP) suggested by Chongo doesn't resolve the additional problems I'm experiencing now.

I wish to thank everyone who helped me with the issues on my '98 Contour. The problems are still not yet resolved, but I have instead financed a slick black 2005 Ford Focus as a replacement vehicle. The look with aluminum sport wheels is amazing. Its like a 500 but better :-)

Any suggestions as to the best way to sell my '98 Contour (ebaymotors, autotrader, etc...) would be helpful as I did not use it as a trade-in at the dealer.

Your local newspaper might work, be upfront about the car's issues. The stalling might actually just be a bad battery or wiring at the battery if you are lucky.