Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Wiring Problems

Hi,

Got a 95 Contour, 2.5 Duratec, Auto. Problems started with a poor idle. After reading several posts, I decided to start with the TPS (Throttle Control Sensor), and that's where the problems began. As unplugged the TPS, I noticed that the wires were exposed on the connector. So, before I replaced the TPS, I decided to dig into the wiring problem further. Unfortunately, to look that the wiring that feeds the TPS, I needed to remove the air intake. As I did so, I revealed that most if not all the wires were somehow exposed. As was much of the wiring not just underneath the intake. I managed to find a spot where I could butt splice the three wires for the TPS, put it back together and it ran 10x worse. It began to miss and had no low idle at all. Now, I did not replace the intake gaskets, which I plan to do. My mistake. But, my question is this; is/was there some sort of wiring problem on 95 Contours? It seems that all the wiring is brittle, with much of the insulation breaking off in one inch increments. Then, if it's a problem, is it recommended that the main wiring be replaced? It appears that under the air intake, where the wiring feeds the injectors is brittle as well. I'm debating just taping what I can or replacing the whole thing. If I replace the wiring, is it expensive and generally hard to do? I think I found most of the connectors. Should I be looking at a junk yard, or does Ford offer a decent price on the wiring?

Thanks in advance for your response.

Pete

Hi,

I'm assuming you arent the first owner of this car. All 95-97 Contours/Mystiques, have a extended on the underhood wiring harness. It tends to break, become brittle, showed exposed wiring and in some cases chuncks of wires were missing.

Anyways the extended warranty is for 10 years or 100,000, so if you have more than 100k, then your on your own. If not then go to your nearest Ford dealer and it will be replaced free of charge.

I know that Ford has coverage on the wiring harness, but here is a word of advise. Ask to talk to the tech who is going to do the work. Offer him/her (in private) $100 to make sure the job is done right. Now you're wondering why you should pay to have warranty work done. Ford pays us about half of what the job is actually worth. On this vehicle, the pay ranges from 3.9 hours to 7.7 hours depending on how the car is equipped. It actually takes us about 6 to 10 hours to do the job. In fact, it's easier and faster to drop the engine out! So we've come up with some shortcuts. Some are good, and others not so good. So talk to the tech. Tell him you know this is a crap job. Offer to make up his lost time ($100). Tell him that you want it to look factory when it is done. I guarantee that the money will be well spent on your part. If you get a hack job done on your car, you'll waste far more than $100 on lost time with the vehicle/trying to get someone else to fix it/etc.

Take it for what it's worth...

-Greg

Maybe you could just tell us where you work so we can avoid that dealer. Grease your palm to do it right? Wow, you've got big ones!