Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Giving up... or at least on the brink

*Sigh*
New starter
New thermostat
New spark plugs
Oil changed
New top radiator hose

The damned thing takes a lot of cranking for the engine to finally turn over.
Theres a white smoke coming from below the top of the engine (front side).
The cap to the radiator resevoir is constantly blowing water, and releasing steam, when the engine is on.
Once i DO get the engine fired up, i have to keep it above 2K or else it idles out and dies.

I let some of the oil out, thinking that I may have put too much in. Mind you, I just did a fresh oil change last sunday night, although i didnt replace the oil filter, as i didn't have the right tool to get it off. The oil that came out tonight was not a caramel color, it looked more like a light chocolate milk... a light muddy brown if u will..

What am i supposed to do?? I've done everything i can think of, and I can't think of anything else! I'm a computer technician, not a mechanic.. I went into doing this stuff knowing little more than how to change my oil. I'm very sure that all the parts I replaced are in the correct positions and are secured tightly. No I didn't plug the spark plg wires in the wrong order.

Any suggestions? I'm about to scrap the whole car, as I have already spent more money on it, than I would on a brand new car.

Thank you

-Jeremy
-Houston

chocolate milk oil is a sign of cooland getting into the crankcase. You're looking at some jack to fix it. Unless you're prepared to drop the engine and swap it, you might want to cut your losses and get out now.

Sorry to tell you, but that's a blown head gasket......mucho dinero to fix.....

Depends, on Zetecs the head gasket isnt that hard, dont know about Duratechs though.

Yeah thats a blown head gasket. Quit running the motor until fixed unless you want to replace it altogether. If you didn't drive it this way you should be ok, if you did well your screwed. Unless you want to spend $1500+ to have the motor replaced at a shop sell the car as a mechanics special aka runs and drives. A headgasket can be a do it yourself job, but some mechanical experience is needed to do it right.

awww maannn....

The car will still turn on, or at least the engine will.. does that mean I've gone too far? If i did blow the head gasket (which it looks as if i did) then what are the chances that if i do replace it, that the new head will fit right? do i have to replace the whole head of the block? r just the gasket? how do i know I didn't crack the block somehow?

Thanks in advance,

-Jeremy

This is a job you will more than likely have someone else do. They will have o check the block when they do the repair. White smoke (steam) and milky oil = trouble!!! Get ahold of your local mechanic buddy, tell him the symptoms and let him do his thing. Good luck!!!

OK.
I called around to some of the dealerships around the area, looking for part no. for the gasket(s). In the process, I contacted Mac Haik Ford (local) and one of the service reps. ran my vin through a recall database. Apparently my car had 3 recalls. One for the wiring harness underneath the hood, another for something i dont remember, and the other for the electrical fans. My fans haven't worked right since I inherited the car from my aunt. This contour has been in my family for over 5 years, and My aunt, my grandpa, nor me & my mom have ever been notified of any recalls.
So I call ford driectly to inquire about the recalls. Apparently YOU the consumer of THEIR products have to INFORM them that you OWN the car. The rep told me that Ford more than likely sent out notification to the original owner, and that they also stated in the notification that if he/she no longer owned the car, to "please send a postcard with the informantion regarding the new owners."
To me that sounds like passing the buck. I do not understand how a car, with a VIN, cannot be tracked through any other database (i.e. dept. of motor vehicles) in order to find the current owners?? It isn't that hard, and a dealership should retain the right to do such research for recall purposes, IF they were REALLY concerned with customer service.
My first experience with the faulty wiring was with my new stereo, that would reset everytime I turned the car on/off.
I don't want ford to reimburse me for any past repairs. I want ford to realize that my engine is only 2 years old with 25,000 miles on it. I have proof of that. I want them to take care of a recall that I would have taken advantage of, HAD I been notified of such recall. I'm 18 and I don't work on cars, I work on computers. I'm damn proud of myself that I have been able to do the repairs that I HAVE done so far.
The lady I spoke to at ford direct told me, that in order to speak with an executive who can over-ride the recall decision, I have to write bill ford a letter. and HOPE i get a call or letter back.

This is rediculous. Because my fans dont work, and haven't ever really worked, and because the wiring is a reason that they don't work, I have a blown gasket, and posibly warped heads, on a 2 year old engine....
Am I supposed to just give up? Do i just toss it to the game? I'm so irritated with ford right now, that i am literally ASHAMED to say that they are an american car. Any suggestions? I don't have the money to have a mechanic replace my gasket. And i don't have a torque wrench to do the stuff myself.

Should I just sell the car as-is, and leave it at "a bad experience"?

Any help guys,

Thanks again
-Jeremy

Well if your fans didn't work then yeah that would cause the problem. But might I ask why you would drive it while it was overheating? Because it sounds like that was the problem. See if you can get ford to fix it and if not see how much it would cost to fix the entire problem. If it is more then the car is worth in good running condition then pass it on as a bad experience. Good Luck