Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting 99 SE 4 Cylinder Code P1383 Rough Idle Low Power

None of those problems are cheap to fix. The VCT, should it need to be replaced is a costly part. The Timing belt and parts are cheap, but the labor makes up for the costs.

Well I hate to hear that! Got a ball park amount that I should expect to pay?

IIRC, the VCT seleniod costs between $300-400 + labor.
To have the belt/tensioner and idler pulleys replaced it was $300 for labor. $600 total.
I asked them to do the pulleys since the car has 95,000 on it. I knew it would cost a bit more but I figured it would be easier to do them now rather than rip everything apart again later.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Go to an auto parts store and buy the Haynes or Chilton's manual for the contour. The tensioner is not that hard to change your self. You can visually inspect it by pulling off the passenger's side front wheel and then the plastic slpash guard. Simply follow the serp belt down to the lower left of the assembly. There you will find the tensioner pulley.

The Haynes manual will walk you through what you need to do. You don't even need a lot of tools. Its more time consuming than dificult. You can do it.

I'll give that a shot. What kind of socket set should I have? Metric? The 11 pc. SAE set that I have now doesn't fit anything on the car...

One more important question. Why is this guy getting hit on the head with a fish? That's just wrong.

I took a look at my timing belt, and it is chewed up on the edge that is away from the engine. I also found a hole in the hose that goes from the PCV filter down to the intake manifold. The breather filter inside the air filter chamber looked like it had never been touched. It disintigrated in my hand when I took it out. The breather hose from the valve cover also has a soft spot on it that feels like it is going to become a hole.

The P1382 was probably cause by the timing belt, but it did cause me to get under the car and find these other problems. I'm going to fix them and then take it in for a new timing belt.

Ah! I was wondering about that. There are a couple of little brackets for that hose built into the battery holder I think. It's amazing how much ISN'T in the Haynes manual, especially when it comes to hoses.

I just got it all fixed at a shop. New timing belt AND new VCT solenoid plus a tune-up. Needless to say, it was VERY expensive. Solenoid part: $350. Timing belt and Tensioner: $225 plus plugs, plus LOTS of labor...

PLEASE! Be very careful not to ever overfill your oil, and keep your oil clean. It's extremely important, especially when you have a VCT engine.

Just wanted to pass that on. I think that may be what cause the solenoid to go bad, because it happened immediately after I added oil. I think I added too much.

Thanks!