Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Few problems...

I have a few problems with my car, but money is tight right now and I can't afford to take it in...so I want to see if there is anything I can do myself.

My first problem is that my car is much louder. It is very quiet until I accelerate. I have no clue what it is. It isn't urgent right now, because I can live with it. But I would like to know if it can be fixed.

My second problem is that when I start the car, if I don't accelerate right away, the car sputters kind of, then shuts off.

Also, I think a belt is slipping or something, because every once in a while when I stop at a light, the car will jump when I accelerate, and it continues for about 10 seconds.

Oh, and my speedometer just started crapping out on me. It just drops all the way down.

So, yeah, any help is appreciated...but keep in mind that I am only 17 and know nothing about cars, so diagrams/pictures/small-words will help. Thanks.

Welcome to CEG, Burnzy.

Firstly, Whenever you post about your car in the troubleshooting forum, try to include the following:

year
make
model
engine size (2.0 Zetec, or 2.5 Duratec, etc)
Transmission type (automatic or manual)
mileage
recent work done (might be relevant with whatever problems you are talking about.


Secondly, do you have a CEL (Check Engine Light) currently lit, on your dash, while you drive? When you turn your key ON, but don't start the car, it should light up on the bottom of the dash. Start the car and it should go away. Does it go away, or stay lit all the time?

If it stays lit all the time, and you have a 1996 (or newer) car, go to autozone, advance auto parts, etc, and say "my check engine light is on, I need to have it scanned" (they will do it for free) They will hook up a scanner to your car (in the driver's floorboard) and retrieve the "codes" that your car has (each code represents a certain area of your car that has a problem.)

Make sure that when they do this, you get the "code" and not their DESCRIPTION of what might be wrong. If you have to, lean over their shoulder and read the display your self. the code should be Pxxxx (where the x's are numbers; P0420, P0172, etc)

Bring that code(s) to us and post them, and we can further diagnose your problems.

As for what you posted,
I would take VERY early guesses at each, but the accuracy of each is not gauranteed.

Louder car:
possible exhaust leak. Does it sound like a louder "popping" or crackling noise when you accelerate? Sound like its coming from directly underneath the floorboards, and not from the engine bay, or exhaust tip?

Sputtering:
I'll wait until you get your CEL codes read (if your light is on) to try this one)

Jumping:
What do you mean, jumping? Lurching forward while you are pressing the gas? (kind of a stop, go, stop, go motion) even though you are holding the gas pedal steady? Also known as bucking? Your car may be "missing". That is, your car's ignition and spark system may need a tune up (new plugs, wires, etc) The engine "expects" a spark to arrive at each cylinder of your engine at a certain time. If your spark plugs are old, worn, or bad, then that spark will not happen for that particular cylinder. The result: a bucking, or "missing" sensation.

Speedometer:
Does the speedo work "most of the time" or not at all? When does it "drop" to the left? When you start the car, or when you accelerate, or brake, etc? You might look in to replacing your VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor). Very cheap and takes about 5 minutes, or so. That sensor can go bad relatively easily.

So, cliff's notes:

Always post your year, make, model, engine, tranny, mileage and recent work in your troubleshooting post. (maybe add it to your "signature" so its at the bottom of EVERY post you make)

If your CEL is on, get your codes scanned for free at autozone, etc. Bring back the CODE or codes, not the words they tell you.

Reply with your car's details, and also with the last known maintenance and at what mileage (if possible).

Good luck, and keep us informed. I'll be here to help when you get that information posted.

Do all the things suggested by Ray. As suggested, there is a very good chance that your VSS is broken and causing those symptoms too. If you have an automatic, does the "OD off" light flash. If yes, then change the VSS immediately.

Some instructions on removing the VSS
VSS change by unisys.

"VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor)

I had to change my VSS late this afternoon, so I thought I would walk you guys through the process on my Duratec/CD4E. It's really not all that bad, except unplugging the connector. My symptoms were pretty simple... Bouncing/in-accurate seedo and once that was bad enough, the tranny would not shift properly.

- Secure the vehicle, in the air, safely.

- Remove your air cleaner & tubing.

- Reach down, under the brake booster, and locate the VSS connector. You can actually see it better from the bottom, just no way to actually reach it from there. It will take some serious single handed twisting to disconnect this connection, but don't give up!

- From under the car, use a 5/16" wrench to remove the single bolt from the VSS retainer. * Note that this retainer looks like it is upside down, with a tab resting on the case of the tranny. Don't fret! This is normal, but be sure to replace the retainer in the same way that it was removed.

- Grasp the sensor body and lightly wiggle it out of it's location. Use gently force when wiggling, but apply steady pressure upwards. The sensor body should slide right out. Do not jerk upwards on the sensor, when removing it, or you will run the risk of gear coming off the end of the sensor. This is not a real big deal, since the gear itself is about an inch tall. Along with the added shaft that is part of the gear, the gear assy is probably around 4 inches long. You should be able to grasp it with a pair of crooked needle nose pliers, but it would be one hella tight fit!!

- Once the sensor is out of the case and you have removed the gear assy from the sensor body, use a rag to wrap around the body of the sensor base. This part of the sensor is metal, so we don't want to damage it. Use a pair of pliers and grasp the metal part of the sensor. LIGHTLY! Do Not Squeeze Hard!! Just apply a small amount of pressure here. And use a 1" wrench on the plastic part of the body and seperate the two halfs.

- At this point, you get simply reverse. But something that I should note here... There is a seal on the metal half of the sensor base. Be sure to inspect this seal closely or better yet, just replace it. Also, be sure to clean everything really good and lube everything down with CLEAN ATF before putting it all back together.

Part number of the sensor - F-F5RZ-9E371-BC (correct part number is F5RZ-9E731-AC)

Cost of part - 44.67 + tax = 47.80

Part was purchused from local Ford Dealer

Reason for sensor replacement - Notice about a week ago that when traveling over bumpy roads, that my speedometer would fluctuate +/- 5mph. Monday, of this week, it progressivly got worse (of course) and the speedo would actually stay at 0 when taking off from a stand still, as well as droping to 0 when I let off the gas. In only 60 miles of driving, on that day, it managed to toast the ATF I had in there, which only had about 5K on it. Yes, I have also changed my ATF as well."

From Autozone for VSS change
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1b/cb/ad/0900823d801bcbad.jsp

You can also purchase the VSS from www.teamfordparts.com

F5RZ9E731AC CEG Price $28.85
Electrical - Powertrain control - Vehicle speed sensor
VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR, Contour, Mystique, 2.0L, 2.5 L, Automatic Trans., From 2/1/95 1995 - 2000