Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting plug wires??

Gonna try that as soon as I get home! The plug/wire on top of the MAF right?

Yep. I have a 95 V6, so it may not be in exactly the same place, but there should only be one plug/harness attachment on it.

One caveat: My car idled rough with the MAF unplugged, so it probably isn't a permanent option. Good for testing, though.

Let me know if it works out for you.

Geoff

Thanks to everyone for providing this information. Just a quick question to pose. Have you noticed that the car starts bucking around an in between 40-45 MPH? Does it also get worse when put under load, like climbing a hill?

I am expercening a simmillar problem and was just wondering if you guys had any of these symptoms.

Thanks.

For me...any low rpm load will do it. In town in traffic...slow down then throttle back up...stumble/jerk.

Mine was anytime under load at low RPMs, but very exaggerated going uphill in a higher gear. Anything under 3000 RPM with a good dose of throttle was a bronco ride.

Geoff

Thanks guys. Sounds exactly like what I am getting. it was almost embarrasing to drive sometimes with anybody in the car or when trying to take someone off the light.

Will try the temp. fix of disconnecting the MAF to test. If this is the problem (hopefully), then I will give it a good cleaning, if not going to replace it.

Just looked this up on fordpartsonline.com for a 99 Contour.

Electrical, Powertrain Control, Mass Air Flow Sensor, Contour, Mystique, 2.0L $151.71 $88.75
Electrical, Powertrain Control, Mass Air Flow Sensor, Contour, Mystique, 2.5L $145.98 $85.40

Not too bad, considering how much Ford would charge to troubleshoot and "fix". Not to mention the time wasted in the Svc. Dept. Not bitter on the Ford Dealer, just speak from experience.

Thanks Again. Keep y'all posted on the status.

Have a similar problem, but I'm halfway to fixing it. You can read a summary of what I did here.

Oh, and I didn't know about the unplugging the MAF trick. I may give that a shot at lunch and see what happens

Thanks for the info D Davis.

I have found some info on the MAF I figured we could use:
(Found this for an Explorer, but it should be very much the same).

When your engine is cool, remove the wiring clip from the side of the black plastic sensor part of the MAF aluminum body. To remove the MAF interior sensor wire, you will need a Security Star (Size T15 or T20) screwdriver or screwdriver bit for a power screwdriver. Remove the two security star-head screws and carefully remove the sensor. You will see the two sensor filaments…they look almost like the filaments on a light bulb. Carefully spray the filaments with an O2 safe carburetor cleaner, such as Gumout. Let it dry thoroughly. I help mine along with a careful blast or two of canned dry air. While it is drying carefully wipe the aluminum mount surface of the MAF body if there is any dust there, but be careful not to get dust in the mount hole. When the sensor is dry, replace the sensor back in the MAF body and secure with the security star-head screws. These don't need to be torqued down, just simply hand tight. Replace the wiring clip. Then start up your engine. You should have solved any bogging or missing problems. My flat idle spot is ancient history

Just remembered..when I pulled the spark plugs and showed Terry Haines, he commented on that they looked like I was running lean...which supports the MAF causing it to read lean...

radioactive,

Thanks for the research on cleaning the MAF. I hope to try it tonight.

Geoff