Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting if you have a 98 or newer contour please read!!!!

news flash for you projectSHO89 the mechanic told me there is no way to test it with out taking it out. and i would have to wait till the car died. which it did eventually. why would i spend 500.00 to have my engine tore apart when they dont know for sure if that is the problem. first you should read up on the VCT solenoid and where it is located before you start shooting off your mouth. maybe when you get the same problem you will see for yourself there are many causes for this CEL to come on with this code. im not asking for pitty but this how things like recalls get accomplished is for the average american to complain to the company that made the parts. not wait till people start dieing in crashes because there vehicle stops running at 55 to 65 mph on a busy highway. they all dont fail in your driveway. as far as a few threads here on this board a few is three in my book and there are more than three. and if you check the internet like i did for imformation pertaining to this part you will find there are more than a "few". see i do my homework before i blow off my mouth and i am just trying to help others before they experience the same problm. this part had nothing to do with clean oil or dirty oil. if you see the part out of the engine you would see why . i also had this part tested and found that it was the selenoid not the collar that goes around the cam shaft. that part was fine. i have my oil changed every 3000 miles. i think maybe you need to take a close look at what makes your cam run you would be surprised that it runs at all.

i jut had a solenoid replaced by aamco, but it was under warranty. not sure if its the same thing u are talking about....

P1380 VCT Solenoid Valve circuit Short or Open.

P1381 Cam Timing Advance is excessive.

Both of these codes point to the VTC.

Of course it can be tested - with a meter, a timing light, and a jumper wire.

The VCT problem may eventually reach recall status, but anything can fail while you are out on the road. The VCT solenoid may burn out from oil infiltration or defect, but much more commonly from being stuck. If the pintle in the solenoid valve does not move completely, the coil is subject to a great deal of electrically generated heat. The pintle and oil passages are not visible unless it is dismantled. The collar for the cam is not the problem.

Calm down. Thank you for your concern on the subject.

Read around the site. You will discover other problems you did not know about. That's why the creators of the site started it - and we are indebted to them.


Now go and check your muffler bearings.

Lol. That hand looks wierd.

A little edgy there huh? I completely agree with SHO89, you should not have driven with a CEL for a year!!! The codes point at the VCT as displayed above, don't blame your neglected engine for something it TOLD YOU was going to happen. What else do you want it to do? Make a sandwich for you?
Check your exhaust filter too.