1997 Ford Contour - Page 2 - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

Go to any Ford dealership with your VIN #, and proof of ownership, and they can cut you a key. A good locksmith can do the same.

The end parts, and the line part in the middle.

Check with a reputable wrecking yard that has a decent computer system-The interchanges will be available for you upon request...

Passenger side of the car. Behind the plastics bumper, below the headlight.

I think you're looking at the transmission speed sensor. It is the sensor that sends speed information to the PCM to tell it how fast the car is going, and the PCM sends the signal to the speedometer.

It's in the center, rear engine area, mounted in the exhaust manifold. Kind of a pain to get at, but doable. It's easier if you take the oil filter off.

Are you talking about the cam drive belt or the accessory drive serpentine belt? What engine, the 2.0 liter 4-cylinder, or the 2.5 liter V6? If it's the serpentine belt, does it have air conditioning?

Have your alternator checked. If one (or more) of the diodes in the alternator is shorted, you can get similar symptoms, and it won't charge the battery either.

Check your owners manual for possible fuses that run those systems.

Do you smell coolant inside of the vehicle. If so then chances are your heater core is going.

Is it ACTUALLY overheating? Check for heat at the top and bottom radiator hoses, and at both heater core hoses. If one is cold then your radiator or your heater core may be plugged and in need of a individual flush.

Ok, this may help... Two things to check, first, if it starts with the pedal depressed, but doesn't start with it released and in "Idle Position", then you have an issue with the "Idle Air control servo" which is located in the back of the engine under the Intake manifold. Second, if it tries to start, kinda wants too..., then you may have a bad "Coolant Temp Sensor". This car has 2 of them. One is located in front of and below the thermostat housing above the transmission near the radiator. This one has a single wire to it and only gives the readings to the coolant temp guage. The other one, which is the sensor for the engine control computer actually tells the computer to either run " warm lean", or "full rich cold", kind of like using a choke on an older car. The comon problem with these is they will read full warm thus leaning out the mix and when cold your car won't start very easily. I don't remember where the other sensor is located but you can check your haynes manual to find out. Also, important note here, make sure your coolant is full up. If not, the coolant sensors will not be exposed to the coolant and will not read correctly. Hope this helps... Randy

Each window has its own little servo motor and the drivers side is usually the one that wears out first. Considering it has done the most work in the past 17 years, it has probably died and gone to heaven. Should be under a hundred dollars to have a new one put in.

the Elec. Transmission has a problem, had it in a '93 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme... had to get a rebuilt. sorry brother, they are about 1500 CAD installed..

head light switch will cause that

Failed Transaxle

pretty vague. does it rev high or try to die.

That's niceHow about a repair shopEven if someone could guessat all the possible reasons for theno start,,you still need a proper diagnoses& fix

checking fuses is always a good way to start and the cheapest. the switch could be dirty for instance if someone had spilled a coke on it in the past. it could also be the drive motor for the window. since all the others are working this could be a possiblity.

Problems are never in a fuseIf a fuse is found blown, you don'treplace itYou go to wiring diagrams & find out what in that circuit would most like cause it to failAll you can do is check all fusesSeem people on this site replace perfectlygood fuses & relays,that's hard to even understand,let alone believe