1999 Ford Contour - Where to Start?

If you could please check and identify the engine again for us? I thought the contour for that year had either a 2.0L 4-cyl or a 2.5L V6.

My typical course of diagnosing motor problems is air-fuel-spark, as these are the main ingredients of combustion. The fact that it runs sometimes means you are getting all three at some point. The loping/rough idle could indicate a vacuum leak or malfunction in some evap. emission control sensor. I once had a faulty idle air control valve on a bmw that produced similar idle symptoms, but no starting issues. Dirty injectors or low fuel pressure could produce something like this but i think it would be more evident while driving. Checking the spark plugs and wire is usually easy, just look for marks where arcing may have occured on the plug wires, but that engine may be coil on plug and not have wires, the plugs may be the culprit.

Another less appealling issue could be your compression. 183K miles seems early for that era car but who knows? You may not be building compression effectively until the engine reaches operating temperature if the piston rings are becoming worn. Have you noticed it burning more oil lately?

I would check the plugs/wires maybe run a fuel injector cleaner with the next tank of gas and ensure no OBD2 codes are indicating any evap. system faults. Good Luck!

-T

Thanks for the reply. You are correct, it is a 2.0, not sure howI got 3.2.

It has put out no codes to date. I have checked multiple times. This weekend's plan is to do a minor tune-up and replace the plugs and wires - it's pretty simple since the components are right on top, so I figure this is an easy place to start and if it's not the issue, well it should be done anyways. I'm doing some google searching right now on the fuel delivery system and symptoms of failure. This is my daily driver so hopefully I can get her going for not too much.

Have the computer checked for fault codes. Many auto parts stores will scan it for free when you drive it to their store. This is always the place to start on a modern vehicle with an "engine management system".

If their scanner can not do it, go to a Ford dealer or go to an independent shop that has a sophisticated scanner like available from Snap On.

The problem could be as simple as a dying mass sensor or as bad as "grinding lump syndrome".

Can you hear the fuel pump when you turn the ignition on, before you try to start the vehicle? It should run no more than a few seconds and then shut off, till you start the car. Then you can't hear it any more anyway.

Or, if you're handy and have a fuel pressure gauge check the pressure. I don't know what the spec for that engine is, but I'll bet one of the guys does.

Good luck.

I know similar things can occur when a timing chain is stretched or has jumped a tooth or two. I'm not sure if timing belts can jump as well because of the tensioners. They usually just break. Pull off the cover and check alignment marks.

I own a 92 Accord that had a similar problem, except I noticed it happened more frequently when the weather was hot. It would crank just fine but would not start.

My problem was the Main Relay. It has some other names, fuel pump relay, I think, among others. The OEM was bad at soldering the relays which made them susceptible to heat, when they got hot the connection expanded and lost the electrical connection. I took out the relay and was able to re-solder the connections and fixed the problem.

+1 for the fuel pump relay

I had a 2000 exploder that had the exact same issue. Once you find the relay (mine was under the hood in a fuse box) you can tap on it and jiggle it while somebody else tries to start it. Them suckers are expensive though (used to be anyways) but after asking a half dozen strangers to start my car while I messed around under the hood I finally broke down and bought one, never had the problem again.

Mine was under the dashboard. I had to lay on my back, on the driver seat and slide down under the steering wheel. It was a neck breaker.

Thanks for the replies.

Based on the fact the engine seemed to be "turning over" mechanically, it was easy to determine the battery and starter were functioning properly. That leaves me with either no fuel or no spark. I listened for the fuel pump which I could easily hear. I went the cheap route first and purchased an $11 fuel filter. Replaced, primed and pressurized and that did the trick. It now makes more sense since before it would not start on the initial attempt, but took many tries and my guess is that it had to build up the system pressure and was unable because of the poor flow. I went ahead and replaced the spark plugs and wires as preventative maintenance since I had already purchased them.

Just wanted to report the solution for those who responded. Thanks again.

Thank you for the follow up