pajacobsen

Any left fender?

Thanks. My problem is shipping. The shipping cost a fender is ... well, silly...

Thanks, looking at PM now...

I feel your pain. I suffered with shorts for a year or so before I finally bought a harness from Ford. The harness was the last one available for my model/year and it was VERY expensive. The good news is that once I replaced it, the car drove like new. No problems at all. Prior to the replacement, the frequency of shorts was increasing and eventually the car began refusing to start unless i wiggled the wiring (not, I assure you, comforting.) My conclusion is that this is something that needs to be done or the car is junk (unfortunately the cost can exceed the book value of the car, but that is neither here nor there) The good news is that when I got my wiring of, the battery cable showed to be the worst, by far, in terms of decay, and I think it is possible to manually build (and replace) this cable (there is a thread about this somewhere in the forum,) so perhaps you can go that way. Good luck.

Hello All, How do I lay my hand on a left fender for my 97 Contour. I am looking for a left fender for my 97 Contour, but it more complicated than I thought it would be to find one. Also, the fenders seem to ship for approximately the same price as the fender, making it a bit expensive. I am in Maryland and can pick up. Any thoughts? Best regards, pajacobsen

I do have the 1998 V6 (sorry, should have mentioned it.) Are you sure about the pump? I think 04 Taurus parts may still be available. Best, pajacobsen

Thank you for the response. Yes, I went to the stealership. They could only locate four bolts across the East Coast and shipping would be a nightmare. Thus my question... I need either an alternative or some idea of how to buy these torque to yield bolts as an aftermarket item. Any ideas? Best, pajacobsen

Hello all, My waterpump is leaking, so I am going to replace it. Getting a waterpump does not seem to be the problem.... Getting the 3 retaining bolts does. Any ideas where the three expanding bolts can be gotten from? Alternatively, any ideas on what replacement bolts can be used? Or, are there specs for the 3 bolts? Best, Per

I will take a look (again - I tried but I cannot see any obvious spot.)

I bought the last one in North America. I think it ran almost $2K (but it did come in a shinny new box.) Best, pajacobsen

Hello All, My neighbor backed into my car, tapping it on the left front fender (the driver's side) I know have a power steering leak, but I can't tell where it is from, so HELP: 1) How do I determine if the leak is from the pump? 2) If the leak is from the pump, how do I replace the pump with mimimum fuzz? And what should the pump cost? 3) Can the leak be from a tube/pipe running from the pump? If so, how do I get to the tube/pipe and how do I fix it? Thanks in advance. Pajacobsen

Closing this one out as well.... I noticed that I had not closed this one out. I ended up replacing the entire engine harness (except the fan piece) and it resolved the problem (and all other mysterious problems I have been having over the last year or so. The cable was in really bad shape, and, generally, I am less than pleased with Ford's engineers (for using sub-standard materials) and Ford (for having silent and time/milage-limited warranties on what they know to be a sytemic problem.) Best, pajacobsen

Hey all, I forgot to close this item out. I went to a junk yard and picked up two rheostats from junked Contours (there were a lot - the cable rot is amounting to genocide at this stage.) Replacing the rheostats were simple and solved the problem. So... If instrument light goes, first check fuses, then replace rheostas. Best, pajacobsen

Terry, I got the rheostat out. It looks fine. I get 12 volts coming in, nothing coming out. I get full resistance (ohms) on the third leg (out) no matter how I set the rheostat. The rheostat looks very, very simple, and I see no burn marks or like. It is really hard for me to see why it would not work. Is there a way to determining how/if the rheostat is shot? If it is shot, where can I get a replacement? Also, what is the proper procedure for bypassing the rheostat? Best, pajacobsen

Hello AF, I have problems with my dimmer. Do you have a new dimmer I can buy from you (pre-99)? Also, for now is there a way that I can bypass the rheostat without blowing the fuse? Best, pajacobsen

I think it is more like 2,500 - 3,500 if you need to get a shop to do it.

Terry, No light from the heater controls. Does this mean that it is the dimmer? Can I test it by shorting the switch somehow? If so, how? Best, pajacobsen

Thanks Terry, I had not thought about about the fact that the heater control was "dimmable" (is that a word?) too. I will check later when it gets dark. Are you saying that it is unlikely that all 5 bulbs would be out, so it would have to be something else than bulbs? Or are you counting the engine management lights as bulbs (they work fine, as does signals). Please advise. Best, pajacobsen

Hello Terry, 1998 Contour, V6, MTX. My instrument cluster light went out. All other lights are good, including engine management lights. Fuse (F31) is good (and I did try another fuse), and dimmer switch is not turned off(!) The rest of the cluster is good (speedometer, for instance, works fine). I assume bulb is done for or the dimmer switch has died. Is there a quick and dirty way to test the dimmer switch? Is there an easy way to change the bulb (Haynes appear to have you take the instrument cluster partially out, which seems a bit much for a simple bulb change?) Thanks, pajacobsen

1998 2.5L V6, MTX, 65,000 miles, green - all parts original except disposables, radio, and engine harness/battery cables (which all, in the usual manner, dry-rotted away), and cup-holder. Looking for new cup-holder (on my second, which just cracked), passenger rear window lower rubber fitting, passenger side fan assembly, and shift sleeve.

- Dom Is the PCM programming only related to the PATS programming or is there other stuff that is done? Per

Located a new PCM for my 97 Contour 2.5, MTX. Understand that I have to go to dealer for programming. Are there any alternatives? If dealer, what is a reasonable price? - Per

Dom, Thanks... How would I know/verify? Is there a color coding on the cable? What would I be looking for? Per

Hello All, My car started stalling out and then would not start. Sometimes (when left for days) it would start again, but, then, after stopping would not start. All looks OK. Had OBD code that caused replacement of crankshaft sensor. Did not resolve problem. Shop says PCM is dead and that I need new PCM and programming. Determined because there is no voltage on the PCM-Crankshaft sensor voltage line. Price is in excess of $750 for PCM, programming at dealer, plus tow. Shop has suggested that I get used PCM from junk yard and install myself (they explained how to do it and it looks like a simple job) with subsequent programming at dealer. I need a lot of help here. I know little or nothing about this subject, including little or nothing about where to get PCM, how to identify the correct PCM, pricing, programming, etc. Help! Thanks....

Hello, Still dealing with a Cont' that wont start (cranks, but does not start - no OBD codes - replaced crankshaft sensor - tested fuel pressure - tested spark) On a 1997 2.5L Cont', is there a way to test the integrity of the timing chain without removing the cover and all? The manual's process for removing the timing chain seems daunting, including proper support for engine, etc., so I would like to determine if there is a problem without having to take the engine apart....