Is a 2 liter engine in a 1999 Mercury Mystique an interference motor?

Answer 1

http://www.aa1car.com/library/2004/us70444.htm

According to the website above. It will not suffer severe engine damage if the timing belt breaks. However you should still get the belt changed every 60,000 miles.

It is a non-interferrence engine. The valves generally will not be damaged by the cylinder if the timing belt breaks, however engine wear & high engine speeds can play a roll in this equation. There have been a few occasions of higher mileage vehicles experiencing valve damage. The change interval in the published in the manual for the 1999 Contour is 130,000 miles. Change the belt every 100,000 or 6 years & you should be fine. Be certain you get an entire timing belt kit installed as the idler & tensioner pullies are wear items as well. This is also generally a good time to replace the water pump as the labor is only another 15 minutes or so plus the pump cost.