Ford Contour

Follow the upper radiator hose to the engine and there is a housing there with the thermostat.Take the housing off and reokace the thermostat with the spring toward the engine. goodluckjoe

Just got done doing the same thing on my 1995 SE. Easy as pie, helped to remove the battery and followed hose as above. The thermostat is housed in a three way unit. Just unscrew the two nuts, and voila! Lost about a pint of fluid, mostly spilled out when I took out the thermostat, so if you have it in hand, you can pop it in rather quickly and replace rubber gasket with out having to buy a new one.

"reokace" is not a known word to me. Locate? Replace? Reposition? So far, this is meaningless.

I had the same problem with my 99 Contour SE. I had the entire dash replaced in 2002 (dealership did it for free). Two years later (June 2004) it has happened again. I just got a quote from the dealership today. To replace dashboard again plus labor is about $375.00. I've seen this topic come up on other Ford Contour forums, seems to be a common problem. Otherwise I love my car. Good luck!

I Too have the same problem with my '99 Contour SE. Another friend of mine with an older Ford Taurus had a similar problem as well, and he predrilled some holes and eventually had to screw down the Dashboard, without replacing it. The problem with the Contour however is that space is so tight between the windshield and top part of the dash that its nearly impossible to work in there without taking off the windshield. My dashboard has been a problem for close to 2 years now, and I think I'm going to finally try and do what my friend did, and screw down the dash, however it doesn't look like it will be easy to do.

I had the same problem in 2001 and now again in 2004. My dealer fixed it the first time but now tells me that with Ford it is a one time fix and I am out of luck and on my own. I plan to use epoxy as a temp fix until I can get some answers from Ford or the dealer. Good luck to you.

I also have a Ford Contour 1999 that has the dash warping. The air vent is also popping out. I had the dealer replace it in 2001 and it still did it again. I did a little research on it and this is the only car that doesnt have the dash clips on it. (looks like a really strange looking paper clip.) I figured that If I used epoxy (one rated for high temps) that this would work. MMMM no! What I did do though is a found a really large surenge and mixed my epoxy and then added it to it (it keeps the mess down) I then inserted the exoxy as far under the dash (through the air vent cover once it was removed) as I far could get it. I then found some (you going to laugh) some small hurricane reienforcement brackets (strong metal that doesnt cost alot, and will not bed by hand easily). Found some that had the same size and width as the defroster vents just cut to fit. to just fit in the dash knotches on both sides(not the cover look inside the dash air vent) and used black zip ties to secure the dash to the vents and stuffed towels to push the dash down long enough for the epoxy to cure (longer cure more set up time about 24 hour cure time). I let my care sit for a day or two and then put the air vent cover back on. I think the trick is the type of glue. It took me about $30 for all the parts and epoxy and some of my time about two hours. I havent had really any problems as of yet. I don't recommend this to eveyone though.

I too had the same problem, it is a faulty part. I have had it replaced twice (free under MW). They know it's a problem, and don't wan't to admit it, but when I pressed the issue, they replace it both times at no cost to me.

I had the problem also. I tried to repair it but the dash material was so stiff I coildn't hold it down and try to snap the vent in at the same time. A stone just append to crack the windshield. I made an appointment to have it replaced and ask the glass shop to call me when they had the old windshield out so I cound come over and try to fix it with the windshield out. They were kind enough to do that so I went over and glued the dash down with a spray adhesive and then was able to screw down the grill. My advice is to follow a gravel truck!

I had the problem also. I tried to repair it but the dash material was so stiff I couldn't hold it down and try to snap the vent in at the same time. A stone just happend to crack the windshield. I made an appointment to have it replaced and ask the glass shop to call me when they had the old windshield out so I could come over and try to fix it with the windshield out. They were kind enough to do that so I went over and glued the dash down with a spray adhesive and then was able to screw down the grill. My advice is to follow a gravel truck!

at one time ford had a recall on them

I had the same problem with my '00 Contour. I lived with it for about 18 mos., but it was a bear on cold winter nights when the defrosters didn't hit the wind shield directly in front of the driver.

Just fixed it yesterday by drilling holes 6 in. apart across the whole dash, about 1/2 in. back from the front lip. Then we heated a finish nail to red hot with a torch. Holding the dash down tight we put the finish nail (held in a vice grips) down through the hole we drilled and melted a pilot hole in the hard plastic plate under the dash. We then put a self-drilling screw through the dash and the pilot hole and drilled it in with a 1/4 in. rachet (the only thing we could get in the tight space.)

Once we had screwed the whole dash down, we zip-tied the plastic grill back.

Not the prettiest job (you'll see the screws), but I have another 6 in. of visibility now and the defrosters will work in the winter again. Good luck!

My 1999 Contour SE had the same problem. It is a great little car and is now 10 years old with only 32k. I asked the dealership and they referred me to a car upholsterer but it was obvious that re-glueing had been tried before. My neighbor has the same car and the dashboards look like twins! They are badly peeled back and the defroster vents are hidden. We live in Florida thank goodness. I decided the easiest way to deal with it now it to trim off the excess vinyl and cover the dash with a custom cover. Who's going to look under there anyway?

May go out after filling and driving. Give it a few days before getting it looked at. Below are some insights.

Pull the codes from the computer, match the code to the troubleshooting procedure, follow the procedure to find the source. Repair the source, light will go out if that was the only problem. There are "monitors" or self tests the computer runs the car through a drive cycle, if a problem occurs, it may not run all of the self tests until that problem is taken care. Therefore, another problem may exist. It is emission related. OR hook up a scanner that is capable of clearing codes, and hope that none are still active. Disconnecting the battery can create other headaches and will not likely solve your dilemma. Best bet is to contact the local snap-on dealer and have him refer you to a known good shop that specializes in this technology-he will know.

The "check engine light" is a warning light that is illuminated, usually when there is a problem with the emission system, but may also occur if the computer detects a misfiring cylinder, knocking, or other symptom of your engine running outside of its normal operation.

It is a good thing once you understand it.

A check engine light is often simply the result of a loose gas cap, which triggers error code P0452.

But understand that many scenarios are possible with the "check engine light" The vehicle's powertrain computer (note that some vehicles have 17 different computers) will run a series of self-tests. They will only run under certain criteria. And they can be vastly different from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some self-tests are not run until preceding ones have run successfully. So if there is a problem in one particular area that is preventing another self test from running, you can have a situation where one problem is fixed, but another still exists. If you fix a problem and drive the car through a drive cycle that sets the monitor (or self test) the light will go off as it passes that criteria that triggered it in the first place.

After 1996, the auto industry went to a idea called OBD II (on board diagnostics). This was to get all the manufacturers onto a similar plane for troubleshooting and powertrain control. While they still differ vastly, many corrections and adaptations were made for technicians to better fix the check engine light problems. Prior to this there were so many different and poor troubleshooting data from a check engine light problem that resolving the problem was much more difficult. Many early warning light of this nature were set to illuminate based on mileage. An Oxygen sensor was one of the things that were meant to be replaced when that mileage was hit. This is much like many current "Change oil lights� that are set based on a pre-set mileage.

In this specific case, where the check engine light and the low fuel light come on at nearly the same time, it is possible that the check engine light came on because the engine ran lean for a second or two, caused by low fuel pump pressure, which in turn was caused by low fuel level in the tank. If the engine is running normally and smoothly, fill the tank and give it a few days use to see if the light goes off before seeking further help. If the engine is not running well, lacks power, or otherwise seems abnormal, further troubleshooting is required immediately.

Many auto parts supply stores will read the OBD-II code from your car at no charge.

Was it the "Check Engine" light or the "Check Gauge" light that came on? I know some of the later fords had a check gauge light that would come on if you left your fuel filler cap off or loose, or if you were low on fuel.

There are 3 screws holding the headlight assembly/lens in place:

• 2 are readily identifiable at each end of the front-top of the lens
• The 3rd is set towards the back and lower.

Remove those 3 and the whole lens comes out for easy bulb replacement.

By the way, this is detailed and illustrated in the Owners Manual - See "Related Questions" below for more

Pop the hood turn on the lights hit the high beams locate the wire (connector) at the back of the headlamp assembly a quarter turn of the "boot" to the left should release it pull it out carefully twist out the bulb take the bulb with you to a parts store buy bulb reverse procedure!

Doug

I would bet that it has some release clips at the back of the headlamp assembly. That's right the lenses are part of the assembly. A lot have a long flat plastic retaining clip that slides in from the top to lock a protruding pin into the sheet metal holder. I don't have one to look at to give you a definite answer about removing the assembly but my reply is mainly to let you know that if you are looking to replace them because they have clouded up then you should look for someone to polish and coat them instead. There are a few businesses popping up that do that now. I saw one locally called Clean & Clear or something like that. Try a search or check with some of your local used car dealers, those guys seem to do a lot of them for dealers.

You can also polish them yourself with a liquid compound like Blue Magic (for one) plexiglass and plastic polish that Pep Boys or other parts stores sell. Use an orbital polisher or low speed angle polisher designed for polishing automotive paint. It only takes about 5 min. each. The only problem is that it (obviously) only helps the cloudiness on the outside and doesn't last very long, maybe 2-4 months. The pros that do that for a living actually use something to coat it that keeps them clear.

Good luck

go to the blown bulb open the hood directly behind the bulb is a sort of cap with wires coming out of it give that a quarter to half turn and the light should pop out check the bulb for any retainer clips if none simply pull out the old bulb and put in the new one.(do not touch any glass surfaces on the new bulb the oil on your hands will cause the new bulb to develop a hot spot and burn out prematurely

The easiest way is to remove the entire headlight assembly. There are two screws on top, easy to see, and one down behind holding a long piece of metal attached to the head light. Remove the headlight and replace the bulbs. Install is reverse.